CLASSIC AMERICAN PEOPLE: Dave Kindig

Steve Havelock meets Dave Kindig of Bitchin’ Rides TV show fame…

- Steve Havelock

Kindig-it Design

Fans of American car shows aired on BritishFreeview TV will no doubt be familiar with Kindig Customs or, as it’s titled in the US, Bitchin’ Rides. The star of the show is multi-award-winning custom car builder Dave Kindig. He founded his company Kindig-it Design 20 years ago, based in Salt Lake City, an hour and a bit drive from the Bonneville Salt Flats.

In this good-natured TV show, he comes across as a calm, likeable, easy-going man. There’s no histrionics, and the show focuses on the creation of the glorious cars that he and his loyal crew, some of whom have been with him since the very early days, produce. His meticulously detailed cars, which can take up to two years to build, are usually a mix of old and new. Classic bodies mated to new chassis with powerful new crate engines and drivetrains and all the luxuries of modern motoring, including air conditioning and power steering, brakes and windows. They are expensive cars for discerning clients with extremely deep pockets. He operates out of a large, modern, well-equipped facility backdropped by snow-capped mountains. His wife of some 30 years, Charity, and his daughter, Baylee, help run the business.