Today he may fabricate Orange County Chopper bikes (and enjoy it), but Vinnie's first love is cars.

It's a bit of a surprise, since Vinnie's dad used to sell motorbikes and got his son riding when he was three years old (his first bike had a set of training wheels). His dad also owned a repair shop and gas station, where Vinnie started working when he was nine. He got hooked and, by the time he was 15, Vinnie was doing high-performance work on his friends' cars, as well as his own.

But that was (and continues to be) a sideline. Vinnie's first ‘real’ job started when he was 16, working with his father at his golf course. Nine years later, family businesses being what they are, Vinnie decided to stop working for his dad, so they would be able to remain friends.