What is Ryan Evans of ‘Counting Cars’ doing in 2023?

 

Some TV shows are sadly fated to be forgotten, but that’s fortunately not the case for “Counting Cars”. Ever since the show premiered on History 2012, the staff at Count’s Kustoms have done their best at keeping the audience’s attention with their fabulous car customizations.

The longevity and success of “Counting Cars” on TV speak volumes about the show’s quality and especially when it comes to its cast, who are as equally eccentric as talented.

While everyone at Count’s Kustoms’ is great at what they do, one of those who became a fan-favorite in his own right is the popular Ryan Evans, the accomplished and creative airbrush painter, who has worked on many of the best projects from the shop.

So what is Ryan doing these days? Does he still work for Danny Koker, or has taken a different path in life? What about his appearances in the show? Stay with us to know it all!

What Is Ryan Evans Doing Now?

One of the things “Counting Cars” did the best, was making its audience grow attached to its cast members. That appreciation for the men who make Count’s Kustoms a great business also includes Ryan Evans, the main painter and the one who Danny Koker trusts the most when it comes to turning his projects into magnificent pieces of automotive art, regardless of how badly these might have looked before.

Knowing how important Ryan is for the business, the most loyal admirer of “Counting Cars” might be happy to know that he’s still an active member of Danny’s customization crew, and most likely will be sticking with them for a long while: ‘Life is so much better having an A team to back me up in all aspects of shop life and work’, he replied to an Instagram fan who in 2023 suggested to him that he leave Count’s Kustoms and start his own business.

As seen on the social media accounts owned by him and the business, Ryan not only does a great job at keeping the shop’s paint section up and running, but also attends events and exhibitions promoting Count’s Kustoms, and often gets advertising deals from customization-related brands.

To keep up with Ryan’s whereabouts and recent projects in Count’s Kustoms, he’s very active on Facebook and Instagram.

Social Media & Events

Appearing in an internationally popular TV show has served Ryan Evans well in growing a community online. As seen on his very active Facebook page, Ryan isn’t afraid of showing the latest developments in his life and career to his more than 70,000 followers on the platform. He’s also seen doing live streams and question and answers sessions, effectively strengthening his connection with his fans.

Though Ryan is slightly less active on Instagram, the pic and video-sharing platform has served him well in maintaining his 75,000 followers’ attention, by showing updates about his painting projects and sponsorships. He’s also been interviewed by podcasts such as The Collision Vision and the This May End Badly show with Craig Fraser.

As well, Ryan has been present at Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) events for quite some time now, either as a spokesperson for painting-related brands, or as part of Count’s Kustoms’ exhibition spot.

His Beginnings

Seeing how talented and accomplished Ryan Evans is, both as an artist and airbrush technician, fans often wonder what his beginnings in the industry were, and how hard he’s worked to get so far.

As Ryan affirmed in a Twitter video from 2019, his history with creative-related things goes back to when he was seven years old, and his parents gifted him a T-shirt with his name painted on it. Thinking it was ‘the coolest thing’ he had ever seen, the young Ryan ‘fixated’ on it, eventually growing interested in airbrush painting thanks to an art teacher, who introduced this technique to him as he attended high school in Germany.

In an interview with The Collision Vision, Ryan affirmed having studied business and accountancy in a Texas community college, but he wasn’t interested in having a blue-collar job, and instead searched for work in automotive painting right after his graduation. That being said, Ryan is a self-taught airbrusher whose closest figure of a mentor was an automotive painter who was the first to let him watch what the process of professional airbrushing looked like.

Working For Count’s Kustoms

Despite developing his talents at airbrushing and creativeness, Ryan Evans still had a long way to go when he moved to California in the mid-1990s. It was there while working on his own that he met Shannon Aikau, who invited him to Las Vegas to work for Danny Koker.

Meeting the Count was a career-changing experience for Ryan. For one, he was given a spot in Count’s Kustoms talented crew, and second for introducing him to his shockingly-massive and incredible bike and classic auto collection: ‘I thought this guy had lost his mind,’ as Ryan recalled his first impression of Danny in a video for “Counting Cars”.

By the time Danny joined Count’s Kustoms, the shop specialized in chopper customization only, before eventually evolving into an automotive customization shop, allowing Ryan to widen his airbrush skills, as these had remained limited to mostly motorcycles for years. At the same time, Danny learned to trust Ryan and his skills, which explains the reason they’d stuck working together for so long-

Fast forward to several years in the future, Ryan became Count’s Kustoms’ master painter, and turned into a constant feature in “Counting Cars” once the show premiered in 2012. Nowadays Ryan can proudly say he’s worked for the Count for over 20 years, and become a TV star for his talent alone.

Favorite Works

Having such an extensive repertoire of extraordinary works, it’s difficult for Ryan Evans to choose his favorite airbrush job done in “Counting Cars”. That’s why he chose three of them when he was asked about it in 2016, the first being The Vampire Van revealed during “Counting Cars”s second season.

The thing about this 1981 Chevrolet C-10 Van, is that Danny drove it for cargo purposes for several years before its engine exploded. Replacing the old engine was also the perfect excuse to bring this van to life in full, turning it into the red Vampire-styled van that we saw in the show, and which is remembered as one of Ryan’s most memorable works.

I’ve been enjoying ever minute of this Cadillac. pic.twitter.com/y9Qt8tmvn2

— Ryan Evans (@RyanAtCounts) February 26, 2017

Ryan’s second choice is the 1971 Superfly Cadillac seen in the third season, of which the bright gold color perfectly combined with spark flakes was described by Danny as ‘one of the most sexy paint jobs’ he had ever seen. The third one is the 1973 Buick Riviera from the fourth season, which was styled by Ryan with sparks, stripes, and beautiful dark-themed illustrations.

All of these cars turned out to be wonderful pieces of Ryan’s artistry, though knowing that he has worked on many other projects in recent years, it’s not far-fetched to think he might soon update his top-three list.

Is “Counting Cars” Still Around?

While it’s confirmed that Ryan Evans still works for Danny Koker at Count’s Kustoms, questions about the future of “Counting Cars” on TV are still often brought up in the show’s fanbase.

That being said, it’s unclear whether “Counting Cars” is being renewed any time soon, as no news about it has been released since the 10th season’s finale aired in December 2021. Meanwhile, the show’s social media remains active, and so does their successful YouTube channel Count’s Kustoms Network, which showcases brand new content from Count’s Kustoms, including features on Danny and his staff.

So while it’s still unclear if “Counting Cars” is ever returning to TV, the show has so far made motorheads happy everywhere, along with allowing the world to get to know talented artists such as Ryan, whose path from the creative world to the automotive industry is as inspiring as his works are extraordinary.