Magnus Walker is a passion-driven man, and he's living the American dream one vintage Porsche at a time.
“America is still the land of opportunity,” Walker told Autoweek.
The
humble and well-spoken collector is a happily married, successful
entrepreneur who builds and drives vintage Porsches for fun out of his
downtown Los Angeles warehouse. Starting his mornings in the five
o'clock hour, Walker can often be found driving one of his many Porsches
around the L.A. area, taking pictures and enjoying the cars.
Born
in Sheffield, England, in 1967, Walker left his formal education at age
15. He crossed the pond for the United States four years after that and
never looked back.
He landed in Detroit for a short time and then
made tracks West to California, where his rocker lifestyle allowed him
to fit right in with the 1986 Los Angeles music scene.
As he
assimilated Walker developed his own brand of clothing that grew into a
passion for trying to reinvent the fashion industry. Serious Clothing
remains active, but as time passed, Walker turned his attention to the
film industry.
He and his wife of 17 years, Karen, bought a large
warehouse downtown and converted it into a living-space, garage and
studio for their work. Working at home allowed him free time to turn his
attention to automobiles.
“When I was boy, my father took me to a
lot of motorsports events. I was able to grow up during the glory days
of Formula One and have motorsports ingrained in me early on,” he said.
While
at one such event, Walker spotted the car that started it all for him—a
white 1977 Porsche Turbo with the red and blue striping of the Martini
livery.
“It was my dream car,” he said.
As time marched on,
Walker's passion for Porsches evolved, as did his collection. His
original goal was to own an example of every Porsche 911 from 1964, the
first year, to 1973.
“I have one from every year except 1973,” he
said. “I have had plenty of opportunities to buy a '73, but my
priorities have changed. The novelty of having ‘every one' wore off. The
real challenge was to find and buy a '64 because without it, there
would be no icon.”
While his collection of 911s is notable in and of itself, what Walker has done with them is a whole other animal.
Canadian filmmaker Tamir Moscovici discovered Walker through an ongoing thread on the Pelican parts Web site about his ever-changing projects and updating vehicles.
“He saw my thread and contacted me about doing a documentary. I had seen his films about Honda IndyCar and a gritty piece about tattoos and knew he was a kindred spirit,” Walker said.
“So, on a leap of faith, a handshake and a shoestring budget, Tamir flew down to Los Angeles to start filming.”
Moscovici
gathered more than 40 hours of footage over the course of four days
that was to be pared to a five-minute mini-documentary, a passion
project for him. It would turn into a 30-minute feature documentary.
“While
the trailer is about 95 percent Porsche, the film is more so about my
drive and passion. I want people to know that they can follow their
dreams, whatever they may be.”
Walker's passion for building older
Porsches occupies roughly 80 percent of his days, he said, most of
which are spent doing the work of a self-taught mechanic. He does both
numbers-matching original builds and full-on custom dream machines.
“If
I find a car without an original motor, I'm comfortable with taking
creative liberties and throwing in a stroked motor or making other
upgrades,” he said.
Walker has been known to incorporate personal
touches and updates to many of his cars, including leather pull straps,
drilled-out door handles, vented Plexiglas windows and other pieces he's
developed from years of driving and racing.
“I want them to have soul,” he said.
Having
spent the better part of a decade competing in Porsche club races and
track days, Walker's tastes have evolved from pure track to street-able
track cars.
“The more I got involved with the events and racing-wise, the less fun it was. It became all-consuming.”
Walker now focuses on building cars at his own pace, and selling them unadvertised.
“I
did my first restoration four years ago. These cars are easier to work
on, and a person of little mechanical knowledge, like me, can work on
them. I build outlaw, sport-purpose-art-inspired cars, Monte Carlo-rally
type cars merged with the 1970s R S and the RSR tastes, a race car
converted to a street car. I want to offer a happy medium from the ‘less
is more' stylistic approach.”
While Walker has spent time behind
the wheel of new Porsches, he prefers the older models. “I'm rooted in
the older cars, but am starting to step out into 1970s Turbos. The
modern hatchbacks can blow them away, but that's not the point. My Irish
green 1966 911 is one of my favorites. It's rewarding to get the most
out of the car; it packs a punch and is a real thrill to drive. You have
to be involved. It's definitely rewarding stimulation.”
Even
though he has owned more than 40 Porsche 911s, when asked whether he'll
ever part with the 1964 model, Walker responded, “My theory is certain
things cannot be duplicated, something like a '64 911 cannot be
duplicated, so it's one of those cars that has a lot of sentimental
value. You're connected to it a little more. I have a few cars that are
pretty rare, cars like that I don't think I'll be selling.”
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