Matthew H. Burns

Matthew Burns, Sought After Expert of Ferraris, Dies Unexpectedly at Age 44

Matthew H. Burns a ten year resident of Palmetto Bay, passed away unexpectedly on July 13, 2019. He leaves the joys of his life, his wife Melissa and their 4 year old twins Max and Mia. He is also survived by his father Harry, his step-mother Pat Wirth both of VA and his sister Erin Rankin of NC. Matt’s mother Suzanne died of breast cancer some 20 years ago. All are struggling with how to go on without him.

Matt grew his skills with exotic cars through 14 years of experience at two major dealerships and many trips to Ferrari training programs in Italy and driving experience on test tracks. For the past 5 years he operated his own business in Miami solving complex car problems where others had failed, assessing cars for possible purchase, acting as an expert witness in legal matters, becoming a certified Ferrari judge at national events, and working with large collectors to maintain and enhance their portfolio of cars.

Matt grew up in central NJ where his skills with mechanical things were always apparent. He began assembling complex radio control (R/C) cars and airplanes at an early age, which led to part-time work at age 14 in a local hobby shop specializing in R/C, building custom R/C car projects for several famous local rock stars, and flying an R/C blimp inside an NBA arena for a season. Shortly thereafter at age 17 he tackled multiple Jeep restoration projects. After high school he enrolled in a community college two year program where he earned ASA certifications in every area of automotive specialization. This enabled him to transfer into a four year program of Automotive Management at Ferris State in Michigan. More important than the school perhaps was meeting his future wife Melissa in Michigan.

In all his professional experience Matt was known for his remarkable integrity, his willingness to offer help and free consulting to many and the building of deep and lasting relationships with his clients. One of his customers when learning of his death, wrote “Matt was a genius, knowledgeable, talented, trustworthy and a friend.”



In lieu of flowers or other donations a GoFundMe Memorial Fund for the health, welfare, and education of Matt’s two children, Max and Mia is being established.
To donate: https://www.gofundme.com/f/remembering-matt-burns