Fargo’s Fast & Fabulous
Amber Blonigan and Tony Shooshani have officially shifted gears, moving from California’s fast and furious tracks to a slower lane along Fargo’s historic 8th Street. As avid collector car dealers, racecar drivers, entrepreneurs, and real estate investors, their lifestyle is all about setting their own pace—zero to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds. In this issue, we’re putting on the brakes to tour the couple’s exquisitely restored 1899 home, where you’ll meet their Belgian Malinois, Loeka and Dino. We’re also taking a spin by The Black Building in downtown Fargo to see their prized Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo, now on display in its off-season.
BY Tracy Nicholson
PHOTOS BY Micah J. Zimmerman, Amdak Productions
THE ROAD HOME
People often leave Fargo for warmer climates, but for reasons hard to explain yet deeply felt, many find their way back—including Amber Blonigan. A Fargo native, Amber moved to Los Angeles after high school in 1998. She set her sights on becoming a stunt and racecar driver and had no intention of waiting for her big break. In 2004, Amber created her own, founding the Beverly Hills-based Gi Automotive Group, where California car enthusiasts coveted her auto shop’s “North Dakota Nice” values and Midwestern work ethic. She traded glitz and glam for grease and jeans, ignoring the skeptics and learning her way to the finish line while raising two children. On the journey to elevate customer care and master elite customization, stunt driving, and racing, she built a first-class reputation in supercar and hypercar auto service.
BLAZING THE TRAIL
Amber blazed a trail for women in an industry long dominated by men, spending nearly 20 years stunt driving, racing, hosting, rallying for race programs, and building her business. She was driven by what she knew was missing: premium customer care, top-tier customizations, and a much more refined auto service experience. Her vision transformed Gi into an industry leader and one of Beverly Hills’ few trusted sources for modifying supercars and hypercars, exotic car service, and luxury customization. On the side, Amber shares her talent for marketing with an array of auto industry giants, including as a judge for Hot Wheels, helping choose which cars get turned into the next production of Hot Wheels.
She closed her business in 2020, but not before earning her way into the pages of MotorTrend, Car & Driver, Automobile, European Car Magazine, Forbes, Netflix, and many more. Amber’s career choice was an uphill battle, especially in the early days. When she first started her business in 2004, she frequented race tracks to learn everything she could.
“The guys were horrible to me, and I didn’t go back for a couple of years,” said Blonigan. “They’d try to run me off the track, and I’d hear things like, “Go back to the kitchen!” Amber eventually returned to the track in a much more prominent position, racing with the full support of sponsors, showcasing her work, and hosting large track events alongside companies like Shift-S3ctor.
FOR THE LOVE OF SPEED
These days, Amber is still in the race, just at a different pace, finding her home at the heart of historic Fargo, alongside her partner, Tony Shooshani. Tony is a California-raised real estate investor and developer, as well as a Ferrari racer and world-renowned collector car dealer/investor. He could live anywhere, but like so many others, he accidentally fell for Fargo. Tony first met Amber at an exclusive Pirelli Tire event. She appeared to be admiring his very limited edition Ferrari Sergio that was on display. Naturally, he assumed she was impressed. “I walked up to her and said, ‘Do you like that car?’ and she said, ‘Yeah, it’s alright.’ Then I asked her if she would like to go for a ride, and she said, ‘No, my car’s parked right next to yours.’ I knew at that point I had no game,” laughed Shooshani. It was love (for speed) at first sight, well, sort of. Tony pursued her for two years before they began dating. Seven years later, they’re traveling the world’s tracks together, sharing their love of racing, restoring, and collecting.
INVESTING IN FARGO
Amber and Tony purchased their Fargo home in 2020, and her two children followed suit. Her 26-year-old son moved to Fargo a year ago and her 20-year-old daughter attends NDSU, both happily settling into the Midwest. They had all hoped to find some reprieve after COVID-19, riots, and protests spread across California. “The media portrayed the riots as ‘peaceful protests,’ but they were anything but peaceful,” said Blonigan. “Los Angeles used to be a magical place to me, but over time, it became more like a third-world country. It hasn’t gotten better, and it’s progressively getting worse with the crime and homelessness.”
