Long before the entrepreneur became associated with STR8UPDRIVEN, automotive wholesaling, collision repair, and high-profile car events, he was already immersed in Southern California's performance-car culture. From heavily modified Japanese imports to classic American muscle and modern European supercars, Nino's automotive journey has been shaped by one consistent pursuit: finding the point where speed, engineering, and visual impact come together.
That passion eventually carried him from the garage and drag strip to a featured appearance on Netflix's Car Masters: Rust to Riches, where Gotham Garage created a one-of-a-kind Dodge Charger that combined the unmistakable attitude of 1969 with modern performance and luxury.
Where the Passion Began
Nino's connection to high-performance cars can be traced back well before the exotic rallies, business ventures, and television cameras.
One of the clearest examples is his Toyota Supra, a car that became both a serious performance project and a deeply personal part of his life. DSPORT Magazine reported that Tony and his brother Kyle considered the Toyota Supra their dream car. Tony purchased his JZA80 Supra in June 2005 with the original intention of creating a 700-wheel-horsepower street car that could still be driven regularly. As the project developed, the goal became even more ambitious: nine-second quarter-mile performance and power approaching 1,000 horsepower at the wheels.
The Supra was not built merely to sit under lights at a car show. It was designed to perform.
An earlier version of the setup reportedly produced approximately 750 wheel horsepower on race fuel and ran a 10.8-second quarter mile on drag radial tires. The project later evolved into the 919-horsepower, nine-second street, show, and strip build featured by DSPORT. Its extensively prepared 2JZ engine, large single turbocharger, upgraded fuel system, and competition-oriented supporting components demonstrated the seriousness behind Nino's interest in speed.
The car also carried significance beyond horsepower figures. Following the death of his brother Kyle in a motorcycle accident, Nino continued the Supra project in his brother's memory. That history transformed the vehicle into more than a performance machine. It became a connection to family, shared ambition, and the memories created through a mutual love of cars.
More Than a Collection
As Nino's success in the automotive industry grew, so did the range of vehicles surrounding him. His public automotive presence has included everything from legendary tuner cars and American muscle to Lamborghinis, Ford GTs, and other modern exotics. Automotive coverage of his Netflix project described him as a new-generation collector whose social presence featured vehicles such as Lamborghinis and Ford GTs.
But Nino's relationship with cars has never appeared to be limited to simply possessing them.
He has spoken about driving exotic cars through Southern California's mountain roads, particularly around Lake Mathews, as one of the experiences he would most want to share with a visitor. His ideal automotive day also includes local drives, Cars and Coffee gatherings, car meets, and opportunities to form new relationships within the community.
That distinction is important. A luxury or performance vehicle can remain protected in a climate-controlled garage, but Nino's approach emphasizes participation. The car should be heard, driven, displayed, and experienced alongside people who understand why it matters.
To him, a great automobile is both a machine and a social connector.
A supercar can begin a conversation between strangers. A rally can turn business contacts into friendships. A classic vehicle can connect generations. A modified car can reveal the owner's personality before a word is spoken.
This belief ultimately became part of the foundation for STR8UPDRIVEN.
Building the STR8UPDRIVEN Community
Nino founded STR8UPDRIVEN in 2021 as an automotive lifestyle brand and business network headquartered in Stanton, California. The organization grew around car rallies, networking events, education, investment opportunities, and a community of people interested in both automotive culture and entrepreneurship.
The underlying idea is that success is more valuable when it can be shared.
Nino has described using rallies, toy drives, and fundraising events to connect his passion for automobiles with charitable efforts. The vehicles may attract the initial attention, but the larger objective is to bring together people with similar ambition, create relationships, and provide opportunities for members to learn from one another.
This is where Nino's interest in cars and his approach to business begin to overlap.
He does not view automobiles only as depreciating objects or symbols of wealth. Through his business ventures and mentorship programs, vehicles are also inventory, investments, marketing tools, and gateways into a much larger professional network. STR8UPDRIVEN's current platform teaches members how to evaluate and source potential vehicle transactions while offering approved participants the opportunity to complete deals using the organization's capital and dealer resources.
The same passion that once drove an increasingly ambitious Supra build eventually became the centerpiece of a broader automotive ecosystem.
Tony Nino on Netflix's Car Masters: Rust to Riches
Nino's appreciation for bold, unmistakable vehicles was displayed to an international audience during Season 5 of Netflix's Car Masters: Rust to Riches.
The series follows the Gotham Garage team as it transforms cars and trucks into highly customized vehicles designed to attract serious buyers. Netflix describes the program as following a colorful garage crew that rebuilds an eclectic collection of vehicles into distinctive creations capable of commanding significant prices.
