Magnus Walker: You Build Your Own Luck

When I was a kid, I went to a school I really liked. We played a game called ‘Kiss Chase’ with the girls at break time. It’s a pretty self-explanatory past-time that we liked. And when us boys weren’t playing Kiss Chase, we were playing British Bulldogs. School was great.

But then someone decided that I should take some exams that would enable me to go to a different school. It would be a ‘better’ school, or at least that’s what they said.

After a quick negotiation with my parents, (that involved a Nintendo Gameboy bundle pack including the obligatory tile-matching puzzle Tetris, and the then game of my dreams, F-1 Race) I was siting an entrance exam that would change my life forever. I passed. The result? No more kiss chase, no more British Bulldogs and, for a super-high-score-extra-bonus, school on Saturdays.

The year was 1992. I was 11-years old. Magnus Walker, the dude you see here in Larry Chen’s photographs driving his awesome 1971 Porsche 911T over the 6th Street Bridge in Los Angeles, was not 11. He was a little further along in the path we call life and at that time was working tirelessly with his future wife, Karen, to develop their clothing brand in LA.

Fast-forward a little over 20 years and as I’m admiring one of the many insane hot rods at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Magnus comes and stands right next to me to check out the same car, so I say “hello”.

Had we met before? No. How did I know it was Magnus? Well, it’s fair to say that Mr. Walker is not exactly inconspicuous.

I’d watched Urban Outlaw, a half-hour-long film directed and produced by Tamir Moscovici that explores Magnus’s passion for the Porsche brand, just a few weeks before SEMA. So I was reasonably familiar with the story behind the collection and also the man himself.

The film features some incredible shots and it left me feeling quite inspired as well as being pretty intrigued by this guy. Originally from Sheffield in England and now living in LA, Magnus had what would appear to be one of the coolest collections of early Porsche 911s in the world.

I’d not seen these cars with my own eyes, though. I had only seen this beautiful collection through the medium of the internet.

So, after a chance meeting and a 15-minute, sit-down chat with Magnus, I thought it would be pretty cool to swing past the ‘Urban Outlaw’s’ workshop and share the set up on Speedhunters.

The wonderful thing about Magnus, despite what you may think, is that he’s not really out there bragging about his collection and the cars that he builds. When you consider that this Porsche mischief of his spans over three decades, the guy is relatively off the radar, so to speak. Sure, I’ve seen some stories on his cars in Total 911 magazine, but until this film came out I really didn’t know the true extent of his collection.

It was the third day of the SEMA Show, a Thursday, and I was meant to be flying home that very afternoon, but due to a change of plan I was now flying out of LA on Sunday.

“Do you think it would be possible to come and shoot your collection, and maybe go for a drive in one of your cars this weekend?” I asked.

Magnus explained that he was going to be busy over the forthcoming weekend and it might not be possible. He didn’t say why, but it later transpired that his Saturday was to be taken up by a certain talk show host who was doing a piece on Magnus for his website, Jay Leno’s Garage.

After explaining that my time in LA would be limited, Magnus kindly agreed to give us a couple of hours on Sunday before I flew back to London.

When I say ‘us’, I was using that term very loosely since although I had a camera with me, I am in no way a photographer.

After a couple of text messages to Rod Chong and a phone call to Larry Chen, things were tightened up, I could say ‘us’ for sure and Magnus agreed to meet myself and Larry over at his place in LA on the Sunday before I headed to LAX for my flight home. “I’ll see you guys at noon,” said Magnus.

In my mind, meeting ‘at noon’ kind of conjured up images of gunfights in the Wild West, but there would be none of that. The only showdown would be of the car variety…

…And what a showdown it was to be. These Porsche 911s, from 1964 model year through to 1972 that Magnus has collected, restored, raced and enjoyed fought for our attention. But how exactly did Magnus Walker end up with this amazing array of cars that are steeped in history?

The way I see it, Speedhunting is not about jumping on the bandwagon and sharing stories that have already been shared. In fact, I would say the opposite is the case.

My love for this site stems from a combination of things. Engaging photography teamed up with good storytelling and a stream of unique content makes this my go-to place for a fix of global car culture.

So obviously when covering Magnus, I didn’t want to go over the ground that has already been explored in the Urban Outlaw film or the piece that Jay Leno put out on his YouTube channel.

I guess the real question is this: How does a kid from Sheffield in England go to the United States at the back end of the 1980s with two parts of nothing, and find himself stood around these stunning cars, in his and his wife Karen’s 26,000sq-ft warehouse in LA’s arts district?

