The MotorTrend TV series follows Javier ‘Shorty’ Ponce and his crew as they restore classic cars into what they describe as works of art, and in the process highlights the Latino community’s decades-long influence on car customization in the U.S.
Shorty Ponce starts a car that will be featured in the upcoming reality TV show “Shorty's Dream Shop” while camera operator Ryan Fedor films him at Shorty's Custom Paint in Midlothian. The show follows Ponce and his crew as they work on ground-up classic car restorations. More than 44,000 classic car aficionados follow Ponce on Facebook, where he invites fans to stop by car shows, snag his latest merchandise decorated with a Shorty cartoon or watch him work in his “kitchen,” the paint studio. The network series following him and his crew serves as a vehicle for him to do more of what he said he’s truly passionate about: “I prefer to just be working on cars.”
So 10 years ago, Ponce opened Shorty’s Custom Paint. In that time, he said he’s transformed at least a couple of hundred cars. He and his crew fix cars “Texas-style.” While there’s no strict definition, it’s what feels right to the crew, with each restoration seen as artwork.“He’s a total professional,” Mata, 75, said of Ponce. “He’s a perfectionist. He wants everything done right.”
Jerry Mata Sr. of Wylie was featured on MotorTrend's new series, "Shorty's Dream Shop," as his 1969 Chevy C-10 Truck was painted by Shorty Ponce. “It’s much more than a father-and-son experience,” Mata said. “This brought us to a father, son, best friend experience. The feeling is completely out of this world.”now based at Texas Motor Speedway