“Fast N’ Loud” is a reality-style TV series that features Richard Rawlings, the businessman and entrepreneur, and his team from the automotive shop Garage Monkey in Dallas, Texas. The crew specializes in restoring and repairing tired and rundown cars into custom pieces, to sell at a profit. The show’s main focus is the restoration of cars, with thematic skits and occasional clashes among the crew members. It premiered in June 2012 and became an instant hit, amassing a huge and loyal automotive fanbase. After running for 16 seasons, the show concluded in June 2020, much to fan’s disappointment. One of the prominent members on the show who captured the audience’s attention was Dennis Collins, who became known as a highly knowledgeable gearhead, as well as the owner of a very impressive car collection. Being an owner of several highly coveted automobiles tickled the fans ,who began wondering about Dennis’ net worth. So, how rich is Dennis Collins?
Who is Dennis Collins?
Dennis is an automotive expert, reality TV personality and a businessman who rose to fame through appearing in the popular “Fast N’ Loud” series. He was born on 28 January 1965, in Wylie, Texas, USA, into a family involved in the automotive business, which explains his innate passion for cars. In addition to his infatuation with vehicles, he was also a good student throughout his educational journey, and graduated in finance and economics from the University of Texas, Austin. After his graduation, Dennis tested the waters by collaborating with his brother and co-starting the business and shop in 1984 entitled Collins Bros Jeep, which deals with outfitting Jeeps with parts, and servicing them. Reportedly, Dennis and his brother Jamie ventured into Jeeps after rebuilding one by themselves. Today, Dennis serves as an inspiration to many fans who dream of attaining an empire, such as Dennis’.
While he’s mostly known for his impressive Jeep restorations and conversion projects, Dennis has also worked with Healeys, and has reportedly been a fan of the brand for ages. During his lengthy career, he has worked on over 200 different and rare cars, becoming a passion car collector. Even though Dennis primarily works with Jeeps, Dennis’s true love for classic cars and old-timers will never fade. Furthermore, he’s very skilled in locating or ‘sniffing out’ rare, low mileage classic cars, and finding appropriate homes and owners for them. In addition to all these endeavors, Dennis proves that he is a man who moves with the times, having a self-titled YouTube channel which documents Dennis’ finds, restoration processes, and finding new owners for cars. He is very active on his channel, which has attracted nearly 400,000 subscribers, and over 68 million views.
Gas Monkey Garage and “Fast N’ Loud”
Gas Monkey Garage is a restoration and custom shop owned by Richard Rawlings, which specializes in customization of various cars for both the domestic and foreign market.
Richard launched his shop in 2002, and sold his other business, Lincoln Press in 2004. Richard’s shop is the focal point of the “Fast N’ Loud” reality series and the location of the series’ filming. In addition to Richard and Dennis, the shop has several other experienced mechanics and car specialists with different talents, and personalities, such as Jason Aker, Kurt Busch, Russell Holmes, KC Mathieu, Jeremy Cheatham, Aaron Kauffman, Charles Cimino and Christie Brimberry. Considering the popularity the show brought to Richard, his shop and employees, it doesn’t surprise that Richard launched his merchandise, featuring t-shirts, hoodies and accessories.
How did Dennis Collins meet Richard Rawlings?
In his introduction video entitled “Monkey Garage – Meet the Monkey”, Dennis revealed how he met Richard, saying: ‘In 1996 there was an invitation-only to car dealers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for a Harley Davidson Ride from Dallas to Daytona Bike Week. I went down, and I thought it would be a cool thing to do. I showed up on my Harley; 11 people showed up, and Richard was one of them.’ Dennis then said that he and Richard rode to Daytona, had a hellacious week, and became friends.
While the two never officially disclosed any information, it is believed that Richard invited Dennis to appear in his show as he’s highly knowledgeable about the cars. Furthermore, Dennis might bring additional authenticity to the series, given that he’s a long-time car shop owner with over 30 years of experience under his belt.
Dennis and Richard are not only good friends, they have also shared some success as Cannonball record holders. The two held the world record for the fastest time in the Cannonball Run, which was broken in 2013. In order to break the record, Rowling and Dennis traveled 2811 miles from New York to L.A. in 31 hours and 59 minutes.
Is Dennis married?
Dennis has been married to Kimberly since 1993; the two have welcomed one child together, Kelsey Collins. In his introduction video, Dennis jokingly talked about his wife, saying: ‘Yes I’m married, and yes she’s a trophy wife and she’s considerably younger, by 180 days.’
What is Dennis’ net worth?
As of 2022, Dennis’ net worth is estimated at over $30 million, acquired through his career as a shop owner, car collector, and dealer.
Additionally, it’s believed that Dennis earns additional money through his YouTube channel, which has a decent following, as well as some income from the TV series. Regarding his real estate, Dennis has a two-acre property that includes a 7,964sqft ranch-style house, and a very spacious two-building garage complex, where he keeps his precious car collection. He also has a private baseball field, that serves as a helicopter pad, a fenced dog run, and a world-class outdoor facility. His yard includes a professional sound system, a V-shaped pool, a fire pit, and a fountain that can be used as a hot tub.
When it comes to his house, Dennis has a gourmet kitchen, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a wing reserved solely for guests, consisting of a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Considering his wealth, it doesn’t surprise that his home is full of interesting features such as skylights, fireplaces, a wine cooler, a bar, and a dream closet. His master suite has a 600-square-foot closet which can be accessed by private stairs, and includes a sitting room and a balcony.
