Danny "The Count" Koker of Count's Kustoms in Las Vegas, Nevada and from the hit History channel show, Counting Cars, is a world-famous car restorer and modder, with more vehicles than most people have books. His car collection is as legendary as his resto-mod work and probably belongs in the Smithsonian, but most of his rides are daily drivers. Though he often says he'd never sell his cars, sometimes the money is too good, and he'll let one go. There is however one car, a 1966 Mustang Shelby GT350, that Koker will never part with. The car has too much sentimental value and will remain a permanent part of his collection and life.
The Count Has Sold Some Awesome Cars
Watching Counting Cars or Count's Kustoms Network, on YouTube, it's a frequent occurrence to hear Koker say he'll never sell a particular car from his collection, but then an offer comes in that he can't refuse and out the door, it goes.
Koker had a sweet 1992 Lamborghini Diablo with a 5.7 L V-12, that put out 428 horsepower and 428 pound-feet. of torque, with a top speed of 202 mph. As much as Koker loved that purple supercar, someone showed him the money, and he sold it. It appears whoever bought the car wasn't all that attached to it because it was sold at a 2022 Barret-Jackson auction for $187,000.
Another car Koker swore he'd never sell was his electric blue 1967 Pontiac GTO convertible. Koker picked up the Pontiac in the first season of Counting Cars and spent about a year restoring and modifying it.
He just added some modern style to the exterior and suspension but left the 400 c.i. V-8 alone. It was part of Koker's permanent collection until a fan of the show took the Count's Kustoms showroom tour and asked if he could buy it. Koker put out the "not for sale" price, meaning he gave the fan a really high number. Much to Koker's chagrin, the fan bit at the number and bought the GTO.
During an interview with The Globe and Mail, Koker was asked what car he most regrets selling and his initial answer was, "I regret everyone I've sold!" When pressed further, the one he regrets the most was a 1973 Plymouth Satellite Sebring R. In Plum Crazy Purple, the Mopar muscle car was available with the 440 V-8 and four-speed manual, though it's unclear what Koker's had.
Koker completely restored the car and said he had every intention of keeping it forever. Then, someone came and made a cash offer, which Koker rejected. That person kept upping the offer until it reached twice what the Satellite was worth, so he had to let it go.
Koker loves all of his rides, but as he explains, he's a car guy and a businessman, so sometimes he has to take advantage of a great deal and sell a car. He's emotional about the ones he let go, including his Buick Riviera, Plymouth Roadrunner, and Ford Galaxy. There is however one car that is not for sale at any price.
The One Car Danny Koker Won't Sell
Danny Koker grew up in Detroit, Michigan in a family of car enthusiasts and auto plant workers. There was a pretty good chance that he was going to sprout into a car guy no matter what, but when he was nine years old, his dad brought home a 1966 Mustang Shelby GT350.
According to Koker, the car was the trigger that sparked his interest in all things automotive and sent him down his life's path. He and his dad would tinker with the GT350 and that turned into, later in life, the father and son team buying, restoring, and modding killer rides.
Introduced in 1965, the Shelby GT350 was the high-performance variant of the Ford Mustang. The '66, which was still part of the first gen, came with a Ford small block 289 c.i. V-8 and either a three-speed automatic or four-speed manual transmission. The car was small and light so the 306 horsepower and 329 pound-feet of torque made by this pony car really pushed it down the road.
1966 was also the first year that the GT350 was available in other colors, but white with blue rally stripes is how this car was meant to be. It's such a cool and iconic car that it has had many co-starring roles in TV shows and movies like The Love Bug, I Spy, and Gone in 60 Seconds.
Koker says the GT350 has been part of his family ever since his dad brought it home. When Koker was old enough to drive, the car was gifted to him, and is officially the first vehicle in his massive collection. In an episode of the YouTube series Q&A w/Count, a viewer asked Koker a hypothetical question that if had had to sell all of his machines and could only keep one, what would it be?
Koker didn't hesitate for a second, naming the Mustang Shelby GT350 as the car that is "most significant to my heart." Koker said it isn't the rarest, most exotic, or most expensive car he owns, but it is the one that means the most to him. It's the car that he says changed his life, and in a big tell that shows his emotional bond to it, he still refers to it as, "My father's 1966 Mustang GT350."
Another testament to how much this GT350 means to Koker is the fact that he left it alone. He's a world-famous customizer and modder, but this car has been restored to its original glory.
The '66 Shelby GT350 Is Not For Sale
When Koker explained why he sold his '67 GTO, he said,
"I'm also a gentleman that owns a business, operates the business. There are bills to pay, there are wonderful employees that work with me, that I need to be able to take care of." That's Koker's bottom line.
He loves his cars, and it tears him up when he parts with one, but he's in the business of making money off of restoring, customizing, and selling vehicles. No matter how special a car is, there's always a price for it, except one: His father's 1966 Mustang Shelby GT350. For some things, there's simply no dollar equivalent.