Meet Mike Elliott: The Outback Wrecker who’s bought 40,000 cars
It’s no secret that there are plenty of weird and wacky jobs in the world. From pet food taster to snake milker or even professional cuddler, there are more ways of making a living that are far from the standard 9-5 office job than you might imagine.
But Mike Elliott’s job is probably one of the most unusual of the lot.
A self-described ‘Aussie battler’ and one of the stars of BLAZE’s newest series, Outback Wreckers, he’s dedicated his life to trawling the vast Australian Outback for wrecked and abandoned cars.
It is, he admits, a job that’s often hard to explain to people for the first time.
‘Many years ago, when I first started telling people what I was doing, they would look at me like I was trying to explain mining banana cheese on the moon - it’s quite an obscure line of work,’ he laughs.
Even so, it’s one that he’s full of enthusiasm for. Mike recently took time out of his busy schedule to chat with BLAZE about his career, and why he believes Outback Wreckers is your next binge-watch series.
‘It’s like having an addiction to caffeine’
Whenever you hear of someone working an unconventional job, the first thing you might wonder is ‘how on earth did they start doing that?’ As Mike explains, his career started as an unlicensed ‘no lemons’ car dealer from an early age.
‘The cars I sold were so reliable that customers would ring me up years later asking to buy another car. I never got done for unlicensed dealing because I never ripped anyone off.’
As his business grew, he wassoonventuring into the outback to recover vehicles, and sales continued to skyrocket.
‘I had bought and sold 75 cars by the time I was 18, and by the time I was 21, that number was over 300, and I had lost count. Today I've bought more than 40,000 cars.’
You don’t have to spend long in the affable Aussie’s company to see how passionate he is about his chosen career. His enthusiasm for what he does is infectious – and something he describes as ‘like having an addiction to caffeine’.
‘I’ve never gotten bored, never lost the passion – no matter the setbacks or how tumultuous the journey can be,’ he says. ‘It fires my passion and ignites my soul. I love to clean up towns and buy up all the wrecked cars – it's a treasure hunt because you never know what you're going to get.’
Mike’s most interesting finds in the vast Outback
The scale of the Australian Outback is something few Brits can comprehend, but in this sparse, rugged landscape, Mike has become something of an expert in uncovering rare and valuable treasure. He recounts some of his most interesting finds to date, which include cars that would make any petrolhead’s mouth water.
‘I once bought a 1984 Pontiac Trans Am Firebird in pristine condition and found a 1954 Mercedes-Benz 220SE in immaculate condition for a throwaway price. I’ve had everything from Renault Fuegos to Vauxhall Bathurst GTSs, and I've stumbled upon more rare cars than I've had hot dinners.’
Yet despite the value of some of the cars that are waiting to be discovered, there’s little competition. As Outback Wreckers highlights, the people who make this type of work their life share a special kinship for adventure and treasure hunting. Yet there’s still ample space to operate, so there’s rarely any tension or destructive rivalries.
‘The Australian outback is so vast - so unfathomably huge, you don't have to compete with anyone,’ Mike agrees. ’Quite often, if I know someone is operating in a particular location, I'll circumnavigate them by 200-500 kilometres and find my own treasure well off the beaten track.’
Like Junk & Disorderly, but with added Aussie charm
If you’re already a fan of Blaze’s hit show Junk & Disorderly, chances are you’ll enjoy Outback Wreckers too. The two shows have similar themes – hunting down hidden treasures, restoring forgotten relics, buying well and selling smart.
Mike expresses admiration for Junk & Disorderly’s team of Henry Cole, Allen Millyard and Guy 'Skid' Williston. ‘Allen Millyard is properly clever mechanically - I hold deep respect for anyone left with hand skills. I reckon Henry’s got that “buy first, think later” energy. I can see they’re chasing enough profit to fund dream vehicles across seasons.’
But the one key difference? Outback Wreckers comes with more Mad Max-style Aussie charm.
‘I feel like the world is salivating for a bit more fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, break-stuff-and-brush-the-dust-off, continue-the-treasure-hunt-type viewing,’ Mike enthuses.
‘Honestly, I believe Outback Wreckers is that new hit TV series where you watch one episode, and you're hooked.’