The world's most famous tuning studio from the inside
“If you can dream about it, then we can build it for you.”
This is the motto of the most famous tuning studio in the world. Even if the name West Coast Customs doesn't mean anything to you, there's no doubt you've heard of the sensational reality show Pimp My Ride.
For a quarter-century, cars for superstars such as Shaquille O'Neill, Snoop Dogg, Karl Shelby, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Sylvester Stallone, Justin Bieber and Paris Hilton have been modernized in this studio.
Ryan Friedlinghouse began with a modest amount borrowed from his grandfather, is now a multi-millionaire and one of the most popular personalities in American automotive culture.
Even now, the halls of the new workshop in Burbank, California, are full of orders from famous people: from the leader of Black Eyed Peas Will.I.Am to the famous Kardashian family. A very special project was being developed in the garage: this is the 50s Mercury, which Ryan Friedlinghouse, the founder of the West Coast, does for himself.
Mercury is my favorite car. It has always been so. This is the car I wanted to have when I was a kid. By the way, it hasn't changed because I haven't finished it yet. When I finally do, I'll probably come up with something new."
That is how Ryan explained his project.
In the halls there are also quite rare classic models, such as the Stutz Blackhawk. But here the car is waiting for such a fate that would frighten the European connoisseur of classic cars. Sometimes cars change beyond recognition.
Fridlinghouse shares that the hardest thing in the studio:
“One of the challenges for our customers is that they expect all cars to drive like new and modern.”
Here's how to solve this problem:
“Over the past 6-7 years, we have begun to assemble entire coupes and install them on the chassis of new cars. Moreover, clients expect the work to be completed in a couple of days. For us, this is also a test. Everyone wants a classic, but it has to function like a new car, but a project like this takes 8 to 12 months and it costs us a lot of work.”
At first glance, this American tuning model seems to be the exact opposite of European ideas. But in fact, West Coast has pretty solid support from the Old World in the person of Continental, a German tire manufacturer that has been their supplier since 2007.
Ryan even made some special models for the company.
“Continental has supported us for 13 years ... I can't wait to go to their factory. I want to see how these tires are made. ”
Almost all projects use Continental tires here. The Germans have been a major partner of the West Coast since 2007
As a world-famous multimillionaire, Friedlinghouse did not lose the curiosity that made him borrow a small sum of money from his grandfather 25 years ago and start this business.
“If I started with a large sum, I probably would not be here today. When you have little money, it just makes you work harder. And that allows me to truly appreciate what I have today. ”
A big breakthrough for West Coast Customs came when NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neill contacted them with several unusual orders.
“My first project, and in fact my first client, was Shaq. He pushed us to do things we've never done before. He challenged us and it made us sweat. I remember that the car was a Ferrari - he wanted to cut off its roof. I've never even touched a Ferrari before. And all of a sudden I just had to cut off the roof of a $100 car.”
Regarding his favorite project, Ryan said:
“I like all projects because everyone is different. Every day and every car is a new challenge. Every customer pushes us to our limits. It forces us to change cars like never before.”
