Dream Big 30 (Special Edition) My Interview with Mark Worman of Graveyard Carz

I had the privilege of interviewing one of my all time favorite men on this

planet, Mark Worman, founder of Graveyard Carz. Why, do you ask, is he my favorite? Of course many of you know that I'm a Mopar girl through and through; and Mr. Worman is a superhero to Mopars everywhere. He is, in fact, known at my house as the King of Mopar. Bringing dead cars back to life, to rule the pavement once more. I was in awe seeing him on TV and incredibly humbled speaking to him over the phone.

Phone rings...

Me: Hello

Mark: Hi, this is Mark Worman from Graveyard Carz. How are you?

Me: (Jumps up and down) I'm well. (So excited and nervous I could bust). Good morning to you. I want to thank you for doing the interview with me, it's such an honor.

Mark: My pleasure. Now I understand you have some questions for me?

Me: Yes, I have ten questions that I have prepared. Shall we start?

Mark: Yes, I'm ready.

Me: What age did you get your first Mopar?

Mark: I'd just turned 16, had been saving up since I was 14, doing all I could between my paper route and flipping burgers to get the car from a guy that had a 70'Dodge Charger, with a 383 two barrel originally. The color was an FK5 Burnt Orange, with a white vinyl top, and Burnt Orange interior.

Me: What made it a Mopar or no car decision for you?

Mark: My cousin, at that time, had a Barracuda, they weren't too popular of a car back then, and I had my 70'Charger. Most people in my hometown had Camaros or Mustangs. Our cars were the oddballs, a lot like us. And we were different, and the Mopars were too, so it was a good match.

Me: Where did you get the concept for Graveyard Carz?

Mark: About seven years ago, a client wanted to find a 71' Cuda to restore, instead of buying one because they're pricey once they're already restored. Finally a rumored "Phantom Cuda" had made its way around the car guy sale circuit and my client wanted to buy it, even though it was in pretty rough shape for the price. More rumors surfaced about how a re-body would have to be done, but those were halted after deciding to film it step by step through the entire process. That was in the pilot episode that we filmed and produced ourselves. I came up with the Graveyard Carz name after choosing between 20 or 30 different ones I'd come up with.

Halloween and old monster movies were the inspiration for bringing dead cars back to life from the grave, much like the old black and white film, Night of the Living Dead from 1968.

Me: How long did it take to get where you are today?

Mark: Seven years ago when we started, it was just with the pilot episode that we self produced. Then five seasons later, we've made it on our own, still the same crew producing the show.

Me: What do you want to do next? What is the next big dream for you and for Graveyard Carz?

Mark: Next would be possibly developing the property next door. We have first dibs on the 3 1/2 acres next door to purchase. And we'd build a new shop and a showroom to emulate a real dealership from the 1970s. We'd have the restored cars in the showroom and the parking lot for the used cars--which would be the ones we'd restore later.

Me: What is your personal favorite car, or dream car that you've not managed to obtain yet?

Mark: First would be to find the '70 Charger I had. I've been looking for it for years, but I only have a part of the VIN# XP29L0G118??? The second would be a '70 Charger R/T with a 440 six pack. Still with the same color of FK5 Burnt Orange, with a white Vinyl top like the original I had.

Me: What is your favorite music to listen to when you're out for a drive?

Mark: I drove around in my '70 Charger back in the day listening to bands like the Rolling Stones and I stopped evolving after '81. I'm into classic rock, AC/DC and the original Van Halen.

Me: What is your favorite classic car color-code and modern car color-code? What looks best to you on what make and model?

Mark: My favorite color on a classic is FK5 Burnt Orange. On a modern car it would have to be Green With Envy and it would have to be on the Challenger. Another one would have to be GA4A Winchester Grey, it's rich yet subtle, like a business man.

Me: Do you ever restore any other Classic Mopar besides the pony cars?

Mark: No, all muscle right now, the '68-'71, maybe through '77. Maybe a '70 Chrysler, possibly a '70 truck, like the Little Red Express, or a Warlock. I have an interest in the '64 super stock cars, I'd have to call in my buddy who's an expert on those.

Me: If you could bring back any classic car from the past to modernize it, that's not yet been done before, what would it be and why?

Mark: Honestly I'd like them to scratch the modern Charger, call it anything else, but by that name. I'd like for them to bring back the '68 Charger and really pay homage to the original in its entirety.

Me: Thank you so much for speaking with me today and doing this interview for the magazine. I appreciate you so much for taking the time to do it, I know you're a very busy man.

Mark: No problem, anytime. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Me: Thank you I will.

End Call...

Ok, I'll admit I did a crazy dance as soon as I hung up the phone. It was the best day ever in my book. I can most definitely say that Mark Worman is the nicest celebrity I've ever spoken to and it was such an honor to have this opportunity, to not only speak to him, but to write this interview for the column. Perhaps one day I'll be a lucky girl and have the pleasure of meeting him in person. Mark Worman is in fact my Mopar hero and I'm pretty sure he has a cape safely tucked away under his shirt.

Mopar, or no car and dream big…