CEO of West Coast Customs reveals Mark Zuckerberg’s requests for custom Porsche minivan pushed them to the limit
- Mark Zuckerberg pushed West Coast Customs experts to their limit
- Meta founder, Zuckerberg, is known for his more humble tastes
- However, this minivan modification proved ‘tricky’
Published on Dec 02, 2024 at 5:14 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Dec 03, 2024 at 6:17 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
While an ATV for 7’1″ Shaquille O’Neal and a Batmobile for Justin Bieber were challenging, it turns out that Mark Zuckerberg was the celebrity to really push the limits of West Coast Customs.
The automotive customization shop has been inputting ‘hard work and dedication since 1993’.
Meta founder, Zuckerberg, is generally known for his more humble tastes.
However, per the CEO of West Coast Customs, it was his minivan modification that almost pushed them to their limit.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
The request by Mark Zuckerberg
The tech mogul commissioned West Coast Customs to convert a Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT into a custom minivan for his family of five.
The modification was said to be inspired by a request from Mark Zuckerberg’s wife, pediatrician, and philanthropist, Priscilla Chan.
He wanted the final product to be a unique blend of Porsche performance with minivan functionality – combining practicality and luxury.
The project involved elongating the vehicle and adding sliding doors – similar to those on a Toyota Sienna – so far, so humble like the majority of his car collection.
However, while it doesn’t seem too out there, per Ryan Friedlinghaus, CEO of West Coast Customs, in an interview with Business Insider, it was more tricky than it seemed.
The build was technically challenging, especially since Porsche SUVs are rarely altered in this manner and the Friedlinghaus was personally involved in this project to turn Zuckerberg’s car dream into reality.
“That Porsche was probably one of the most technical, craziest ones we’ve ever done,” he shared.
“Originally, it was supposed to have one door, and they wanted two doors, and they wanted it to open like the Toyota Sienna minivan.”
Obviously, it’s far more complex than stretching the chassis requiring very tricky structural changes.
The mods by West Coast Customs
This was compounded by Porsche fans who don’t like the original designs to be altered.
“Everybody’s such a purist in that space, so modifying anything is always a challenge,” Friedlinghaus admitted.
“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.”
The legendary custom car builder has already made luxury cars to fit for the expansive frame of former NBA star, Shaquille O’Neal.
West Coast Customs famously turned will.i.am’s Mercedes-AMG GT 63 into a custom ‘delor.i.am’, too.
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