Did Magnus win the lottery? Does he dress a bit differently just to get attention? And does he really know his Porsche 911s, or is this all just a façade?

Let me tell you now – Magnus is the real deal. He obsessively collects everything that he is passionate about.

From music programs to guitars signed by the likes of Van Halen and The Eagles through to the Porsche 911s that are of course the reason for this article; Magnus is all about taking every opportunity whilst it is there and living life to the full.

In 1989, after a trip to the States with Camp America, the cultural exchange program that offers students the chance to have summer jobs over in the USA, Magnus left the UK and headed once again to the states finding himself in Southern California.

“I was renting a spot on the boardwalk in Venice for ten dollars a day,” Magnus explains to Sean Klingelhoefer and myself. (LA-based Sean had just joined us at the garage to check out the incredible collection of cars, too)

“At that time I was buying Levi’s and patching them up, adding my own touches and selling them to make money. It was like heaven to me since Venice was full of creative types and there were plenty of rock n roll gigs going on in LA,” says Magnus.

Magnus and Karen’s clothing company flourished and soon they were renting two properties (and paying two people’s mortgages) in LA’s downtown arts district (previously known as the warehouse district) manufacturing and retailing their clothing line.

“Then this warehouse was offered to us and despite it being very dilapidated, Karen had a vision, so we went for it,” Magnus explains to us.

Twelve months hard work ensued, which saw Magnus and Karen have a stunning warehouse with a garage area that many of us would cut a limb off to own.

It was the perfect live/work setup and was, of course, their own space, too.

It all sounds peachy, right? Yes, but as with everything, there’s often a compromise.

“You see the thing was, back then, you definitely wouldn’t choose to live around here – the only people hanging around were down and outs. Our friends thought we were crazy!” explains Magnus. “Now look at it – stroll around the corner and people are buying cups of $4 coffee and there’s kids out playing. The streets have changed from an area that was run down and industrial into a trendy arty spot that’s now full of loft conversions and condos.”

OK, so Magnus and Karen had this cool two-story building and a clothing business at the beginning of the 1990s.

But things started to get interesting halfway through that decade when a contact wanted to use their space to shoot a music video. Being nice accommodating sort of people, the couple said “sure, why not…”

“The shoot was supposed to take 12 hours,” recalls Magnus. “We started at 6:00am and expected to be done in time for dinner.”

One thing lead to another and before Magnus and Karen knew it the production manager was shooting a phone commercial in their kitchen and some other kind of shoot was going on in the bathroom. “It’s fair to say they liked the location,” Magnus explains.

Twenty-two hours later they managed to get the three film crews out of their house and headed for bed. “I remember laying next to Karen and we both agreed that we would never do that again.”

But then the couple got paid for staying up for nearly a day straight and letting multiple film crews have the run of their amazing warehouse and a new film location business was born.

“This business allows me to pursue my Porsche passion,” Magnus says gratefully.

So it’s all about having the coolest collection then, right?

“No, to me it’s not just the cars. It’s everything, the journey from beginning to end – you go online, whether it’s Craigslist or whatever and it’s the thrill of the chase – hunting down the car. I used to travel quite a lot – get on a plane and go to places all over the States to look at a car,” says Magnus.

Sometimes Magnus might find the right project vehicle, acquire it and get it back to his setup in SoCal where it will stay until the build begins.

“This car, I’ve owned it over three years – doesn’t run and needs restoring. That car may sit there another year before I decide, ‘okay, I’ve got time and energy to restore that’.”

“So once I start tearing it down – the car’s disassembled here. Most of these cars I’m working on are from the ’60s, so they’ve all got rust.”

“I’ve got a little place across the road that I call the chop shop…

…so we take them over there, do all of the rust work, and use parts off the donor cars, then they go out to paint.”

“They’ll come back and they go on jack stands like that car behind you. Then we spend however long it may be, two, three, four months putting it back together.”

“So you’re saying it’s all about the chase?” asks Larry. “Well, the chase is part of it,” Magnus says, smiling. “So what about when you’re done building your cars, do you enjoy them for a while?” Larry probes.

“That’s a good question and sure, I always enjoy them. Like I said, I enjoy the journey from the beginning to the end and the adventure in between. It’s everything,” Magnus tells us.

“But this car, everything is new. It’s a 40-year-old car, but you look underneath it and everything’s been plated, powder-coated, it’s new… it’s a new 40-year-old car!”

“It’s got all my hot rod touches, but in my mind, it’s almost like when that car is done, it’s going to be too nice for me.”

