Dennis Gage is the man behind one of TV’s most famous car guy shows, specifically ‘My Classic Car’, a program that inspired us here at MyStarCollectorCar to jump into the game and showcase the car hobby.
30 years is a long time to be a part of the television program world in any form, including a show about old iron, but Dennis defied the odds and kept his show on TV for three decades after ‘My Classic Car’ debuted in 1996.
Jim Sutherland
Dennis told MyStarCollectorCar he was surprised the show lasted past the first season, an uneasy time when he was on a very steep learning curve as a rookie TV car show host: “We had no idea what we were doing, so it was 29 ½ years more than I thought we would do”.
He did not use a script because Dennis developed a show that swam against the current of conventional TV and followed his gut reaction to a vintage ride. The result was a vehicle that drew in viewers because it was not a common sight at a show compared to muscle cars for example. Gage’s plan was simple: “I’ll know it when I see it”; a novel and winning formula for attracting viewers to his show.
The congenial car host found “a lot of interesting stories that were completely ignored but reflected a design, an era, or any distinctive characteristics from a bygone timeframe”. The important part of Gage’s TV show was to honor the automotive past in his own distinctive way.
The fact ‘My Classic Car’ stayed on the air is a testimony to Dennis Gage’s vision back in 1996 when he took a large leap of faith and jumped into the deep end of the TV car show pool without swimming lessons.
The show has maintained a high level of consistency over the years because Dennis never veered from his quest for interesting stories to entertain his large fan base. Part of the show’s success was he used the same cameraman for over 20 years and the two worked very well together during that long timeframe. Gage mentioned his small team shocked producers because most programs used a much bigger team.
Dennis had to balance the pressure of finding five suitable stories at a show, along with the increasing demands of fame and people who wanted his time at the events. Not an easy task for a people guy like Gage who did not want to ignore the public while working his TV job.
Somehow, Gage was able to juggle the two conflicting elements for 30 years on TV and considers himself to be “the luckiest guy on the planet” to have his job. Dennis believes his timing was good because today’s world would have made it incredibly difficult to do a show like ‘My Classic Car’ since “the economics are impossible”, in his words.
Looking back, Dennis told MyStarCollectorCar that “you couldn’t be working in a cooler workspace”; an apt description of his job, in our opinion.
The happy ending to Dennis Gage’s story is twofold because he will continue to draw from his 30 years of archival footage and release never-before-seen ‘My Classic Car’ material on YouTube, along with personal appearances at car events. The latter will allow him to connect with his fans without the obligation and demands of his TV show, the perfect scenario for a very likable car guy.
Congratulations Dennis, you set the bar very high while learning on the fly in car guy TV.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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