Over the years, American Pickers stars Mike Wolfe and Frank Fitz have met some interesting characters. They’ve both seen their fair share of peculiar yet extraordinary collections that are truly one-of-a-kind, and it is because of these people that Wolfe can make a living on antique items across the country.
In Season 12 of American Pickers, Wolfe and Fitz met self-acclaimed underground artist Baron Margo from Los Angeles. They met the creative individual at his home where Margo surrounded himself with his own works of art. Wolfe likened the scene to something out of the Marlon Brando film Apocalypse Now, and we can see where he’s coming from.
“I just find objects in metal scrap, iron yards, and I incorporated a lot of the parts into my work,” Margo explained.
According to Margo, he based his sculptures on his car models, so he finally decided to build a life-size car himself. That’s what inspired him to make the rocket car. After he built the rocket-powered car, the artist decided to take it for a spin through town. Needless to say, the vehicle was a real head-turner.
See the futuristic car in the clip below.
As soon as the American Pickers hosts laid eyes on it, they knew they had to take it home. But that wasn’t even the only version that Margo built. Outside, there were several other rocket cars, including a chrome one that looked as though it was plucked from the atmosphere. Another derived its power from a real jet engine.
“His imagination ran wild, and he nailed it,” American Pickers host Mike Wolfe said.
‘American Pickers’ Star Explained He’s ‘Buying an Art Piece That Can Drive’
While Wolfe admired all versions of Margo’s majestic vehicles, the one with the jet engine won his heart. When the American Pickers host asked for the price, you could almost see him hold his breath. Margo settled on $50,000.
However, the artist argued that this wasn’t like any other car deal.
“I would say, you know, as a car value, it’s not worth it,” Margo told his buyers.
And Wolfe agreed.
“You’re buying an art piece that can drive,” the American Pickers star added.
Of course, a test drive was necessary before driving it off the lot. So, the two stars took the sci-fi car for a ride. While they toured L.A. in style, fellow drivers couldn’t get enough of the bizarre vehicle sharing the road.
“I’ve had Corvettes, I’ve had cars, I’ve had motorcycles, I’ve had all kinds of stuff,” Wolfe said. “You have not seen people freak out like this.”
Likewise, Margo was just as thrilled to see someone enjoy his art so much.
“If I can bring an emotion out of somebody then I’ve succeeded in, you know, being an artist, especially in the motor vehicles,” he said.