“So that car looks great, but you’re not gonna drive it quite the same way that you drive a car like this,” says Magnus pointing over to his 1971 911T.

“This is the car I took to the Jay Leno thing yesterday. But ironically this doesn’t have a lot of my signature modifications I’ve developed this over the past 12 or 13 years.”

“I joined the Porsche Owners Club and I was one of those guys who enjoyed aggressively driving on the street.”

“So you know, you get a few speeding tickets and then I decided it would be best to head to the track,” Magnus tells us.

“It was safer [at the track] and also kind cheaper! Once you get involved with track driving, you start developing the car – stiffer suspension, better brake setup, stickier rubber and this was the beginning of me making this ‘71T a more aggressive track car,” Magnus explains.

“I didn’t get to a point, by choice, where I had a car that I couldn’t drive to the track. So this is a street-able track car.”

“Look at the windshield, that’s like a perfect example, you can see it’s all pitted-up. Y’know this car I’ve driven to Laguna Seca and back twice. Both times I raced it and drove it home.”

“So this car to me is my second skin,” Magnus says with a bit of love in his voice.

“This is a car that I don’t worry about. But the car over there we were just talking about, the one I’m working on at the moment is… well; it’s almost too nice to be abused.”

We’re two and a half hours into our shoot and already 30 minutes past the amount of time I said we would need.

But I don’t feel like we’re outstaying our welcome. Quite the opposite, in fact. It’s time to take Magnus’ ‘71T 911 out for some shots and a blast across the 6th Street Bridge.

I go first and leave Larry and Sean at the garage. I’ve gotta say, in over a decade writing for car magazines, this was probably one of the most memorable blasts of my life.

Heading towards the Los Angeles skyline with that 2.4S, twin-plug, 6-cylinder boxer motor redlining in 3rd gear was nothing short of crazy. I can’t tell you what speed we were doing for one reason and one reason only: the speedometer in that car doesn’t work.

It’s Larry’s turn to ride shotgun and he returns with a mad grin on his face.

And here’s the thing. In 1992, Magnus Walker and I were in two very different places. I was foolishly trading a Gameboy for some exam that I didn’t want to do, whilst Magnus was in LA after taking a chance and heading on a gut instinct to the States. Our lives may have been very different, but we were brought together by a shared passion.

“I think if you’re a true car enthusiast, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a Porsche guy, a hot rod guy, a blinged-out Dub guy or whatever… For the most part there is some common thread – there is a little bit of shared ground throughout that,” Magnus says.

True car enthusiasts will go out of their way to help you. They’ll get out of bed and loan you a spanner in the middle of the night. They’ll come on long trips with you, which entail near pointless journeys to drop cars off for an engine swap or to collect ‘rare’ parts. In Magnus’s case he gave up his time (and his wife’s time) at short notice to accommodate us on a sunny Sunday in LA.

Some would say Magnus Walker is lucky. But if you ask me, I’d say that being nice to people goes a long way in life and that Magnus has built his own luck…

 Ben Chandler

Photos by Larry Chen

To read more about Magnus, check out www.magnuswalker911.com

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1

Amazing. The Urban Outlaw video had me captivated start to finish too. A lot of respect.

2
Speedhunters Bryn

Thanks for the new desktop Larry and thanks for asking the right questions Ben.

3

This guy really inspires me.  Probably more than most people Ive ever read/seen.  Id love to have the chance to talk to him like you have.

4

Imagine the fallout after Nakai-san and Mr Walker having a serious conversation about Porsches.

Author5

@Speedhunters Bryn Nice one Bryn, appreciate the kind words. Great feature to be involved with! Massive thanks to Rod and Larry for letting me loose.

Author6

@AustinCabot Thanks Austin. It was definitely a cool afternoon!

Author7

@AustinCabot Thanks Austin. It was definitely a cool afternoon!

8

anyone know what kind of wheels are in this pic http://cdn.dev.speedhunters.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/magnus_walker_larry_chen-8.jpg
 
they're on that white car as well as he is sitting on one of them in another shot.  
 
thx

9

This guy is a good reason why I love LA.  Great story!!

10

This guy is a good reason why I love LA.  Great story!!

11

@SeanStott pag-1590's from group 4 wheels. Campagnolo replicas. Gonna get a set of their lightweight ones for my z.

12

@SeanStott pag-1590's from group 4 wheels. Campagnolo replicas. Gonna get a set of their lightweight ones for my z.

13

When I watched the video a few weeks ago, I knew this guy was awesome and he loves cars more then most people. But this quote, "I think if you’re a true car enthusiast, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a Porsche guy, a hot rod guy, a blinged-out Dub guy or whatever… For the most part there is some common thread – there is a little bit of shared ground throughout that." made me respect hime even more.

