Clink. Clink. Clink.

Hear that?

It’s the sound of the glass ceiling breaking.

We’ll give you five minutes to tell us a female that’s founded, executive produced, and hosted her own automotive TV show that’s been aired on History Channel and FYI Network across America. We’re giving you an extra four minutes and 59 seconds to enjoy the sound of crickets chirping.

A female besides Courtney Hansen, that is. Hansen isn’t just the girl next door. She’s the Garage Girl next door, and she’s proving herself in a seriously male-dominated industry. She co-hosted car makeover series Overhaulin’ in 2004, and then moved onto new horizons.

Part of that horizon was formulating the concept for her new show, The Ride That Got Away. She wanted a show that stood out amongst all the ride pimping and renovating out a car just for the sake of it. She wanted to get into the heart of things, and explore the stories behind the people who drive the cars – and why they love those cars so much.

But girls don’t know anything about cars. Why should a girl host a show about cars? They’re lucky if maybe their dad taught them to change the oil or fix a spare tire, right? Hansen is proving that stereotype wrong in a big way.

Hansen assembled her cast and crew with the cream of the crop in mind. She brought in top tier designers and builders, and then set to work finding people across the country that can’t stop thinking about their ride that got away. And yeah, she did it all on her own.

So Hansen and the crew find a deserving person. Then they set to work remaking that one car that they used to have that they just can’t stop thinking about. Hansen goes toe to toe with the gearheads when they’re in the garage. She’s built up a team who is as passionate about building cars as she is.

“A lot of guys build cars with their hands,” says Hansen. “These guys build cars with their hearts.”

A custom 1956 Mercury, given up when bills got too high? A 1966 Chevy C10 that got away not once, but twice? A 1975 International Scout II that was donated while its owner battled cancer?

No rides are off limits in Hansen’s new show. And neither is that glass ceiling.
You can tune into the second season of The Ride That Got Away and watching the leading lady in automobiles kick some old cars into a new gear. Catch it on HISTORY on Demand, or Hulu