If you’ve ever flipped through Motortrend on a Tuesday night, you've seen him. Mark Worman. He’s loud, he’s hyper-fixated on fender tags, and he’s probably yelling at Royal Yoakum about a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda. Graveyard Carz isn't just another car restoration show. It’s a very specific, almost obsessive look at Mopar—Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth muscle cars—that are so far gone they’ve basically been reclaimed by the earth.
Most people think reality TV is 90% fake. In some cases, they're right. But with this crew out of Springfield, Oregon, the reality is actually more about the metal than the drama. They don't just "fix" cars. They perform automotive archaeology.
The Mopar Mortician and the Cult of Accuracy
Mark Worman is a polarizing guy. You either love his encyclopedic knowledge of 1960s-70s Chrysler products or you find his "Mopar or No Car" attitude a bit much. Honestly, he doesn't care. Worman started the show because he wanted to prove that even a literal pile of rust could be saved if the VIN was special enough.
The show premiered in 2012. It’s survived cast changes, network shifts, and a massive fire. Why? Because the audience for Graveyard Carz is as obsessive as the host. They aren't looking for "Pimp My Ride" style body kits. They want to know the exact shade of High Impact Paint used in 1970. They want to see the correct date-coded spark plug wires.
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It’s about the "Cuda." The Charger. The Super Bee.
One of the most famous cars to ever hit the screen was the 1971 "Phantom" Cuda. It was a car that technically shouldn't have existed based on factory records, but there it was, being pieced back together in the shop. This kind of forensic restoration is what separates this show from things like Gas Monkey Garage. There’s no "fast and loud" here. It’s slow. It’s painful. It’s expensive.
Why the Graveyard Carz Cast Keeps Changing
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the cast turnover. If you watched the early seasons, you remember the original crew—Josh Leyva, Daren Kirkpatrick, and Royal Yoakum. Then, things got weird. People left. New people showed up. Fans got mad.
Actually, the drama wasn't just for the cameras. Daren and Mark famously bumped heads over the direction of the shop and the show. It’s tough. When you’re filming a TV show, the "work" often takes a backseat to the "content," and for a guy like Daren who just wanted to build cars, the cameras were a headache. Eventually, Mark’s daughter, Allysa Rose, became a staple of the show. She brought a different energy, focusing more on the research and parts side of the business, which helped balance out Mark's chaotic energy.
Royal Yoakum remains the fan favorite. He’s the "straight man" to Mark’s comedy. He stays out of the gossip and just gets the work done. Watching them interact is like watching two brothers who have spent forty years in a garage together. They know exactly how to push each other's buttons.
The Fire That Almost Ended It All
In 2014, a massive fire ripped through a building at the Springfield facility. It wasn't just a setback; it was a potential death knell for the series. Several cars were lost or damaged. Parts that are literally irreplaceable—think original 1970 Hemi components—were in danger.
The show survived because Worman is nothing if not persistent. He’s a guy who thrives on the "graveyard" aspect of the brand. He rebuilt. He sourced more parts. He kept the cameras rolling.
What People Get Wrong About the Restorations
A common criticism of Graveyard Carz is how long the cars take to finish. People on Reddit complain, "It's been three seasons and that Charger still isn't done!"
Here's the reality: A Concours-level restoration on a rare Mopar takes thousands of hours. You can't just order these parts from a catalog. You have to hunt them down at swap meets or buy "donor" cars that are also 50 years old. If Worman says a car needs a specific 426 Hemi block with a specific casting date, he will wait years to find it.
- The Cost: Most of these builds exceed $100,000 in labor and parts alone.
- The Paint: They use a specific process to replicate the factory "orange peel" or "overspray" because a perfect, modern paint job would actually lower the value of a purist restoration.
- The Documentation: Mark spends hours looking at microfiche and original broadcast sheets.
It’s not just a shop. It’s a museum that happens to have a lift and some welders.
The Secret Sauce: Why It Still Ranks in the Top Tier of Car Shows
The "discovery" factor is huge. Google Discover loves this show because it hits that sweet spot of nostalgia and technical expertise. When a user searches for "1970 Dodge Challenger specs," they often stumble upon a clip of Mark explaining the difference between an R/T and a T/A.
The show has lasted over 15 seasons. That's unheard of in the niche automotive world. It’s because they leaned into the "nerd" aspect of car culture. While other shows were focusing on fake deadlines and staged fights, Graveyard Carz leaned into the fender tags. They realized that there is a massive audience of people who want to see the correct assembly line markings on a gas tank.
Is It All Real?
Mostly. The cars are definitely real. The work is definitely being done by the people you see on screen. However, the "banter" is often heightened. Mark Worman is a natural performer. He knows when to ham it up for the lens. Does he actually get that angry about a misplaced bolt? Maybe not in real life, but for a show called Graveyard Carz, a little theatrical fire makes the "resurrection" of the car feel more earned.
The biggest "fake" aspect of these shows is usually the timeline. In reality, the shop might be working on 15 cars at once, but the producers have to thread them through different episodes to keep the narrative moving. You might see a car painted in Season 10 that was actually finished in Season 12.
How to Get Your Own Car on the Show
Honestly, it’s not easy. Mark doesn't just take any car. He wants the "wrecks." He wants the cars that other shops have said are impossible to save.
If you have a 1970 Hemi Cuda that’s been sitting in a barn and has a tree growing through the engine bay, you’ve got a shot. If you have a clean 1974 Dart, he’s probably going to pass. The show thrives on the "phoenix from the ashes" narrative. You also have to be willing to wait. Your car might be at the shop for three to five years depending on the production schedule and the rarity of the parts needed.
Actionable Steps for Mopar Enthusiasts
If you're inspired by the show to start your own restoration or just want to dive deeper into the Mopar world, here is how to start without going broke:
1. Learn the Language of Fender Tags
Before you buy anything, learn how to read a Chrysler fender tag. This metal plate under the hood tells you exactly how the car was built—paint code, engine, transmission, and even if it had a radio. Use resources like the Chrysler Historical Collection or various Mopar decoding websites.
2. Start With a "Small Block"
Don't go hunting for a Hemi or a 440 Six Pack for your first project. The parts are astronomical. A 318 or a 340 small block Mopar is much more manageable for a hobbyist.
3. Join the Community
Forums like For B-Bodies Only or Moparts are where the real experts hang out. This is where Mark Worman and his team often source their information and hard-to-find components.
4. Focus on Preservation Over Perfection
The trend in the car world is shifting toward "survivor" cars. If your car has original paint, don't strip it. Clean it. Save the history. Graveyard Carz focuses on restorations because they deal with "graveyard" cars that have no history left to save, but if you have a solid base, keep it original.
The show works because it respects the history of the American assembly line. It treats these machines like artifacts. Whether you find Mark Worman's personality grating or endearing, you can't deny the craft. The cars that leave that shop aren't just vehicles; they are time capsules. They represent a very specific era of American engineering that we will never see again.
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If you want to understand the obsession, just watch the episode where they finally fire up a 426 Hemi after it’s been dead for thirty years. That sound? That's why the show is still on the air. It’s the heartbeat of a graveyard.
To stay updated on the latest builds, follow the official Graveyard Carz social media channels, as they often post technical "deep dives" that don't make the final TV cut. If you're serious about a restoration, start by documenting every single bolt you remove; organization is the only thing that keeps a project from staying in the graveyard forever.