Dennis’ home is a magical and luxurious place located in Murphy, Texas, and is allegedly valued at nearly $2 million.
His 1958 Austin-Healey “Goldie”
Given that Dennis has been in the automotive industry since 1984, he’s acquired and sold more than 150 highly coveted cars, and takes pride in his car collection. If you’ve watched the show, then you must be familiar with his 1958 Austin-Healey Two Seater – “Goldie” – which he went to great lengths to acquire. While people might think that finding these rare cars is not an issue for someone as affluent as Dennis, talking to Hooneiverse, he said: ‘I chased this car for over 25 years; once or twice a year I would call the Phillips, who were the previous owners of Goldie, and try to buy the car. They always told me: ‘Dennis, we know you want it, when we retire we’ll sell it to you. Well, I heard they retired, and immediately called them. ‘
Even though the previous owners had completely restored the car, it still wasn’t fresh enough for Dennis, so he took it back to his shop and instructed his crew to take it to the next level.
All his endeavors and time invested in acquiring this car and restoring it weren’t in vain. Dennis received a prestigious award for his “Goldie” at the Kuwait Concours d’ Elegance, which holds great status among true car enthusiasts. Even his friend Richard had to address it on his Facebook account, writing: ‘What an honor among these prestigious judges, and against some of the finest cars in the world.’ Dennis also talked about scooping the award, saying: ‘Our very own Malcolm was able to get us an invitation to the Concours in Kuwait, which is arguably the most difficult Concours to win in the world, even more so than Pebble Beach.‘ If you’re wondering why the car was named “Goldie”, it’s because some parts of the car are covered with 24-karat gold. Talking of its worth, Dennis said that it’s hard to put a price on it, but for an old-timer in mint condition such as “Goldie”, the price ranges between $1 to $2 million.
His Collection
Given that he’s a car collector and often sells his pieces, his collection changes from time to time. Talking to “Hooneiverse, Dennis said: ‘You can’t be a very good car dealer if you’re not willing to let them go.’
In December 2021, Dennis posted a video on his YouTube channel of his Jeep collection, consisting of 28 classic Jeep CJs that he put up for sale. It included a 1986 CJ-7 perfectly restored, and Jeep CJ-5s and other CJ-7s, plus CJ-8s worth about $1 million. His collection includes several other valuable and rare cars, including his white 2013 Lamborghini Super Trofeo – he believes that he is the only private owner. Reportedly, these types of vehicles are for dealerships only, and he managed to acquire it through a shrewd maneuver that involved a bank loan and a third party. It’s estimated that there are around 40 of these cars in existence, which definitely adds to the price and desirability.
His other notable car pieces range from the astonishing Lawman Boss 429 Mustang, to the most publicized F40 Ferrari. Dennis is also a proud owner of Porche 930 Turbo.
How did Dennis get his money?
In addition to his successful business at Collins Bros Jeep, Dennis has actually earned much of his money through dealing cars.
As a car enthusiast and expert, he’s well acquainted with the automotive market and its demands, and as such, he’s able to make a significant profit by buying, restoring and selling cars. One of his successful purchases was the Lawman Mustang, a 429 horsepower machine for which Dennis paid under $100,000, and later sold it for over $2 million. During his career, he’s sold cars for world record prices, including a 1989 Mustang LX Hatchback 5.0, a 1990 Ford Mustang Convertible 7UP limited edition, and a 1994 Ford Mustang GT Convertible,
Why was “Fast N’ Loud” canceled?
After the 16th season concluded in 2020, fans began wondering about the next season. Unfortunately, in December 2020 that dream crashed after Richard appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast, and disclosed that the show had been officially canceled, saying: ‘‘Fast N’ Loud is no more. I have exited Discovery, and I am a free agent. We are going to be doing some cool things in 2021. It was time for me to expand and go a little bit [further]. I kind of got to the top of that mountain being at Discovery. There wasn’t anything else for me to do there.”
Controversy on the show
Despite Richard’s explanation, some rumors circulated that there was more to this story of canceling the show, which had nothing to do with ‘expanding’ and focusing on new projects. Besides the stunning restoration work and dashing metal pieces frequently featured on the show, “Fast N’ Loud” was ridden with drama. Allegedly, Richard often clashed with his crew members, and was never far from controversy and altercations on and off-screen. Several of his garage monkeys stepped out from the show and his shop, including his lead mechanic Andy Kauffman, who left in 2017. Many of the fans were sad to see him go, but they were even more interested in the reason he exited Gas Garage Monkey.
In an interview with Art of Gears, Aaron said: ‘I wanted to build the cars that were big or bigger, and then TV needed cars that were much smaller than that. On top of that, there were some growing personal issues, and professional differences of opinions, so I decided that the time had come and I could see the fork in front of me.’
While Aaron chose not to point his finger at Richard or the production team, two other members who disappeared from the show had no such problems calling out Richard.
In 2014 mechanics Tom Smith and Jordan Butler were sacked from the show for showing disrespect to Richard by yelling at him. The story goes that a fan with cystic fibrosis wanted to take a photo with Richard’s Rolls Royce, and the two mechanics let the kid approach it and take the photo. This didn’t sit well with Richard, who then yelled at the kid and Jordan and Tom, saying: ‘get the fu** away from the car’ and the two responded: ‘Chill the f*** out’ which only added insult to the injury. Following the incident, Richard fired them both.
