Counts Kustoms Car Museum
COUNTS KUSTOMS CAR MUSEUM IS A GAS! When in Las Vegas, there are tons of things to do. Most cost some bucks. That’s what Vegas is all about, right? Well, there are a few true gems of carmania that are, in fact, free! Like the fantastic Count’s Kustoms Car Museum located at 2714 S. Highland Drive in Las Vegas. For those of you who have been living in a cave for the last decade or so, Count’s Kustoms is both the film set for the History Channel’s hit TV show “Counting Cars”, where owner Danny Koker and his wooly crew build, restore, and mostly customize awesome cars and bikes. It’s also the home of part of (I was told about 20% of) Danny’s own personal collection of cars, bikes, and memorabilia from the show, including wild builds like Horny Mike’s “Horny Bus” (above). I was blown away that they would make something so cool free of charge, when they could have gotten away with charging admission and I’m sure people would still fill the place. Especially since there must have been a dozen guys in black Count’s Kustoms T-shirts directing traffic, controlling the parking, answering questions, etc. That can’t be cheap. But there it is: one of the best entertainment buys on the planet, if you’re a car guy and/or a Counting Cars fan.
BELOW: A Shelby GT350, 2 Lambos, a whale-tail Porcshe turbo and a tricked-out Pantera greet you as you walk in.
ABOVE: It looks a little crowded, but actually there’s plenty of room to walk around and look at stuff. You just can’t get past the ropes.
BELOW: Everybody’s got a Cobra replica.
ABOVE: Customized 70s Vette. Danny loves the 70s, just like me.
BELOW: Now that’s a flame-job!
ABOVE: A wicked DeTomaso Pantera.
BELOW: This boat-tail Riviera got the full treatment. What a paintjob! Looks like Horny Mike’s work.
ABOVE: Sweet 1966 Shelby GT350.
BELOW: If you watch the show Counting Cars, you probably remember this blue ’67 GTO convertible. They bought it cheap to fix up then flip for a quick profit. But once Danny drove it, he had to have it, and decided to keep it, much to Office Manager Scott’s chagrin. (That’s a nice word for it). Gorgeous car.
ABOVE: The “Big Twin Trike” dated back to the late 60s and was restored and juiced up by Danny and the boys. It’s powered by two Harley V-twins sitting side-by-side.
BELOW: Everybody needs a ’32 Roadster.
ABOVE: Do you remember the Counting Cars episode where Danny had his crew cut this car right down the middle, creating two half-cars, each of which could be hung on a wall, like this. Each was painted and customized differently, then auctioned off to benefit the Wounded Warriors Project, a cause near and dear to Danny’s heart.
ABOVE: Danny Koker’s alter-ego is “The Count”, sort of a modern vampire, who used to hose scary movies and events. In deference to this, he has a customized Hearse to cruise around in, to race home before sunrise.
BELOW: This weird little mutant is a 70’s-era electric car that Count’s Kustoms employee Rolie bought and fixed up. Why exactly? He’s from Eastern Europe somewhere and just doesn’t know any better.
ABOVE: This miniature of Horny Mike was actually a little creepy. Looks just like him, too.
BELOW: There is a gift shop in the Counts Kustoms Car Museum with T-shirts, other apparel, gift items and do-dads of every sort, all with Counts Kustoms logo and images on them. Nice stuff too. Good quality. I made sure and bought few items for my wardrobe, after all, we have to help support this place. They don’t charge any admission, remember.
COUNTS KUSTOMS CAR MUSEUM WAS AWESOME!
It’s a little dark in there to take pictures, but that’s part of the look of the Count’s Kustoms brand, I think. Same with the flames and gothic imagery. It’s not a huge museum, maybe 40 cars and some bikes and other stuff, but hey, it’s free! And if you like the show Counting Cars, you’ll love seeing some of the cars and other creations from the show. They were just getting ready to start filming another episode, so my tour was cut short. But I still got an eyeful, as you can see. If ever in Vegas, make sure to go see the Counts Kustoms Car Museum.
OTHER GREAT FREE STUFF FOR CARGUYS IN LAS VEGAS: The Carroll Shelby Museum Count’s Kustoms Car Museum
The Auto Collections
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