KSL Cars gets a star-studded garage tour from popular YouTuber: Watch video

Johnny Lange's face lit up when asked what his first car was. While shooting an episode of Around the Hood, the automotive enthusiast already discussed how the 2018 Lexus LC500 in his driveway was special. But when he started talking about his family’s 1967 Volkswagen Beetle, it was clear it was the first car he drove that would always have his heart. 

His mother purchased the VW for $400 after they’d moved from Germany to Utah. He was too young to drive it then. But as a teenager, he started tinkering with it. Johnny begged his mom to buy him a set of $10 fog lights from Kmart. “That was the first modification I made to a car, installing those fog lights,” he said. “I was so proud driving around that summer.”

Nowadays, his aftermarket mods have a little more bling. He recently purchased a 2006 Ferrari F430 — his first Ferrari ever — and is considering replacing the original rims with gold ones. Bellissima! Watch Around the Hood to see this beauty in action and hear how Johnny came to purchase it. 

Don’t get the wrong idea, though. Johnny is anything but a supercar snob. He doesn’t consider his Ferrari F430 a status symbol. The guy has owned about 100 different vehicles over the years — including a Porsche 911 Dakar and a low-riding 1986 BMW E30 — and he gets as much enjoyment from personalizing his rides as he does driving them. Johnny’s automotive passion is pure and deep.

Metal bodywork was one of the features that interested Johnny in this old-school BMW he fixed up in 2011. Credit: Johnny Lange

How does Mrs. Lange feel about her husband’s high-priced, horsepower hobby? “My wife is the coolest. She understands my sickness,” Johnny said with a laugh while chatting off-camera during the Around the Hood shoot. That’s amore! But it probably helps that he has also turned his passion into a profession. 

Several years ago, Johnny launched Priority One Auto Transport, a door-to-door delivery service for luxury vehicles in most of the western United States. Johnny really enjoys meeting other car enthusiasts and transporting their amazing acquisitions. 

Shop popular sports car brands on KSL Cars →

A few fun faves

Of all the vehicles Johnny has owned, his tricked-out 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser might be his favorite. While he usually only keeps a vehicle for a couple of years before selling, he’s owned this Land Cruiser for nearly two decades. Johnny has driven it all over Moab on some rugged off-road adventures. Similarly, his wife prefers driving their 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser more than she does the exotics.  Shop all Toyota Land Cruisers on KSL Cars → 

Johnny also fixed up a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am as a tribute to the cinematic classic “Smokey and the Bandit.” And he got a retro black Utah license plate personalized with “BANDIT” for the car. After all, Johnny was the private citizen who started the petition to bring back the historic black plates.

Looking at the photo of this svelte sports car, you can almost hear Johnny saying, “Gotta have a new car to block for the truck.” Credit: Johnny Lange

Johnny even transformed himself into Burt Reynolds for Halloween, the vehicle an extension of his costume. Very ironic considering he worked in law enforcement for 25 years. Now retired, the former lieutenant also owns an old plumbing van. Wait, what? Why?

Like everyone else, he needed a project to keep him busy during Covid. But instead of searching the internet for bread recipes and learning how to bake, he turned to KSL and found an inexpensive 1984 Chevy van. Browse vans for sale on KSL Cars →

A photo from the 2020 KSL Cars listing, before Johnny transformed it into the A-Team van.

The van’s white exterior was a blank canvas. Johnny painted it in his garage. “It’s a 20-footer,” he joked. “It looks good from a distance, but not so great up close.” 

Every inch — from the rear spoiler to the red stripe on side panels and the front grille guard — is now recognizable to fans of “The A-Team.” A vanity license plate on the front with an image of Mr. T clues in anyone who may not have watched television in the ‘80s. 

Who doesn’t love it when a plan comes together? Credit: Johnny Lange

“Don’t worry. Everything inside is a prop,” Johnny deadpanned as he opened the rear doors to his A-Team van. 

Grenades? Plastic, of course. Toy machine guns? Must-haves for authenticity. Credit: KSL Cars

For an in-depth look at these and some of Utah Johnny Lange’s other projects, check out his YouTube Channel. His automotive photography is featured on his website, as well as Instagram. 

The one that got away

Back to that 1967 Volkswagen Beetle. Johnny’s family drove it for quite some time — making memories on camping trips and other outings — until the transmission went out. It sat unused for a while, then Johnny sold it about 15 years ago to a gentleman in Salt Lake. But Johnny still thought about the car often. 

The rounded bumper young Johnny sits on is one of the material things that makes the ‘67 Beetle special, but it’s the memories that make it invaluable. Credit: Johnny Lange

At the 2023 Riverton Volkswagen show, he learned the gentleman he sold it to passed away earlier that year. His family was at the show, selling car parts they found in his garage. Johnny inquired about the Beetle, and the man’s family told him another family member who lived in Ohio had inherited the iconic car. He told them if they ever decided to sell the vehicle to call him; he wants to buy it back while his mother is still around.

Whether or not that will happen remains to be seen. But the family did have the headlight rings and turn signals from that 1967 Volkswagen Beetle at the show and gave them to Johnny. To say that meant a lot to him is an understatement. “Onions,” Johnny said alluding to the emotions the kind gesture evoked. “There were definitely onions.”    

Vehicles are so much more than a mode of transportation. Find your own memorable ride on KSL Cars. 

Do you or someone you know have an awesome car story? We want to feature it! Send us a message at cars@ksl.com.