“I grew up in Beverly Hills at a time when it was very calm and relaxed, not the hustle and bustle and craziness that it is today,” added Shooshani. “Fargo to me is that slower-paced, cool, charming, family-oriented neighborhood I grew up in. So, being here takes me back to that era.”
In Fargo, their career path has consisted of single-family home and rental investments, so it made sense to find a place to live while working and spending time with family and friends. “We normally stay at Hotel Donaldson or an Airbnb,” said Blonigan. “We were here for a three-day trip and this house came on the market that day. I just wanted to go see inside. I loved this block when I was a kid; it’s so beautiful. Tony grew up in Beverly Hills, so you really can’t find old, historic homes there.”
“This was supposed to be a place we’d visit once every couple of months for a week or so, but over the last few years, we’re here more and more,” said Blonigan. After selling their home in L.A., the two plan to transition here by this summer.
Matching Amber’s passion, Tony has been racing all over the world for Ferrari since 2013. He has owned what is widely considered to be the world’s most impressive Ferrari collection, including “The Big 5,” consisting of the 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo, and LaFerrari. Tony once purchased the oldest Alfa Romeo in the world and transformed it into a racecar, building the car specifically for Enzo Ferrari. Before selling the car to an Alfa Romeo museum, it took third Best in Class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, then Tony raced it 1,000 miles in the Mille Miglia Storica in Italy. He has also won Best in Class at Pebble Beach with the restoration of a 1955 Alfa Romeo 1900 CSS Boano body. Another claim to fame happened after three years of racing for Corse Clienti for the Ferrari factory — Tony’s 599XX Evolution #11 racecar was turned into an official Hot Wheels.
NEXT STOP: VICTORY LANE
Entering the 1899 home from its stately Victorian porch and carriage port, guests are immediately introduced to the home’s storied past and present. Every room narrates the couple’s journey through an eclectic collection of well-crafted furnishings, heirloom antiques, and equine artwork, all accented by fresh floral arrangements designed by Kimberly Hess of downtown Fargo’s Prairie Petals.
FORMAL FINERY
In the more traditional formal living room, the previous owners restored the original wood flooring, moldings, and fireplace. Their addition of a library wall adds a rich historical backdrop for Amber and Tony’s timeless collection of Theodore Alexander furnishings, equine racing art, and antiques they’ve collected throughout the Midwest. “I wanted the home to be appropriately designed for the period, but I didn’t want a house that was all antiques,” said Blonigan. “I wanted the furnishings to be more functional, so I chose a lot of Theodore Alexander pieces alongside my antiques and Persian vintage rugs. I love how sturdy and well-crafted the furnishings are, yet they still feel like pieces from the home’s era.”
Throughout the home is a stunning art collection Amber has owned for over 20 years, depicting her longtime love of horses and riding. Each hand-colored aquatint is from the Fores’s National Sports series, a historical collection of sporting art prints initially published by the London-based firm Fores in the 19th century.
WELL-CRAFTED KITCHEN
When Amber and Tony moved in, the original kitchen had already undergone an extensive renovation, including the addition of larger windows, a more modern island layout, and custom cabinetry built by the previous owner, Jim Osowski. Just off the kitchen, doorways lead from the foyer and stair landing to the exquisitely preserved formal dining room.
Open to the kitchen is the addition of a day-lit informal family room with coffered ceilings and a cozy hearth overlooking the backyard. For a less formal lounging space, Amber incorporated a vintage rug with furniture pieces from Ashley, Restoration Hardware, and Theodore Alexander, adding just a touch of antiquated design influenced by the den and dining room.
“I remember when we first looked at the home, we walked around the main level and Tony made it to the landing and said, ‘Let’s buy it, tell them to take it off the market right now,” laughed Blonigan. “So, this home was on the market for less than 24 hours.”
