Vintage Car Lover “Brings ’Em Back to Life” on His Hit YouTube Show

Renee and Dennis Savage enjoy restoring, driving, and showing off their fantastic collection of 1956 Chevys.

by Anna Trusky

To Dennis Savage of Lisbon, walking through an automobile salvage yard is like paying a visit to dear old friends.

“Salvage yards are outdoor museums for men who are interested in automotive history,” Dennis said. “They’re full of ‘memory candy,’ as I call it – old cars that remind us of times when we were younger, riding around with our parents or friends. That feeling is what I try to create with my YouTube show, ‘Bring ’Em Back to Life!’”
When he decided to develop a program that would share his passion for salvage yards and antique cars, Dennis joined the SECT filmmakers group so he could learn the ropes of television production. The friends he made there helped him turn his idea into a pilot and trailers, which led to showings at exhibitions and festivals.
“Today, with the assistance of my grandson and awesome editor Robbie Savage, Jr., a New England Tech graduate, ‘Bring ’Em Back To Life’ is garnering tens of thousands of views and hundreds of ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ on YouTube,” Dennis said. “We’re getting new subscribers every day. There are now 14 episodes on YouTube and a new season is about to begin.”
On each episode, Dennis takes his camera into a salvage yard and looks for vintage vehicles with parts that can be saved and repurposed. “Most salvage yard owners are happy to let me come into their yards. They walk with me and tell me the history. It’s good for those who are looking for parts for their antique cars to see what is out there.”
Dennis himself has a “sizeable” collection of vintage ’55 ’56, and ’57 Chevrolets. “We’ve been driving them all our lives,” he said. “When I’d find them in salvage yards, we’d save them and put them in our barn. We restored them and now they’re valuable antiques.”
Word of Dennis’s show is spreading far and wide. “Recently I was invited to talk about the show on Mike Minarski’s Wolverine FM Radio station in Jewett City, Stu Breyer’s WICH AM Talk Radio show in Norwich, and most recently Joe Pepitone’s ‘Every Car Has A Story’ on Big Talk Radio FM 106.7 in Wilmington, North Carolina. My wife Renee taped us meeting in person to use on an upcoming episode,” he said.
Renee, Dennis pointed out, is his faithful supporter and biggest fan. It’s no wonder since vintage Chevys have played an important role in the Savages’ life together since day one. “We just celebrated our fiftieth wedding anniversary—we eloped in my ’57 Chevrolet. That’s how our love affair with classic Chevrolets started!” Dennis said.
To get in touch with Dennis, email him at Den567@att.net or visit his Facebook page, Dennis Savage.