Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Car retrofits for trade and profit; language, logos.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Car Masters: Rust to Riches
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
CAR MASTERS: RUST TO RICHES is a reality series featuring the crew of Gotham Garage giving modern cars classic makeovers. Headed up by car designer and restorer Mark Towle, the Telemcula, California garage buys cars on the cheap to restore and trade up. With every trade comes an even better car to restore in a creative way. Eventually, they trade up to a car that's retrofit into a show-stopping work of automotive art, design, and engineering to sell for a six-figure sum that the team -- including deal maker Shawn Pilot, engine specialist Constance Nunes, machinist Tony Quinones, and handyman Michael "Caveman" Pyle -- gets to divide and keep. In addition, they take on interesting side work projects for customers looking for a specific kind of rebuild. But sometimes trades fall through, or the retrofits are so unusual that they don't attract buyers. But with hard work and dedication they stay true to their craft while working hard to keep the business going.
Is It Any Good?
The series highlights the importance of thinking outside of the box, creativity, and problem solving skills. In Car Masters: Rust to Riches the Gotham Garage team redesigns, rebuilds, and retrofits modern cars into unusual versions of classic vehicles in hopes of making good money. It showcases some of the unique techniques the team uses, like cutting metal sheets by hand instead of relying on machine-cut parts, and using unexpected pieces of non-automative equipment and designs to make things work. Earlier seasons of the series spend more time showing the actual retrofit process, while later episodes reveal more about the trades, and the process by which a profit is made with every retrofit.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the different types of redesigns and retrofits of the cars featured here. Do you have a favorite?
What is STEM? Which STEM principles does the Gotham Garage team follow on Car Masters: Rust to Riches?
TV Details
- Premiere date : September 14, 2018
- Cast : Mark Towle , Shawn Pilot , Constance Nunes
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Reality TV
- Topics : Transportation ( Cars & Trucks ) , STEM
- Character Strengths : Perseverance , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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