Since that day, both Amber and Tony have made themselves at home in Fargo. Beyond racing and real estate, the two have been active philanthropists for years in both California and North Dakota. Amber is currently on the board of directors for the North Dakota-based nonprofit, Unseen — an organization dedicated to combating human trafficking and its underlying causes by supporting the work of other anti-trafficking groups around the world.
DESIGNER DINING
Amber and Tony’s dining room is a pristine setting for extraordinary entertaining. Here, preservation from the previous owners included saving the heirloom art ledges and original wood flooring while painstakingly crafting the wainscoting from over 600 pieces of wood.
They also added a tray ceiling, an ornate crystal chandelier, and a stained glass window restored by Fargo’s Stained Glass Workshop. Amber and Tony adorned the room with an exquisite Theodore Alexander hutch, perfectly paired with an Italian dining set Amber found in California, dating back to 1890.
RAISED RETREATS
It’s rare to find a historic home that features en suite amenities and walk-in closets, but previous renovations reconfigured the space and split the one large upstairs bathroom. Reworking the layout created a guest bath, laundry, and an elegant primary suite, including a fireplace, a four-post bed from Restoration Hardware, a large walk-in closet, and a fully renovated bath. Not shown, the home’s top floor has also been fully renovated with beautifully restored built-ins. Amber and Tony are currently planning a renovation to transform the entire top floor into a boutique-style closet.
GARDEN-LEVEL LUXE
The home’s lower level was completely rebuilt by the most recent owner with a mix of old and new, including polished concrete flooring, shiplap, and refurbished materials for unique historical character. The garden-level family room and stone fireplace open to beautiful backyard views, including nearby access to a game room, wet bar, and laundry room.
The lower level’s charming guestroom swept us into another place and time, embracing the home’s roots with its impressive construction of raw and repurposed original brick and wood, from the ceilings and walls to the handcrafted barn door. For a cohesive design, a complementary fusion of finishes transitions to the beautifully refurbished guest bath next door.
TAKING THE LEAD
Amid the transition to Fargo, Amber is already planning her next project, acquiring a 2016-18 Porsche 911, and then single-handedly taking on the work to customize it for offroading. “I don’t want cars I can buy in the showroom, I like the older, more analog cars,” explained Blonigan. “I like to put my own little spin on it. I design and build a lot myself. I’ve done everything from full interior and body modifications to building carbon fiber body kits, engine performance, suspensions, really everything.”
Right now, Amber and Tony each have several rental properties in the area and Amber is continuing her consulting and marketing services, primarily for luxury automotive brands. Next on their bucket list is racing the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the most famous endurance races in motorsport, held each year since 1923 near Le Mans, France.
For most “Forever Fargoans,” their life is a dream we couldn’t begin to imagine. For Amber and Tony, it’s just another day in the fast lane, slowing down only to appreciate the pace of Fargo’s historic 8th Street.
DESTINATION: THE BLACK BUILDING FERRARI 488 CHALLENGE EVO
Piloted by Amber Blonigan & Tony Shooshani
While this prized Ferrari is in its competitive racing off-season, Tony and Amber were thrilled to transport their wild ride to downtown Fargo, hoping to inspire young people to see beyond their environment and dream big. The Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo drove into its perfect pit stop in the historic windows of Kilbourne Group’s newly renovated The Black Building. The car was first launched in 2019 and is an upgraded version of the Ferrari 488 Challenge, a make primarily designed for Ferrari’s Challenge racing series. Driven by Amber and Tony as part of the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari of Beverly Hills racing team, the Ferrari is available for viewing now through the end of winter.
CAR SPECS:
3.9 Liter 670 HP V8 Turbo
Top Speed: 211 mph
Dry Weight: 2,954 lbs.
Acceleration: 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds
& 0-125 in 8.2 seconds
Follow Amber on Insta: @exotics_inla & @amber_blonigan
Follow Tony on Insta: @lifeofferrari