You probably recognize the beautiful Courtney Hansen from her time spent on the car makeover show Overhaulin'. What you may not realize is just how crazy about cars this woman actually is. Her whole life has basically revolved around the automotive industry.
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Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota into a racing family, the former fashion model spent a lot of time in the garages and pits. Her family owned Brainerd International Raceway, which is where she developed her automotive passion. Her very first car was a 1992 IROC-Z Camaro that she got when she was 16. However, this was only the beginning for Hansen. Below, we'll look at the numerous different ventures that she's been involved with over the years.
Courtney Hansen's Career
Courtney attended Florida State University and graduated with a degree in marketing. She started off in the corporate world, but it didn't take long before she started working as a fashion model. She landed cover shots on major magazines, such as Hot Rod Magazine and Muscle & Fitness.
Around this time, she started working as the co-host on Overhaulin', working closely with Chip Foose. This was easily her biggest TV role at the time, and it helped her become known as a TV personality. Now, she's not a mechanic by trade, but that didn't stop this woman from getting her hands dirty. Not only did she help host, but she also helped out the crew with the assembly and disassembly of the vehicles. She worked with the show up until 2005, when she decided to pursue other interests.
Following this, she was the television host for Spike TV's Powerblock for eight seasons and even hosted a special called Great Builds. She involved herself with a wide variety of other car shows, including Destination Wild on Fox Sports Net. She also worked as a host of TLC's TV shows Rides and Million Dollar Motors. A little bit later in her television career, she hosted Autoweek's Vinsetta Garage on the Discovery Channel's Velocity Network. By 2014, she started working as the host of NBC Sports, Spike TV, and CBS Sports TV series PowerNation, which she left in 2015.
Hansen has been writing a nationally syndicated automotive newspaper column titled "Courtney Hansen: Full Throttle" since 2005. She even went further than the newspaper to become the author of The Garage Girl's Guide To Everything You Need To Know About Your Car. This book gave women and first-time car owners some helpful advice on proper care for their vehicle.
Courtney later decided that she was ready to jump into something even bigger, so she became the executive producer of her own car show: The Ride That Got Away. Working with sponsors and investors, she managed to secure $3 million dollars to start the show. Although it was a ton of work, she still managed to get break down barriers and make this project a reality.
She was on her way to season two of the show, but COVID-19 may have prolonged the premiere. Although, Courtney does appear to still be looking for deserving people that have fallen on hard times for the show.
Courtney Hansen acts as a true inspiration for other women around the world, proving that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Today, the TV host can be seen on her social media accounts — still completely engrossed in the world of cars — or on her website CourtneyHansen.com. We can't wait to see what crazy project she gets involved with next!
This post was originally published on August 27, 2020.