14

When I watched the video a few weeks ago, I knew this guy was awesome and he loves cars more then most people. But this quote, "I think if you’re a true car enthusiast, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a Porsche guy, a hot rod guy, a blinged-out Dub guy or whatever… For the most part there is some common thread – there is a little bit of shared ground throughout that." made me respect hime even more.

15

@ghepardoAnd Bisimoto (hehe), and RUF.

16

@grandtouring  @SeanStott thank you!
 
now i'm sad they only come in 15".  oh well.

17

@apex_DNA  @ghepardo and 9ff

18

@SeanStott I think a 17" is in the works but that may just be a rumor

19

Amazing article, thanks to post things like this. 
 
I enjoy Speedhunters every time
Congrats from Argentina!

20

@grandtouring i wish a 17" lancia stratos "coffin spoke" was in the works

21

One of the best SpeedHunter articles I've read. Just fantastic all around. Thanks guys.

22

Best article I've read on Speedhunter. Amazing story and beautiful photography. Thank you.

23
NicholasGulenchyn

Bravo, great article and great photos, Thanks

24
speedhunters_dino

Great read! Good work guys!

25

Great article. Inspiring with all the hard work and dedication

26

Magnus... Great, solid dude.
 
Here's the Total 911 article I did.... Check it out.
 
http://magnuswalker911.blogspot.nl/2012/06/magnus-walker-total-911-magazine.html
 
P.s. Magnus, it's about time you get that print framed buddy!! Haha!!

27

The cars, the owner, the story, the space, the photos, all of it- truly inspiring!  After reading this, all I want to do is go work on my cars, then go out for a drive.  It also makes me want to go tidy up the garage and lay down some hardwood flooring.

28

car ramrod!

29

1. So was Sean checking out the dude's beard?
 
2. Gotta love the 6th Street bridge. The filming that goes on there..... man.....
Let's see.... Terminator movies, Be Cool, SWAT, Gone in 60 Seconds, every other music video filmed in LA, and a sh!t ton more!
I drive on it every other week when I go to the LA Gun Club to shoot paper zombies n' stuff...

30

Very cool story. A very charismatic person Mr. Walker. Possibly the American (British I may say) version of Nakai san.

31

@Jun Imai You can also try laminate, same look for about 2-3 times cheaper than hardwood flooring.

32

Beautiful story! Speedhunters rocks!

33

Sheffield lad done good :)

34

This has to be one of my all time favourite articles on Speedhunters... Well done guys! Top stuff this!!

35

nice story, though the writing isn't great to be honest - not sure what the point was with your school background etc. but the photos and magnus' story make up for it!

Author36

The 'story' that is 'nice', employs a 'framing device' to set the scene. The school part is there to show that Magnus and I are very different people. In very different places. The end (which relates back to the beginning), shows that two people (actually more when you include Larry and Sean) are brought together through their shared passion (in this case cars - just in case you were wondering). Furthermore, Magnus has got to where he is by making the most of opportunities that presented themselves/he has made, and that being nice/making time for people goes a long way in life. Sorry you didn't 'get it', but hopefully you can enjoy the pictures ;)

Author37

The school part is there to show that Magnus and I are very different people. In very different places. The end (which relates back to the beginning), shows that two people (actually more when you include Larry and Sean) are brought together through their shared passion (in this case cars - just in case you were wondering). Furthermore, Magnus has got to where he is by making the most of opportunities that presented themselves/he has made, and that being nice/making time for people goes a long way in life. Sorry you didn't 'get it', but hopefully you can enjoy the pictures ;)

38

You knocked it out of the park with this feature!

39

@Duane Its about the person, not just the cars. I am interested in both. Great job on the article.

40

you know i like what you do im moroccan im awfully sorry because this's not at as
can you help me to work with you i like cars .. designes ....  peinte .... i just Draw it .... i can send an examples to you

41

Gawd I love that blue one. Ordered me a sweatshirt!

42

@JDZNate Thanks guys!

43

@JDMized Half and half? His British Accent is totally fading, haha.

44

@LouisYio It's too bad they are taking it down soon.

45

@fannypack Thanks for the kind words!

46

Can anyone tell me what car that is in picture 13? Thanks

47

@Larry Chen  @LouisYio RIP 6th street bridge!

48

That man is such a charismatic and eccentric individual, it's hard not to want to fault him for having so much success.
 
