West Coast Customs
Ryan Friedlinghaus, founder and CEO of West Coast Customs, started his now world-renowned car customization shop in 1993 with a $5,000 loan from his beloved grandfather, Edward Cifranic. He opened a modest shop in Orange County, California, working on mini-trucks and soon outgrew the space moving to a larger facility in the City of Inglewood.
In March of 2004. Friedinghaus' clientele and pop culture notoriety skyrocketed when Pimp My Ride became a smash hit on MTV, and over the decade he has continued to grow his global brands reach across various media platforms. Friedinghaus has built an empire creating impeccably customized cars for a wide array of clientele, ranging from pro athletes, celebrities, Fortune 100 companies and International Royalty.
Currently, West Coast Customs has settled into their new 60,000 square foot state-of-the-art headquarters in Burbank, California. The facility features 12 industry leading departments offering a range of extraordinary custom services for projects of any size, scope and budget. Fans from all over the world visit to tour West Coast Customs for photo opportunities with iconic vehicles and closer look behind the scenes of the legendary work being done on site.
On Exhibit:
1971 Chevrolet Chevelle SS
1963 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Saloon
"This build was not only a very special one for my company, it was a memory that the “Family” wanted to last forever! This car drove some of the most ICONIC legends to every walk this Earth … from Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and of course, the legend himself, Marvin Gaye."
"When we were tasked with this project, we had a lot to think about before we turned one bolt. We needed to hold the memories within the steel of the car but to also give it a fine touch of the WCC style. So, we started with all the metal restoration (repairing all the rust and damage from years of sitting in a California location) then we put in over 2,000 hours of body work to make sure the body was ready for a new coat of custom mixed and approved “Ice Pearl White” with a hint of violet was sprayed. Then we upholstered the entire interior to match the fresh style of the car. This was one of the most extensive restorations to ever hit the floor of the world-famous West Coast Customs! Very, very proud to keep the legend's most iconic cars of his journey alive and refreshed."