Ultimate Car Collector’s Unlikely Rise from Rags to Porsche Riches
An eye for fashion and a passion for Porsche propelled British auto enthusiast Magnus Walker to celebrity status.
You’re probably already very familiar with Magnus Walker, the English-born Porsche fanatic who rose to fame in Los Angeles, California. After all, it’s kind of hard not to notice a tall guy covered in tattoos and sporting dreadlocks. Or anyone who owns roughly two dozen of the coolest air-cooled 911s around. But while you’ve undoubtedly already watched the short film Urban Outlaw numerous times, do you really know the man behind that Rob Zombie-esque appearance?
Turns out, Walker is a pretty darn interesting dude. And he was more than happy to discuss his unlikely rise to fame with The Telegraph recently in a fascinating piece. Walker was essentially a loner in school who dropped out at the age of 15. But today, the 49-year old has become a celebrity of sorts, despite all odds. And it all began when he left his hometown of Sheffield, England to head to a music camp in Detroit. But as soon as that camp ended, it was on to California.
Walker worked in Venice Beach selling clothing before he noticed people were out looking for vintage threads. Having an interest in old jeans himself, Walker went around town buying up whatever he could find. Shortly thereafter, he was making a profit, often times by customizing the old clothes. Before long, he had his own clothing business, Serious Clothing, which supplied threads to stars like Alice Cooper.
Some of the money raised from that venture enabled Walker to purchase a warehouse in downtown L.A. Incredibly enough, he was able to take that derelict building and turn it into a money-making television and movie location. But deep in his heart, Walker wanted more. And his incredible entrepreneurial spirit enabled him to live out the dream he had had since the age of 10. And that dream was to own and customize Porsche 911s.
Amazingly, despite his knack for business, Walker doesn’t build cars for customers. He’s sold a couple of 911s over the years, but that money goes right back into funding another build. Because unlike his love for fashion and film, Walker’s passion for Porsche isn’t something he’s keen to sell. He’d much rather live his life just like us — as a regular old Porsche enthusiast. Albeit a slightly more famous one.
