Jeff Allen star of Car Chasers on CNBC

Car Chasers on CNBC — Where Finding And Flipping Cars Is A Family Business
“I actually bought my first car when I was 13 years old … a ’69 Camaro Z28,” says Jeff Allen, owner of Flat 12, a car brokerage company in Lubbock, Texas, and star of the new reality series The Car Chasers on CNBC, premiering Tuesday, March 5 at 10pm ET. His father, however, had a change of heart when he neared driving age. “He thought I would kill myself if I had that car as a first car so we actually sold it and I got a pickup truck.”

Allen (pictured right), who uses his middle name as his last (long story, but there were family differences over spelling and pronunciation), and his father, Tom Souter, both are in the car business where they travel the country buying cars, fixing them up and selling them for profit.

“I love cars with great stories, and that’s kind of where I’m very different from a lot of people, including my father,” Allen says. “My father, he loves cars, too, but they are cars — they are pieces of metal. I love the backstory. I love where the guy got it from, does it have any celebrity tied to it or movie history or racing history … is it rare?”

The series shows this process and the restoration, along with the lively banter and one-upmanship between Allen and Souter. Viewers also meet their respective and always opinionated staffs, including Allen’s right-hand man, Perry Barndt (pictured left), who he describes as a perfectionist and a great builder; and his love interest of 18 years, fiancée Meggan Bailey, who runs the books.

As for what Allen drives now? “I have a brand-new truck that I drive because we haul a lot of cars. I have a BMW four-door that I keep in California when we are out here. People love that whole Southern California car vibe, the no rust, no weather issues — it’s a perception. We do a lot of buying here and ship them to Texas. I always try to keep a Porsche around so I can drive it. But like I say, everything is for sale, except for Meg and my dog. If I had Jay Leno’s money I would keep them all, but I can’t; it’s a business, and Meg reminds me of that all the time.”

Car Chasers on CNBC airs Tuesdays at 10pm beginning March 5