Take a 360-Video Tour of a Porsche Modder’s Sweet Rides
8 years ago
Magnus Walker is a Porsche remix artist. The post Take a 360-Video Tour of a Porsche Modder’s Sweet Rides appeared first on WIRED. …
Magnus Walker is a Porsche remix artist. He doesn’t just collect the German cars, he reinterprets them—tuning their engines, modifying their bodies, painting them in vivid racing livery, and installing bespoke tartan seat panels. Porsche enthusiasts love his unique custom builds, and he’s a hero to anyone inclined to rebel against the stereotype of the buttoned-up European car owner. The path that Walker took to world-famous modder is as unconventional as his creations. He finished school at 15, moved from England to the US, and started designing clothes. He also began renting out his funky Los Angeles warehouse space for film shoots—a venture that’s proven lucrative enough to leave him free to focus on his passion: customizing Porsches.
01
Roll Model
Walker is currently working on a 911 67S—“a holy grail car,” he says, because 1967 is the first model year of the more sport-oriented version of the base 911. He started modifying this car in 2009 but got sidetracked. The finished car will finally be displayed at the auto industry’s SEMA Show in November. It’s a great example of how much Walker despises deadlines.
Credit: Peter Bohler
Walker is currently working on a 911 67S—“a holy grail car,” he says, because 1967 is the first model year of the more sport-oriented version of the base 911. He started modifying this car in 2009 but got sidetracked. The finished car will finally be displayed at the auto industry’s SEMA Show in November. It’s a great example of how much Walker despises deadlines.
02
Mod Pod
The workshop and showroom space is a 26,000-square-foot, two-story brick warehouse built in 1902 and situated in LA’s Arts District, a recent hot spot of gentrification. When Walker’s previous business, Serious Clothing, was at its height, around 12 employees worked here. Now it’s where Walker feeds his Porsche-tinkering habit. Although the garment racks, sewing machines, and irons remain (“sentimental,” he says), they’re surrounded by stacks of parts and tools.
Credit: PETER BOHLER
The workshop and showroom space is a 26,000-square-foot, two-story brick warehouse built in 1902 and situated in LA’s Arts District, a recent hot spot of gentrification. When Walker’s previous business, Serious Clothing, was at its height, around 12 employees worked here. Now it’s where Walker feeds his Porsche-tinkering habit. Although the garment racks, sewing machines, and irons remain (“sentimental,” he says), they’re surrounded by stacks of parts and tools.
03
Prize Steer
Walker uses Momo steering wheels in most of his modified cars. And when he got the chance to design his own, he turned to his former career in clothing design for inspiration. He wanted it to look like a pair of distressed leather pants, so he had the Momo factory in Italy hand-work the leather with sandpaper and wire. The wheel is an amalgam of two of his favorites, a Momo Prototipo (“too thin”) and a Jackie Stewart-designed wheel (“great thick grip, but flat”). It was a limited run that sold out in less than six weeks.
Credit: Peter Bohler
Walker uses Momo steering wheels in most of his modified cars. And when he got the chance to design his own, he turned to his former career in clothing design for inspiration. He wanted it to look like a pair of distressed leather pants, so he had the Momo factory in Italy hand-work the leather with sandpaper and wire. The wheel is an amalgam of two of his favorites, a Momo Prototipo (“too thin”) and a Jackie Stewart-designed wheel (“great thick grip, but flat”). It was a limited run that sold out in less than six weeks.
04
Scan Job
The 911 67S will have unique details, like seamlessly integrated louvers in the front fenders. (Walker says it’s never been done on a 911—race cars’ louvers are bolted in.) His buddy and fellow Porsche modder Rod Emory did a 3-D scan of the fender to capture its shape. They then made a die and stamped each louver one at a time.
Credit: Peter Bohler
The 911 67S will have unique details, like seamlessly integrated louvers in the front fenders. (Walker says it’s never been done on a 911—race cars’ louvers are bolted in.) His buddy and fellow Porsche modder Rod Emory did a 3-D scan of the fender to capture its shape. They then made a die and stamped each louver one at a time.
05
Fueled Up
On a stock 911, the cap is under a flap on the fender. For this subtle mod, Walker lengthened the fuel filler neck to bring the cap up to the surface, displaying it beautifully instead of hiding it away. “I’m always trying to evolve, because you’re only ever as good as your last build,” he says.
Credit: Peter Bohler
On a stock 911, the cap is under a flap on the fender. For this subtle mod, Walker lengthened the fuel filler neck to bring the cap up to the surface, displaying it beautifully instead of hiding it away. “I’m always trying to evolve, because you’re only ever as good as your last build,” he says.
06
Fancy Fleet
Adjacent to the workshop is Walker’s garage. In contrast to the rest of the complex, this area is pristine, with framed posters, shelves of memorabilia, and 14 completed Porsches. “I’m known for building these outlaw hot rods, but half the cars in this garage are pretty much stock.”
Credit: Peter Bohler
Adjacent to the workshop is Walker’s garage. In contrast to the rest of the complex, this area is pristine, with framed posters, shelves of memorabilia, and 14 completed Porsches. “I’m known for building these outlaw hot rods, but half the cars in this garage are pretty much stock.”
07
Banner of House Walker
A visual theme runs through Walker’s warehouse and his life: red, white, and blue. They’re the colors of the US and UK flags, but they also evoke Evel Knievel and Monte Carlo Rally cars. He even laminates his nondescript Ikea desks in his personal tricolor.
Credit: Peter Bohler
A visual theme runs through Walker’s warehouse and his life: red, white, and blue. They’re the colors of the US and UK flags, but they also evoke Evel Knievel and Monte Carlo Rally cars. He even laminates his nondescript Ikea desks in his personal tricolor.
08
Rare Beast
This is the engine bay of Walker’s ’75 Turbo, from the first year of production of the “iconic, legendary” power plant. “Not too many have survived,” he says.
Credit: Peter Bohler
This is the engine bay of Walker’s ’75 Turbo, from the first year of production of the “iconic, legendary” power plant. “Not too many have survived,” he says.
09
Favorite Thing
This car, the 911 “277,” is Walker’s most identifiable creation. It’s fair to say the 277 is as famous as he is in the Porsche world. It was his second-ever Porsche purchase, and the one “that stuck around.” He’s owned it for 17 years, and it’s the car he drives the most. He likens it to a favorite pair of shoes.
Credit: Peter Bohler
This car, the 911 “277,” is Walker’s most identifiable creation. It’s fair to say the 277 is as famous as he is in the Porsche world. It was his second-ever Porsche purchase, and the one “that stuck around.” He’s owned it for 17 years, and it’s the car he drives the most. He likens it to a favorite pair of shoes.
