Inside a former party supply warehouse on Pico Boulevard, the piñatas and Mexican candies have given way to Ferraris, Ducati bikes and Rolls-Royce. Hollywood Classic Cars, a car rental agency housing a collection of meticulously polished vintage cars and bikes, is a dream for anyone wandering off the street.
It’s also Daren Johnson’s dream job after he left his career in finance. Johnson, 37, has built up his fleet of classic cars in Pico Union since moving into the neighborhood about a year and a half ago.
“I pretty much put my life savings, well, I did. I put all my life savings into buying,” he said. “So it was a risk. But in the back of my mind, I knew that classic cars are assets that, if the business fails, there’s still some residual value.”
Johnson moved his business from Culver City to the former home of “El Payasito”, a warehouse that was known for over 40 years as the source of streamers and superhero piñatas in the working-class immigrant neighborhood.
Now, locals and school kids occasionally stick their heads in to marvel at the classics on display.
The earliest models date to 1957, including two Thunderbirds and a Porsche Speedster replica. The most popular rentals are 1960s Mustangs, early Corvettes, Porsche 911s and large Cadillacs, especially for visitors who want to cruise past palm trees in Beverly Hills. The fleet also includes Jaguars, an Alfa Romeo, pickup trucks for desert shoots and several cars from the 1980s and ’90s for period productions.
The company’s primary business is classic car rentals, with many clients involved in film productions, fashion shoots, music videos and television shows. Recently, the cars have been featured in shoots for brands like Fabletics, Cuts and Guest in Residence, alongside celebrities including Austin Butler, Gigi Hadid and Khloé Kardashian.
Weddings are also an important part of the business, and their cars have become a fixture at community events such as the annual Koreatown Parade.
Johnson grew up in Indiana, fixing up cars with his dad, Rex Johnson.
That includes a 1968 Camaro with a highly modified engine that the pair restored more recently.
“We built this together, and we spent about five years through COVID working on it, and it came out great,” he said. “I love it, so we don’t rent it out the same way.”
He studied finance and went into investment banking, keeping classic cars as a weekend hobby.
“I sort of had classic cars as a second kind of weekend car,” he said. “And I thought maybe there’s a way to make some money sharing them.”
In 2018, he started with a single car — a British roadster, the Triumph TR6 — and gradually added a few more, including a Porsche and a Ferrari, renting them out as a side business.
“I just found it to be fun when people would come to pick up the car,” he said. “I just really enjoyed it.”
Classic cars, unlike modern specialty vehicles, usually have to be purchased outright, Johnson explained. The company has grown steadily over the years, adding around five vehicles a year as the business allows.
Johnson said part of the reason he chose to move from Culver City to Pico Boulevard was that the warehouse could accommodate all of his cars. But beyond the building itself, he was drawn to the neighborhood’s energy and location.
“I’ve always liked the energy of downtown, but being just west of downtown, it’s a little less chaotic,” he said. “For guests who are coming to pick up a car, it’s not quite as intimidating.”
Pico Boulevard, he added, “runs the distance of LA,” making it easy to explain to customers where they’re located, close to the 10 Freeway. “It sort of feels like the city hub,” he said. “But it also feels like a very family-oriented community. I see a lot of kids walking by.”
Aurora Corona, a longtime Pico Union resident, recognizes that the business, with all its luxurious cars, may seem a little out of place. But she appreciates the kind of business it is.
“What I like is that it’s not a franchise. And that’s kind of what’s been the signature for Pico Boulevard, is that we have no franchises, except for Jack in the Box and maybe the taco place King Taco, but it’s still family-owned,” she said.
Nearby, there’s a post office and a fire station, and firefighters and other neighbors often stop in.
Johnson added that the warehouse doors are often open, drawing curious passersby — including students from Loyola High School — who peek inside. Some step in for a closer look.
In that way, the space has become something of a community museum, with vintage cars tucked between apartment buildings and small businesses. The rental agency’s social media presence is also maintained by his wife, entertainment journalist and writer Gabi Conti.
Johnson and his team also maintain the cars themselves, sourcing parts from across the country and teaching renters how to operate carburetors and older transmissions.
“We have to explain to people how to start a car with a carburetor,” he said. “Especially the younger generation, they’ve never driven anything like that before.”
For Johnson, the business is a constant balancing act.
“Businesses are always evolving,” Johnson said about weathering the economic hardships of the business. “You can’t just keep doing the same thing year after year.”
For now, the focus remains on keeping the cars running, the doors open, and the collection growing.
