Magnus Walker’s “outlaw” collection of Porsches star in new Petersen Automotive Museum exhibit

Magnus Walker may not look like the typical Porsche owner, but he has one of the wildest collections of Porsches out there. His cars are typically housed in an old warehouse in Los Angeles, but from October 15, 2022 – January 31, 2023, ten of them will be on display for a special exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum. One of the most well-known Porsche restorers and collectors in the world, Walker’s Urban Outlaw exhibition will include his Porsche 924 Carrera GT; a Porsche 914 art car; and his famous red, white, and blue Porsche “277,” among others.

As Magnus likes to say, he has never conformed to the unwritten rules of vintage car restoration. He is a former fashion designer who is obsessed with 911s and driving. The display featuring 10 of his most coveted Porsche builds commemorates the 10th Anniversary of the award-winning documentary film about him, also titled Urban Outlaw.

In addition to the cars, there is a collection of objects personally selected by Walker. The items include his co-designed Nike SB Dunks shoes, examples from his collaboration with Hot Wheels, and his signature MOMO steering wheels. He wanted the exhibition to feel like a recreation of his downtown L.A. garage (albeit a cleaner version) so he doesn’t have any ropes around the cars. People can walk right up to them. If you like what you see and would him to build you one, you’re out of luck; Magnus doesn’t build cars for other people. He just describes his Porsche car building as an out-of-control hobby.

The Petersen Automotive Museum

The Petersen is a must-see for car enthusiasts, with Business Insider naming it one of the 6 most amazing car museums in the world. The museum opened in 1994 in a historic department store building and is one of the world’s largest automotive museums. In 2015 the Petersen underwent a 90 million dollar renovation with the goal being to “explore and present the history of the automobile.” There are typically over 100 vehicles on display in 25 different galleries featuring a vast array of classic cars, trucks, and motorcycles, modern exotics and stars from movies. The Petersen Automotive Museum is constantly updating its offerings, adding special exhibits every few months that cater to a wide range of interests.

In addition to the vehicles on display in the main part of the museum, there are over 250 additional vehicles stored in the “Vault Presented by Hagerty” in the building’s basement. Although there is an additional fee and no cameras are allowed, the Vault is definitely deserving of appreciation. There are record breakers, custom creations, and, right at home in Hollywood, movie cars. The Vault can be viewed as a self-guided or docent-led tour. Discover some truly iconic and rare cars spanning over 120 years of automotive history, and maybe even some surprises down there.

The main three floors of the museum focus on automotive artistry, industrial engineering, design, racing, history, and teaching exhibits. It is definitely a place that will entertain the whole family, whether or not they are into cars. Here are just some of the current exhibits at the Petersen:

• Hypercars: The allure of the Extreme. Hypercars are all high-performance, highly styled, audacious, alluring, and extreme. This exhibition features a selection of these rarified, ultra-elite vehicles, exploring their manufacture and their capabilities, and hinting at what greatness is still to come.
• Cars of Film and Television. The museum’s proximity to some of the nation’s largest production studios in Hollywood gives it a unique opportunity to house some interesting pieces, allowing the Hollywood Gallery to celebrate the vehicles that are the stars of some of our favorite movies and television shows.
• Alternating Currents: The Fall and Rise of the EVs. Exploring the history and development of electric cars and why the market for them is so strong that manufacturers who do not offer an EV are now more the exception than the rule.
• Andy Warhol: Cars – Works from the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection. An exhibition of automobiles and their images by Warhol.
• Cars: Discovery Center. Inspired by the Cars film franchise, visitors are immersed in a variety of activities and displays where they learn about the science and design of cars, as well as the history of the automobile.
• Building an Electric Future – The Technology of Today for the Vehicles of Tomorrow. Looking at what it takes Volkswagen to strategize, design, test, construct, and utilize the products of an electrified automotive future.
• Forza Horizon 5 – Racing Experience. 8 simulators for Forza 5 and another 10 with Forza Motorsport allow visitors to get behind the wheel and experience the dynamic feeling of racing a car in this custom version of Forza.
• The Colors of Success: McLaren’s Papaya Livery. Featuring cars representing multiple racing disciplines, all sporting McLaren’s beloved papaya livery and marking key moments in the team’s 60-year history.
• 32 Ford Fever: The Deuce Turns 90. Displaying some of the best-remembered and most coveted Deuce hot rods that have become known by the names of their builders.
• Electric Revolutionaries: Designers at the Edge. Celebrating a dozen pioneers in the electric vehicle scene, with an emphasis on designers working with two wheels.
• The Dale Debacle. The subject of a recent HBO documentary, this is the strange story of the failed Dale automobile.
• Upcoming exhibition opening soon – Inside Tesla: Supercharging the Electric Revolution. Tracing the company’s story from fledgling startup to EV juggernaut and exploring the range of its products, the breadth of its manufacturing capabilities, and its irrefutable impact on the modern transportation landscape.

