“You do things that you enjoy doing and then success generally comes later,” he explains. “Magnus is a true gentleman, who is insanely passionate about the Porsche brand.” But when you ask Walker about his rise to stardom, he says it’s never been about the limelight. “We had seen Magnus’ documentary and thought it would be great to have him represent our Classic Porsche display at the event,” says Policaro. Francesco Policaro, general manager of Porsche Centre Oakville, even brought him to the Great White North for the grand opening of the dealership. Hot Wheels approached him to develop a die-cast toy Porsche, he become a character in the recent Need for Speed video game and he even took Jay Leno for a spin on Jay Leno’s Garage. The film, which was released in 2012 and aired at a number of film festivals, rocketed Walker into the spotlight. The pair created the short documentary Urban Outlaw, which captures Walker’s Porsche obsession and his creative process. It also caught the eye of Canadian filmmaker Tamir Moscovici. The legend of Magnus Walker grew with each restored car that emerged from his garage, as did his cult following online. His latest masterpiece, a pristine black 964 with polished metal detailing, was even made in collaboration with Pirelli. His personal favourite: the 1971 911T, the red-white-and-blue Porsche, dubbed Car 277, that caught the attention of club racers as it whipped around turns on track days throughout the 2000s. There was the highly rare, silver 1968 911R that put Walker on the restoration map. The final products are as unique as they are beautiful. This self-taught restorer adds his own “stylistic DNA” through subtle, untraditional details, such as drilled door handles, integrated turn signals and louvered deck lids. Like his personal style, Walker’s builds stray from the conventional. But it’s his personalized restorations that have earned him the respect and admiration of the automotive community. Today, Walker owns about 25 vintage Porsches, but over the past 20-plus years, this uncompromising motor head’s possessed pinks for over 50, many of them vintage 911s. If other people like what I’m doing, well, that’s a bonus.” And that allows me the creative freedom to do whatever I want, because ultimately my goal is to not please someone else but to please myself first. “I don’t seek to fit into anyone else’s stereotype of what something should be. “For me, there is no normal,” Walker explains.
Even his accent, south Yorkshire English modified by Californian nuances, is unique. He’s an outlier, a mould-breaker, a man who refuses to compromise his values for economic gain. He looks like one of the Duck Dynasty clan learned about fashion and joined a Heavy Metal band. Spidery dreadlocks: equally as long and unruly. A Gandalf-like beard bursts from his face, wayward and untamed. Visually, he doesn’t strike the tone of Typical Porsche Buyer. Walker is one of the world’s most prolific Porsche collectors, and also one of its most interesting.
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