There’s no shortage of original car-centered content online, hence why it’s easier than ever to fulfill the tastes of even the most demanding gearheads. Going down that line YouTube has become one of the greatest platforms for creators to find their audience and get the recognition they deserve, such is the case for Derek Bieri and his extremely popular Vice Grip Garage channel.
Derek’s success has become so massive that his chance to star on TV finally happened when his show “Roadworthy Rescues” premiered on MotorTrend in late 2022.
Nonetheless, while Derek is already well known to his old internet audience, those who have recently known about him through TV have many questions about his life, his family, his business, how rich he is, and his story as a motorhead.
Do you also want to know what’s going on with Derek from “Roadworthy Rescues”? Stay here to know all about him!
Who Is Derek Bieri?
The name Derek Bieri is quite well known to everyone who has ever searched on the internet for crazy and not-so-expensive car builds. However, those who have recently discovered him through TV might not be familiar with the man who turns old and abandoned cars into beautiful and fully-functional ones in the recently-premiered “Roadworthy Rescues”.
Born on 16 May 1984 and raised in Minot, North Dakota, Derek knew what hard work was from an early age. Inspired by his father and grandfather’s reluctance to buy new parts and instead reusing and fixing what they had at home, the young Derek successfully learned the basics of the trade, and how to keep any car up and running.
It was a local North Dakota car expert who first taught Derek what car restoration was, but Derek surprisingly never pursued an official certification in the field. After spending several years of his life as a businessman, in 2019 Derek left the corporate world to start his YouTube channel Vice Grip Garage, gaining hundreds of thousands of subscribers in a matter of a couple of years.
Known for his hands-on method of bringing cars back to life, and for philanthropism, to date Derek has gained over a million subscribers on his channel, stars on a MotorTrend TV show, and is respected and admired by his fellows in the car industry.
Betty White, you say?! No worries. This feller (Derek Bieri from Vice Grip Garage) found her in a field and brought her right back. She's restored now. He named the car after her because of her hair.
But seriously, I hope she's fine, too. Wonder what she's up to these days. pic.twitter.com/3uPErEOTfy
— The Driver (@Driver_Stig) November 20, 2021
Wife & Family
Although Derek Bieri is the face of Vice Grip Garage and “Roadworthy Rescues”, the truth is that his family has contributed greatly to his success. Married to Jessica since 2008, Derek and her have welcomed three young sons with whom they share their love for the automotive, as seen on many of their posts on social media.
Derek’s loved ones are a great motivator for him to make every project as safe as he can: ‘At some point, I have to take my own safety into consideration and get something that’s decent. I’ve got kids and a wife at home that I’m pretty fond of’, he told Sick The Magazine in 2022.
While the Bieri children are still too young to take part in the most adrenaline-filled activities that their parents love, such as race driving, Derek and Jessica have done a great job at incorporating that family-friendly attitude into their YouTube content. As well, it’s not rare to see Jessica taking part in the content creation aspect of their channel, nor to see her either working on a build or behind the wheel.
All in all, Derek proves every day that he’s a family guy through and through.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cld7_UPO5vM/
What’s Derek’s Net Worth?
While Derek Bieri became known for his YouTube channel and recently for his TV show, the truth is that he’s worked in a variety of fields throughout his life. Unbeknownst to many, for several years Derek was an accomplished businessman, keeping that financially stable job while pursuing his car-restoring passion on the side.
Though it’s been a long while since Derek left the corporate world to fully focus on his passion for the automotive industry, he hasn’t forgotten the business side of it all. As seen on his website Vice Grip Garage, Derek has released a wide variety of products related to his automotive brand, starting from t-shirts and accessories, to also launching car-care products.
Even though Derek’s salary from “Roadworthy Rescue” and earnings from his Vice Grip Garage channel are unknown, his years as a car-related content creator, businessman, and more recently as a reality TV personality have resulted in a net worth of over $1.2 million as of 2023. Nevertheless, that number will surely keep increasing with time.
Where Does Derek Bieri Live?
Derek Bieri and his family were established in Minnesota for the longest time. However, in late 2021, the Bieris decided to take a risky step in their lives and move to Tennessee, established their business, and where they currently live.
While the move was surprising for those who have been following Vice Grip Garage from the beginning, the Bieris had many good reasons to leave the place which was once their hometown.
As explained by Derek and Jessica in a video shared on their YouTube side channel Vice Grip Lodge, saving money was the first and foremost reason for their move, as the cost of living in Tennessee is way lower than Minnesota’s when it comes to utilities and taxes. As the couple also affirmed, one of their biggest issues living in Minnesota was the large distance between home and their shop, which took too many hours away from them just traveling.
