Danny Koker Went From Motor City Beginnings to "Counting Cars" Stardom (2024)

If you're a fan of the insanely popular History Channel TV series Pawn Stars, you know that it has just about as many spinoffs as it does seasons. One of these spinoffs is Counting Cars. Filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, the show focuses on Count's Kustoms, a hot rod and chopper customization and restoration shop.

The owner of the shop and star of the show is Danny "The Count" Koker, who looks more like an '80s-era rock star than someone who runs a custom shop (He actually is a rock star, too. But more on that later). Even though Danny Koker has quite a few different side projects, the guy is pro at the car and bike restoration game.

Danny Koker Bio

Born on January 5, 1964, Daniel Nicholas Koker II was raised in both Cleveland, Ohio and Detroit, Michigan, meaning that a love of cars was pretty much engrained into his DNA. His dad, besides being an accomplished musician, worked at Ford Motor Company, and by the time he was eight, Danny had already been gifted a cruiser by his pops. Eventually, Danny taught himself how to restore cars, and he got good at it. Real good.

Shortly after developing a love for working of cars, Danny also developed a loved for entertaining. When his parents bought the Las Vegas television station KFBT, Danny started hosting a weekly B-movie showcase called Saturday Fright at the Movies, where he played a character named "Count Cool Rider." It's not really "cool" in the traditional sense, but definitely entertaining.

Following the success of his TV stint, Koker took his Count moniker and applied it to his true passion: Customizing cars and motorcycles. Hence, Count's Kustoms was born.

Danny Koker's Counting Cars Career

As business started booming for Count's Kustoms, Danny Koker grew in popularity. He served as a car and motorcycle expert on both the Pawn Stars TV show and the Pawn Stars spinoff, American Restoration. In 2012, yet another Pawn Stars spinoff was born: the popular show Counting Cars.

Along with "The Count," the show includes a pretty eclectic cast of characters, including a guy named "Horny Mike," an airbrush artist who likes putting horns on everything. Yeah, probably not the direction you assumed that was going...

Not everything ended up going smoothly at Count's Kustoms. In 2016, an employee named Joseph Frontiera was accused of misappropriated company funds for personal use, including using shop money as a down payment on a Range Rover and personal airline tickets. He ended up getting fired, subsequently sued by Count's Kustoms, and fined $18,000 by the IRS.

But, what about the future of Counting Cars? After a nine-season run (the most recent season having aired in July 2020), the History Channel show has yet to be picked up for a tenth season. Here's hoping that we get some new episodes of the reality TV show soon, or else we'll be deprived of more incredible moments like this.

Danny Koker Net Worth and Personal Life

Danny Koker has an estimated net worth of $13 million, and he puts a lot of that money towards his love of vehicles, with a car collection of 55 and counting. Oh, and he also has around 70 motorcycles. Yeah, you could say he's a just little bit obsessed with the gearhead lifestyle.

When he's not working on cars or choppers, Danny definitely keeps himself busy. He's the owner of Count's Vamp'd Rock Bar & Grill and has a tattoo parlor called Count's Tattoo Company. On top of that, Koker is also the lead vocalist of the hard rock band Count's 77. Clearly, Danny's really milking that "Count" nickname.

Having been married to Korie Koker since 2015, Danny Koker is an ordained minister and is also involved with a number of charities. They need to change the term "jack of all trades" to "koker of all trades," because this guy really does it all.

This post was originally published on February 21, 2020.

WATCH: The Rock's Car Collection Is Absolutely Insane

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FAQs

How did Danny from Counts Kustoms get started? ›

The self-taught mechanic grew up in Cleveland and Detroit with family blood lines that gifted him with the innate love of all things automotive. What started as a hobby many years ago has now turned into one of the most reputable and thriving customization/restoration shops in the country.

What made Danny Koker famous? ›

Prior to rising to fame with his Pawn Stars and Counting Cars appearances, he appeared as a character called Count Cool Rider on a local Vegas television channel that was owned by his family. In this guise, he hosted an event called "Saturday Fright at the Movies", which showed numerous old B-grade horror films.

How much does Danny make per episode on Counting Cars? ›

While being an expert on cars for the show "Pawn Stars" producers immediately perceived his magnetic personality and made him a proposition to have his own show called "Counting Cars", it has been airing since 2012, it is reported that Koker receives a salary of $100,000 per episode and has an average of about 16 ...

Who stole from Danny on Counting Cars? ›

In a lawsuit filed in March, the hot rod and motorcycle restoration and customization company featured in the “Counting Cars” series accuses former employee Joseph Frontiera of using the business' money to make a down payment on his personal Land Rover Range Rover and buy airline tickets for personal use.

Why did Scott leave Counting Cars? ›

Scott left between the second and third seasons and is only mentioned briefly in the third-season premiere (having moved to Tennessee after the birth of his son).

Why did Danny from Counting Cars go to jail? ›

Despite rumors and speculations, it was confirmed that Coker did not serve jail time. Instead, he encountered a different kind of setback. a lawsuit regarding his company, counts customs. The lawsuit, which emerged shortly after the debut of counting cars, involved a.

Is Danny the owner of Counting Cars? ›

The owner and king of Count's Kustoms, Danny is the creative force behind each project. He's is a self-taught mechanic who grew up in Cleveland and Detroit and whose family worked for Ford. Danny's been successfully running his business for over 20 years and is a car—and bike–buying machine.

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