This June Highlands will host hundreds of classic car enthusiasts with the 19th annual Highlands Motoring Festival.
Seven events will span four days and include two car shows, driving tours, evening gatherings and a Main Street parade. The Festival’s 2026 Grand Marshal will be Mr. Wayne Carini. He brings a vast career in all phases of collecting classic cars. He will be involved in each of the festival events.
With a lifetime of experience in automobile restoration under his belt, master car restorer Wayne Carini has a resumé that includes body and paint work on rare car collections owned by the likes of David Letterman, tennis great Ivan Lendl and the DuPont family. Wayne is best known for his long-running television show and now podcast, Chasing Classic Cars.
Chasing Classic Cars gives viewers a look into Wayne’s personal mission to uncover the world’s most rare and exotic cars. Filmed entirely in high definition, it welcomes viewers into the elite club of car restorers and collectors as Wayne buys, restores, and sells vintage rides. Owners of the most exclusive and secret garages open their doors only to Wayne.
Prior to Chasing Classic Cars, Wayne appeared in two hour-long television specials for Discovery’s HD Theater Channel: Monterey Week and The World’s Most Expensive Cars. He collaborated on My Classic Cars and had multiple appearances on Overhauling and American Pickers.
Wayne’s passion for cars started when he was a child, working alongside his father on such classics as Duesenbergs, Lincolns, Packards and Ford Model As. Then, at just 9 years of age, he experienced a life altering event: he went for a ride in his first Ferrari, a 1960 Rosso Chiaro 250 SWB to be exact. Wayne was instantly bitten by the Ferrari bug and hooked for life. Automobiles have been Wayne’s passion ever since.
Since that time, Wayne has been the owner and operator of three companies in Portland, Connecticut: F40 Motorsports, Continental Auto Ltd., and Carini Carozzeria.
At home Wayne is a dedicated father of two daughters and husband of 24 years. The family resides in rural Connecticut, in a log home that Wayne built 33 years ago. Wayne is known for his philanthropic endeavors particularly with autism research organizations. His personal garage in Connecticut presently has 25 classic cars.
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