THE MAN WHO MAKES OVER CARS FOR CELEBS BRINGS HIS UNIQUE CREATIONS TO THE NZ SCREEN
A list celebrities, fast cars, and amazing one-off builds. Sounds like a work of fiction, doesn’t it? But no, this isn’t a scripted car show. Instead it is the world of Will Castro, owner and designer of Unique Rides.
Premiering on our screens tomorrow night, the show is a celebrity-infused take on the car makeover theme.
Showing on Discovery Turbo at 8.30pm with a build that Castro describes as one of his most challenging, Unique Rides is filled with a twist on an old favourite, the ground-up remodel.
Castro, who started his career in a panel beaters’ workshop, has a long history of customising celebrity cars. He is based in Long Island, far away from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, and his skills are sought by many.
Celebrities whose cars have been customised by Castro’s expert hands include P. Diddy, Nicki Minaj, 50 Cent, Pamela Anderson, LeBron James and even Donald Trump.
In the first episode screening in this country, Castro and his team work their magic on rapper Busta Rhyme’s tour bus and a Mercedes sedan owned by NFL player Odell Beckham Jr.
With 20 days to rebuild the tour bus, and the relatively simple task of wrapping the Mercedes (a popular customisation these days, says Castro), there’s plenty of drama as problems appear and need to be resolved.
Castro’s two companies, Designs and Unique, have a worldwide reputation for high-quality customisations and craftsmanship. Those are high standards for one man to meet, so Castro has a team of trusted employees and contractors.
You’d assume that being in the business of customising cars for a living, Castro would have a few cool cars in his garage. Incredibly, he doesn’t own a car.
“I have a lot of my friends’ and my clients’ cars in my garage and I get to use them,” Castro told Driven from his Long Island home. “There's Rolls Royce Wraiths, a Jeep Wrangler, and Chevrolet Escalade.”
As well as serving a global client-base of A-list celebrities, athletes, corporate customers and automotive enthusiasts, the Will Castro brand includes Unique Yachts, a one-of-a-kind customisation programme for high-end marine vessels; Unique Homes, the leader in home theatre design and construction, and a clothing line for fashion-conscious fans of the brand. There is almost nothing Castro won’t put his design touch to, and we get to see a lot of it in the programme.
We’re in for a treat with Unique Rides with Will Castro.
Catch the first episode on Discovery Turbo tomorrow as part of Motor Month. Sky Channel 075.