Car enthusiasts to be on 'American Pickers'
By Kirsten Ballard
Published in News on May 13, 2015 1:46 PM
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Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz of "American Pickers" cross the country, scouring junkyards and old barns for rare finds. They visited Pikeville in the fall, and the episode featuring Bobby Collier's collection of antique and vintage automobiles will air tonight on the History Channel.
The History Channel's "American Pickers" show will air an episode featuring Pikeville's Collier Motors AMC tonight at 9 p.m.
The episode is called "Hard Rain is Gonna Fall."
The antique show hosts Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz -- self-described antique archaeologists -- will sift through the American muscle cars that Bobby Collier collected throughout his life.
Bobby's son, Robbie Collier, is ready to see the final product.
Fritz and Wolfe spent the whole day in Pikeville while the episode was being filmed in October of last year.
"It went pretty much like the show," Robbie said. "The negotiations were very genuine."
Without giving anything away, Robbie said the men were very interested in some of the rare cars in Bobby's collection.
Bobby's cars were very much a part of the fabric of Robbie's childhood.
Bobby unofficially raced a 1955 Chevy locally, beating out Fords and other cars.
"He never lost a race," Robbie said.
He remembers his father tuning up his car each night and the oil on his hands.
Because of the impact that his father's collection had in his life, family and community, Robbie has mixed feelings about watching the show with his family in Wayne Memorial Hospital, where his mother is being treated.
"The garage has gone downhill," he said. "That will be a large part of the story. So I have mixed emotions."
The Collier family has always been involved with cars dating as far back as 1902. A friend of the family recommended the garage be featured on "American Pickers."
"I wasn't sure at first," Robbie said.
He watched a few shows and realized that the hosts were genuine and respectful.
"My dad is getting older," he said. "I didn't want him to pass without telling his story."
The "American Pickers" hosts are not the first to come visit the garage, people have visited from as far as Norway to look at the muscle cars.
"Every car has a story behind it," Robbie said. "My dad is very informative."