I enjoy seeing more coverage of the cars, the location and to see what this person's up to, but I do feel like I just watched the videos. I can even hear his voice and accent when talking about the same things covered in the videos. I really don't think the article hit it's target of  "So obviously when covering Magnus, I didn’t want to go over the ground that has already been explored in the Urban Outlaw film or the piece that Jay Leno put out on his YouTube channel."
 
On the other hand, the pictures are very cool and revealed much more about this person's enthusiasm for his hobbies. I love old garages and anything converted from defunct, industrial structures. The video was a good watch, but I love being able to take in all of the nuances that the photos capture in high resolution.

Author49

@AaronVenable Hi Aaron, I take on board what you say. It's kind of difficult not to cover stuff that the film put out there. I can also hear Magnus' accent in some of the stuff I wrote about in the story. I think ultimately, I wanted to explain a little more about how this amazing collection came about. There's definitely more to the 'Magnus' story than I could put across in one article, though. Likewise, it's nice to be able to look at still images and take them in. Glad you enjoyed the photos. Thanks for the feedback.

Author50

@LouisYio Sean took one look at the beard and was quiet for the rest of the afternoon. Definite 'beard envy' happening all over the shop!

Author51

@DutchmanPhotos Awesome feature in T911 Dutchman. Magnus spoke very highly of you whilst we were there.

Author52

@fannypack Thanks very much - it was a pleasure to write!

Author53

@DanButton Thanks for the nice comment!

54

Love this post. Thanks. Talking of great interviews where's this bisimoto interview? Or have I missed it?

55

@Larry Chen  @JDMized He certainly doesn't sound like a Yorkshireman anymore.

56

EPIC.

57

@Nikhil_P Sweet as...

58

@Curlytop I have yet to do it. But I am planning on interviewing him soon.

59

@Ben Chandler  @LouisYio Beard and cars envy.

60

@Other Will  @Larry Chen  @JDMized I don't know about that. I remember watching the video and almost as soon as he opened his mouth I was like.... Hold up, that guys from Sheffield?! I'm a Sheffield lad myself so you could say I'm familiar with the accent though haha. He's definitely very American-ized. But you can hardly blame him, I'd love to move out to LA and do the things he's done. But his collection of Union Jacks (in particular the ones he's inked on to his skin!) show he's not forgotten his routes. Were a working-class city, he seems to be keeping that tradition up 'across the pond'.  
 
Great write up by the way guys :)

61

@Ben Chandler Thanks Ben!
 
I've been trying to get in touch with you guys a bunch of time. Would love to do some work for you also..
 
Cheers,
 
-Maurice

62

This guy is a f*cking freak and he's f*cking awesome !! Nice article too.

63

Brilliant story, awesome guy, and I would say there's a bit of luck involved ;-) Not just the cars are great but that location is unreal!!

64

@Grantg From it's looks that should be a 930 Turbo 3.3 from '78. In blue obviosly ;) Although you could mean another photograph?? Still .. that would be a 911 as well ;)

65

Cool write up. I've seen this guy in the neighborhood, but didn't realize he was set up right around the corner from me. I'll have to go knock on his door.

66

“I think if you’re a true car enthusiast, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a Porsche guy, a hot rod guy, a blinged-out Dub guy or whatever… For the most part there is some common thread – there is a little bit of shared ground throughout that.”Spot on. Fantastic collection and a great article.

67

“I think if you’re a true car enthusiast, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a Porsche guy, a hot rod guy, a blinged-out Dub guy or whatever… For the most part there is some common thread – there is a little bit of shared ground throughout that.”Spot on. Fantastic collection and a great article.

68

Finally some real cars.

69

compromise! understatement for sure.lol. downtown l.a. was a shithole back then. lol. every los angeles native knows that downtown l.a was good for fake clothes, jewellery, and drugs. now its a  California version of Manhattan. LOL

70

Whats the name of his clothing company???

71

Congrats for both the great writing and the theme, I am a fairly recent fan of MW - Think he's a total legend!

Author72

@pepesingla Thanks for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed the story!

Author73

Thanks man - glad you enjoyed it!

74
Jason Schauer Seattle

I love the blue one. Silver w/ houndstooth is gorgeous as well. I have been reading and watching ever since Magnus popped up on Pelican. What a great collection and mind/hand for these very special cars. Seems like someone you just want to learn more about toon very interesting person and story. I too was about ten when I fell in love with the icon. Bravo.

75
ChristianHjaere

He's living my dream.. What a lad and the cars, damn.. I'm in love with all of them. Everyone of them is a piece of art in my opinion. Would love to visit his garage at some point in my life.

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