Nino appeared as the client behind one of Season 5's most ambitious commission projects: a modern Dodge Charger transformed to capture the spirit of the legendary 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona.
The project extended across the opening portion of Season 5 and reached its major conclusion in Season 5, Episode 2, "Hit the Gas," released on December 13, 2023. The episode identifies the vehicle as a $135,000 commission build created for Tony Nino.
Nino was not presented as a member of the Gotham Garage fabrication crew. He was the customer whose expectations and automotive vision set the standard for the finished vehicle.
Bringing 1969 Into the Modern Era
The original Dodge Charger Daytona remains one of the most recognizable cars in American motorsports history. Its aerodynamic nose cone and enormous rear wing were developed for high-speed NASCAR competition, giving the vehicle a silhouette unlike nearly anything else produced during the muscle-car era.
Nino's commission was intended to capture that identity without simply reproducing an old car.
Instead, Gotham Garage started with a modern four-door Dodge Charger and attempted to transform it into a contemporary interpretation of the classic two-door Daytona. The conversion required the team to remove the appearance and function of the rear doors, extend the front doors by approximately 14 inches, and fabricate major portions of the body.
The garage then created a Daytona-inspired nose from scratch, installed an enormous steel rear wing, added 20-inch wheels, and completed the body in a high-gloss classic Mopar-influenced paint scheme. The goal was to create a vehicle that looked as if the original NASCAR legend had survived into the modern age.
It was exactly the type of project that aligned with Nino's automotive taste: familiar but completely individual, luxurious but aggressive, and visually dramatic without becoming a static museum piece.
The Problems Behind the Build
The transformation was far more complicated than installing a body kit and changing the paint.
Converting a modern four-door sedan into a functional two-door vehicle created serious structural and engineering challenges. After the front doors had been lengthened, excessive flex contributed to a side window shattering during testing. The failure raised immediate concerns that the Charger's body could have twisted or suffered a larger structural problem.
The Gotham Garage team measured the chassis and confirmed that the vehicle remained square. The problem was eventually traced to movement in the extensively modified doors rather than a deformed body structure. Additional reinforcement was fabricated to reduce the flex and protect the replacement glass.
That complication added tension to the episode because this was not an experimental personal build with an unlimited timeline. It was a six-figure commission for a demanding client who expected show-quality craftsmanship.
The vehicle had to look dramatic, operate correctly, and justify the money invested in it.
Tony's Reaction to the Finished Daytona
When Nino arrived for the completed-car presentation, his priorities became clear.
He explained that his expectations were high and that the vehicle needed to showcase both the classic and modern sides of the concept. Combining those two identities can be difficult: too much nostalgia can make a build feel like a replica, while too many contemporary elements can erase what made the original vehicle special.
The completed Charger found the balance he was looking for.
Nino was particularly impressed by the massive rear wing and the vehicle's ability to stand out. He said the finished car exceeded his expectations and explained that he wanted a show car that attracted attention but was still something he could drive hard and have fun with.
That reaction summarizes Nino's overall philosophy toward automobiles.
The Daytona-inspired Charger was not intended to remain untouched behind velvet ropes. It was supposed to command attention at an event, create conversation at a rally, and still be capable of delivering the noise, movement, and excitement expected from a serious performance car.
At the conclusion of the presentation, Nino chose to drive the Charger away rather than have it delivered, arranging instead for the Lamborghini he arrived with to be transported.
It was an appropriate ending: the supercar could wait. The newly completed muscle car needed to be driven.
Classic Soul, Modern Performance
Nino's automotive interests are difficult to confine to one category.
His history with the Toyota Supra reflects the tuner generation's pursuit of extraordinary horsepower through engineering and constant refinement. His association with Lamborghinis, Ford GTs, and other exotics represents the appeal of modern performance, advanced design, and exclusivity. His custom Charger Daytona project demonstrates a respect for classic American motorsports and the unmistakable personality of vintage muscle.
Together, those vehicles tell a larger story.
Tony Nino is not interested only in what is newest, most expensive, or fastest on paper. He is drawn to machines with presence, cars that create emotion before the engine is even started and become unforgettable once they are moving.
That passion has influenced his collection, his businesses, his public identity, and the STR8UPDRIVEN community. It has also given him a platform through which he can connect automotive enthusiasm with mentorship, networking, and opportunity.
The Netflix appearance introduced many viewers to Tony through a single extraordinary Dodge Charger. But the custom Daytona was not the beginning of his automotive story. It was the television expression of a passion that had already been developing for decades, from a dream Supra built with his brother to a modern collection spanning luxury, performance, and classic design.
For Tony Nino, the destination has never been enough.
The real story is found in the build, the people brought together along the way, and the moment the road opens up and it is finally time to hit the gas.