TV shows are designed to cater to a wide range of viewer interests, including cars. There are many car enthusiasts on the planet whose curiosity about the inner workings and exterior designs of cars runs deep enough to lead them to dedicate a few hours of their weekly time to learning and following the mystery of the automobile. For these viewers, many shows have been designed to meet their needs. Some of the most popular include Top Gear and the Grand Tour. However, among car enthusiasts, there are those who are only interested in vintage products; those whose definition of luxury cars is the one made several decades ago. For this subset of car lovers, South Beach Classics is their dope show.
South Beach Classics is an automotive television show that airs on the Velocity network, which is owned by the Discovery Channel. As a reality show, it observes the daily workings of Ted Vernon Specialty Automobiles, a Miami-based vintage car shop. The show basically follows a team led by now-divorced couple Ted and Robin Vernon as they swap and trade different classic cars for enthusiasts. South Beach Classics started airing in 2011. Soon after, it became very popular, mainly because of the cast. Ted Vernon and his beautiful wife with a crew called “gargoyles”.
South Beach Classic Cast
During its run, South Beach Classic became popular due to the eclectic nature of its cast members led by auto shop owner Ted Vernon who was the focus of the show and his wife, former model, Robin Vernon (born Ziel). Here’s an in-depth look at the distribution.
Ted Vernon
The main character and owner of Ted VernonSpecialty Automobiles is one of the most professional acts in the series. Ted was born on Long Island, New York, but rose to prominence down south. Considered one of the most colorful characters in all of Florida, Ted Vernon is a former boxer, actor and producer. He has starred in and produced several films most of which are Florida based horror films. He has no less than 15 film credits to his name.
Before moving to Florida and becoming WolfmanVernon, he followed his uncle to Cleveland, but then moved with his wealthy developer father to Florida where he worked as a property manager in the 70s. He later left his father to start his own business.
Vernon was a boxer for a while in his colorful career. During his amateur boxing career, he had 21 wins and only one loss. His professional boxing career, however, does not share a similar record. He lost his first professional fight to Kent Baker, but managed to pick up a few wins before eventually retiring from professional boxing with a 3-1 record.
Robin Vernon
Robin Ziel was born, her life in honorbegan high school when she started a modeling career. Robin met Ted Vernon on a blind date in 1998 and the two were married two years later. The relationship blossomed for a long time, with the couple having been married for 15 years. During their marriage, Robin starred in South Beach Classic as part-owner of the car exchange. She was not present during the last season of the series because of the couple’s divorce. She was replaced by Christine Morris in a move fans of the show are reluctant to appreciate.
Before Ted Vernon, Robin was an introvert who wanted to become a nurse or a physician’s assistant after graduating from high school in Boca Raton. However, after bleaching her hair, she started working several modeling jobs, which allowed her to have her own apartment at 17.
Marcus Ameneiro
Marcus Ameneiro was part of Ted Vernon’s eclectic specialty automotive team. He was responsible for convincing customers to buy and sell their exotic cars. At present, little information about Marcus’ life and career before and after South Beach Classics is publicly available.
Lucy Clarkson-Demeo
Lucy Clarkson was a recurring star on the show. The English model is known to be Lara Croft’s fourth model for the Tomb Raider video games. Her role in the video game lasted 2 years, from 2000 to 2002. Besides Lara Croft, she modeled for international designers, including Vivienne Westwood. Lucy is an activist who regularly advocates for animal rights and raises awareness about eating disorders. She appeared on three episodes of the series in 2017.
Other South Beach Classics cast members Cliff Barnes, Jeff Orgen and many other public figures. The show was partially produced by Jeff Somerstein; he was a credited producer on the series for 23 episodes. Michael Ball was another producer who had done projects like Death Print, The X Effect, and Lesbo-A-Go-Go. He was a credited producer on the series for 18 episodes.
Ted and Robin Vernon’s Divorce
As the success of The South Beach Classics shows was primarily based on the chemistry between Ted and Robin Vernon, the show struggled to find stability following the couple’s divorce. The divorce, officially announced on November 14, 2016 by Ted Vernon on Twitter, put an end to a series of rumors that the couple were breaking up.
Before the divorce, the couple lived a happy lifetogether. Although Robin was much younger than Vernon when they met in 1998, the two fell in love and their relationship blossomed into a marriage. The couple embraced the strangeness of their relationship and married in a Buddhist ceremony in 2000.
Among other things Robin and Vernon shared a Ted Vernon Jr., their son, was born in 2004. Their love and partnership continued long after and they both developed the South Beach Classics show. Everything was going perfectly in Vernon’s house until rumors of fights and domestic violence between the couples started filtering through the media. The rumors were confirmed when it was announced that Robin Vernon would not be starring in the show’s fourth season.
Apparently, the lovers had had many struggles and irreconcilable differences in the months leading up to their divorce. As the divorce papers learned, charges of fraud were filed against both parties and domestic violence charges were filed against Ted Vernon. In one particular incident, Ziel was allegedly attacked in an alley by Ted Vernon, who allegedly punched him several times in the face. Although Ted denies the incident and all other domestic abuse allegations, court documents and police reports show he has a history of domestic abuse dating back three decades.
Other facts to know
1. Robin Vernon’s exit from the show precipitated his demise
Although Ted Vernon’s legal troubles caused the series to be canceled in 2017, South Beach Classic ultimately met its death with the loss of Robin, who was part of the cast. While the reality show portrayed Robin as the mastermind behind the operations and Ted as the fanatic, his exit from the show was a significant narrative twist that kept viewers on the show. Even though she was replaced with a similar physical personality (a tall blonde woman), she couldn’t prevent the series from falling apart.
2. The show ran for 4 seasons and 35 episodes
As a car enthusiast who is interested in antique and unique cars, if you want to watch the show, be prepared to only have four seasons of 35 one-hour episodes each.
3. South Beach Classics helped Ted and Robin grow their business
The show, which focused on the business of Ted and Robin Vernon’s Automotive Business, Ted Vernon’s Specialty Automobiles, helped the couple grow the business into a multi-million dollar business. The show has also helped them turn fans into customers.
4. An online petition against Ted
Perhaps due to one of the contributors to the show’s cancellation, an online petition has been opened against Ted Vernon and South Beach Classics following allegations of domestic abuse. The petition was signed by 131 people.
5. Starting capital and net worth
Ted Vernon is said to have started the car business with $1000 in cash, started trading cars at $200, and as it grew, went to $400 and then $800. In total, Ted has built an estimated net worth of $15 million. The wealth is the result of his car business and his reality TV contract.
6. Robin Vernon is not Ted’s first wife.
Ted Vernon’s first two children, Alexander Vernon and Mark Vernon, were born in 1990 and 1987 respectively to his first wife, Monika Sula. Her third child, Ted Vernon Jr, was born in 2004.