Several weeks ago, Mark Zuckerberg took to Instagram to reveal a custom Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT turned into a minivan with the help of the iconic California auto shop West Coast Customs. “New side quest. Priscilla wanted a minivan, so I’ve been designing something I’m pretty sure should exist: a Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT Minivan,” the Meta CEO said in the post. “Threw in a manual GT3 Touring to make it his and hers.” Elongating the chassis of a Cayenne SUV while making it look good was never going to be an easy task. “That Porsche was probably one of the most technical, craziest ones we’ve ever done,” claimed Ryan Friedlinghaus, CEO of West Coast Customs, in an interview with Business Insider.
West Coast Customs (WCC) is globally recognized for creating unique, high-end custom vehicles, especially for celebrities, including stars Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg, and Shaquille O’Neal. It helped redefine the perception of car customization, turning it into a global phenomenon.
To create the world’s first Porsche minivan, the billionaire to WCC with this unique request and trusted in Friedlinghaus’ expertise in carrying out such complex builds. In fact, the WCC owner was personally involved in this project to turn Zuckerberg’s car dream into reality.
Installing sliding doors on the Porsche minivan was one of the biggest challenges, according to the legendary custom cars builder. “Originally, it was supposed to have one door, and they wanted two doors, and they wanted it to open like the Toyota Sienna minivan,” Friedlinghaus said.
Obviously, the request is a lot more complex than just stretching the chassis and must have required very tricky structural changes. However, Friedlinghaus and his team have, time and again, proven themselves as the gold standard in automotive modification and customization.
Another challenge faced by WCC was working on a project involving a brand like Porsche, which is renowned for its very loyal fans who don’t like the original designs to be fettled with. “Everybody’s such a purist in that space, so modifying anything is always a challenge,” he said. “So I’m like, I need this to look good obviously for the family and for it to be functional. But what I also want is for people to look at it and be like, ‘Wow, did Porsche make that?’ And I think we nailed it on that one.”
Ryan Friedlinghaus’ stellar journey to global recognition
Friedlinghaus is a visionary entrepreneur who turned his passion for cars and creativity into a multi-million-dollar brand. Despite not having formal training, he was drawn to automotive design and customization. He developed a love for cars at an early age, influenced by Southern California’s vibrant car culture. Using a $5,000 loan from his grandfather, Ryan started WCC in Orange County, California, back in 1993. His claim to fame came in the early 2000s when WCC became the primary customization shop to be featured in the first few seasons of MTV’s hit show Pimp My Ride.
Some of the most notable builds by WCC include the Cadillac CTS-V “Batmobile” for Justin Bieber, “Chromed-Out” Fisker Karma for Will.i.am, Shaquille O’Neal’s Superman Cadillac Escalade. Under Ryan’s leadership, WCC grew from a small shop to an international brand, serving celebrities, corporations, and car enthusiasts. The company also expanded into merchandise, licensing, and partnerships with major brands like Microsoft, Beats by Dre, and others. Over the last few years, Friedlinghaus has been focusing on West Coast Customs Academy, a nonprofit organization that provides students with hands-on training for customizing cars. “The West Coast Customs Academy is going to be my final chapter,” he said.
