Courtesy of Kahn Media
Technicians and fabricator workers at Classic Car Studio.
Ladue High School grad Noah Alexander has been obsessed with cars since he was a little kid.
After graduating from Mizzou in 2003 with a degree in psychology and minors in business and Spanish, Alexander worked for a company that sold classic cars in St. Louis.
Courtesy of Kahn Media
Noah Alexander is the owner of Classic Car Studio and host of Velocity's Speed is the New Black.
“I got in it and never left,” he says.
A few years later, in 2006, Alexander opened Classic Car Studio in St. Louis and works with customers to buy, sell, or repair vintage cars. For Alexander, it was a chance to not only continue his own lifelong love, but also help others with the hobby.
“I just think that car enthusiasts are kids at heart—they usually start young, they’re working with their parents or uncles or brothers, and it gets in their blood and never leaves,” he says. “However you’re involved with the hobby, it really ties people back to their past and just kind of keeps the hobby going.”
Last year, that hobby took the form of a hit reality tv show. Speed is the New Black premiered on Velocity (an automative-themed channel by Discovery) in 2017 and followed Alexander and his auto shop in Brentwood’s industrial park. The show became Velocity’s most watched freshman series ever and was renewed for a second season, which premieres Wednesday, June 13.
“We got some awesome fans," he says. "We didn’t know what level of support to expect, but we were well received, and it wouldn't have happened without all those great viewers."
As the first season progressed, Alexander says his auto shop has seen an uptick in customers from all over. After attending the the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, Alexander and his team learned they have a huge fan base across the globe in places like Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand. Just last year, Classic Car Studio built a Camaro for a man in Russia.
Courtesy of Kahn Media
Panoramic photo of Classic Car Studio’s shop located in Brentwood, featuring its shop truck “Tiffany” in the middle
After six months of shooting that began in January, season two of Speed is the New Black premieres tonight at 8 p.m. Just like the first season, season two will feature Alexander and his team as they work on high-performance builds and combine classic cars with modern technology.
However, Alexander says the show has implemented some new features that he thinks viewers should be excited about. This season, Speed is the New Black will have a dedicated camera car to capture shots of the finished cars mid-drive. On top of premiering on Velocity, Alexander says he’s excited that the show will also be streamed on the website Motor Trend, in order to reach new fans and demographics.
“This season is gonna be epic, and I’m pumped,” he says. “We’ve been working six long hard months on it, and I think people are going to be blown away.”
One of the most important parts of the show for Alexander is the opportunity to showcase the midwest on a national stage.
“There’s a lot of shows from the East Coast or West Coast, and we were excited to be able to put such a high quality product on the market from the Midwest,” he says.
Courtesy of Kahn Media
Technicians and fabricator workers at Classic Car Studio
Unlike other reality car shows, Alexander says Speed is the New Black allows viewers to follow along during every step of the build and learn something along the way without all the drama that's common in reality shows.
“We have enough drama, and it doesn’t involve the people," he says. "It’s the cars—the cars are the drama queens. We’re building custom cars. We’re putting 30 different manufacturers' parts on one build. Stuff is not going to get along. Stuff is not going to go right, and you get to watch us solve that. People really like to see that.”
During Wednesday night’s episode, Alexander and his team will help Dale Stewart, bassist of the rock band Seether, rebuild a 1931 Model A Ford into a high performance hot rod. Season two will also include a 1957 Chevrolet Nomad Wagon, a 1965 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible modified with a five-speed transmission, a 2005 Chevy SSR with a Nelson Racing Engines twin turbo GM Performance LSX and air ride suspension, a 1970 Ford F100, a 1953 Chevy Truck, a 1970 BMC Mini Cooper, a 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle, and a 1986 Chevrolet C10 Truck.
As for Alexander’s plans for Wednesday night? He's throwing a party.
“We invited all our friends and customers and we’re just going to relax, eat some good food, hang out, and reap the fruits of our labor," he says. "It should be exciting.”