The latter problem was solved by establishing their new shop at their new home in Tennessee, allowing Derek to spend more time with his family without leaving his passion for cars and channel on the side.
Overall, the Bieris are now living a more comfortable and happier life in their new Tennessee home.
What Is Vice Grip Garage About?
What are the chances of becoming internet famous just doing what they love? While that’s not something which happens to many people, Derek Bieri is one of the few lucky ones who’s achieved huge popularity and success online without losing his essence and keeping himself humble at the same time.
That being said, Derek’s YouTube channel, Vice Grip Garage is everything any motorhead is looking for. Keeping the projects eye-catching, interesting, and with a good sense of humor is Derek’s way to go, yet his old-car-centered restorations and builds are also down-to-earth enough so everyone understands what’s going on. Viewers could also expect to get a glimpse of Derek’s life beyond his auto shop, such as his collaboration with other car experts and his race escapades.
Derek’s success could easily be attributed to how well he connects with his audience. As he admitted in an interview with Sick The Magazine, he creates content for the common guy because he’s one himself: ‘I like to show people that you can have fun and put cars on the street and enjoy them, and they don’t have to be pretty and shiny’, he said.
Since starting the channel in 2019, Derek’s channel has accumulated over 370 million views, and its success doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon.
What Is “Roadworthy Rescues” About?
Following the line of restoring classic cars and hot rods, which comes his way, “Roadworthy Rescues” shows the many skills that Derek Bieri has up his sleeve. While the speed at which every project is taken to completion is faster than the Vice Grip Garage audience is used to, the essence of turning cars back to life is the same as always.
Starting with projects such as making a 1967 Mustang go back on the road for the first time in 28 years and fighting a termite infestation off a 1966 Pontiac Tempest, the real charm of “Roadworthy Rescues” is to see Derek exploring so many different places around the US, just to accomplish his restless rescue mission.
https://www.facebook.com/MotorTrendTV/posts/pfbid0XaFxeXLFB821rTQ4vPfhfdPqQBT8FMf8ohV5QgBnzRTGyDCjpHoPvpdeN7eCsXanl
Derek isn’t alone on the road, though. His wife Jessica is always there to help, while the upholstery expert Dan Dosemagen brings new life to the vehicle’s interiors.
While a second season of “Roadworthy Rescues” is as yet unconfirmed, there’s no doubt that the show has already left a great impression on everyone.
Was Derek On TV Before?
Before the premiere of his show in 2022, Derek Bieri had already made his TV debut in a couple of car-centered shows. Some of his experience on the small screen include appearing in “Hooptie World Championship” and “Holiday Hooptie Challenge III”, both of which are highlights of Derek’s career for giving him the chance to collaborate with David Freiburger from the popular show “Roadkill”.
Derek’s admiration for Freiburger comes from his job on TV and as a writer for several successful automotive magazines, as he revealed in an interview with The Chris & Sandy Show in 2022: ‘the talent that guy has is mind-blowing. I mean, he can rattle off stuff that I would have to search a year to find’, he said.
The premiere of “Roadworthy Rescues” adds an important landmark in Derek’s career, proving that he has a bright future in the entertainment world.
The Best Cars & Moments
Ever since rising to fame in the automotive world, Derek Bieri has had great moments both inside and outside the auto shop.
For starters, Derek dabbled in motorsports for the first time in his life at the 2021’s edition of Midwest Drags, when he drove the Ice Cream Truck owned by fellow YouTuber and expert drag racer Tom Bailey. From then on, Derek has taken part in several motorsports events such as Rocky Mountain Race Week, Bristol Race Weekend, and the 2022’s Memphis International Raceway edition.
Though getting behind the wheel at full speed is an activity which Derek enjoys a lot, other of his greatest car-related moments are less adrenaline-inducing, though just as interesting. As Derek said in an interview with My Star Collector Car, his favorite car revivals in Vice Grip Garage are his 1980 Nissan Turbo Diesel Scout II, and the 1972 Chevelle he later baptized as Independence. The former became his daily drive while the latter is a favorite of his kids.
All in all, Derek Bieri’s efforts and hard work in the automotive world have been well compensated not only for the success that he’s achieved so far, but also because of the great moments he has lived with his family thanks to it. Hopefully, Derek will keep inspiring others to follow his dreams, whether it’s through his online projects or on TV.