Funky, famous, and fabulous, the Petersen Automotive Museum has become a world-renowned automotive and cultural icon. From motorcycles to movie cars, the museum has something for everyone. Tickets can be purchased here.

Urban Outlaw Cars

Walker currently has about 40 911s, give or take a few parts cars, and most of them were bought in very rough condition. His unique style turned these once destined for the junkyard vehicles into one-of-a-kind items, while never compromising their Porsche roots. Here are some included in the display:

1965 Porsche 911

This is a very early example of Porsche’s iconic sports car; it is the 310th 911 ever made. Originally delivered to the famous Brumos Porsche collection in Jacksonville, Florida, it has a sport-purpose-built 2.0-liter motor, and 901 five-speed transmission.

1976 Porsche 930 Turbo

This is the first Turbo sold in the USA as documented by The Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, VIN #15 (cars #11-14 were Press Demonstrators). Walker describes his 930 as the type of car that was driven hard and put away wet, has been resprayed a few times, used but not abused. A true piece of Porsche history.

1967 Porsche 911 SRT

An R-inspired sport build, this is the first Porsche 911 ever to bear hand-stamped louvers on the front fenders. It has a 2.5-liter custom twin-plug engine built by Wicked Sixes in Hamburg, Germany with 271-horsepower and weighs just 2050 pounds. It rolls on Walker’s signature 15 x 7-inch Outlaw wheels.

1971 Porsche 911 T #277

The most famous Magnus Walker car, Walker bought 277 at the Pomona Swap Meet in 1999 and transformed it into his signature streetable race car originally based on the iconic 1973 Porsche Carrera RS. He often describes 277 as his favorite car and is featured in most of his videos. It has a “Frankenstein” 2.8-liter twin-plug engine, and a 915 transmission. The 277 has spawned its own Nike SB Dunk signature shoe, eight different Hot Wheels models, a character in the Need for Speed video game, and countless tributes.

1973 Porsche 914

This stock 1.7-liter 914 debuted at SEMA in 2019. The goal: Showcase what anyone can do with a few cans of spray paint and a creative mind. Made without photoshop or computer graphics, Walker and fellow collaborator, the artist Felix Holst, used sharpies, duct tape, and post-it notes to hand-apply the design and then hand-distress it in three days. They wanted to make the 914 look like it had been an old race car buried under a tarp in the desert for decades. Created on a $500 budget, the little teener stood out among the many shiny high-dollar builds with its punk-rock, DIY attitude.

1978 Porsche 911 SC Hot Rod

This budget-build comes with a stock 3.0-liter SC motor and is lowered on 16×7-inch Fuchs wheels. With a project investment of just $20,000 it shows that a sport-purpose streetable 911 can be built on a budget and still be an exciting, capable track car.

1980 Porsche 924 Carrera GT

One of just 406 built, this 924 Carrera GT started in Tokyo before being used in Sydney, Australia, and eventually finding its way to Walker’s garage in L.A.

1990 Porsche 964

Walker’s most performance-oriented build to date, the car maintains its stealth narrow-bodied silhouette, original bumpers and the majority of its original sheet metal. Walker added his signature louvered fenders and fender-mounted gas-cap filler, a channeled roof and hood, and a custom early three-liter whale tail. Inside the cabin you’ll find a race-inspired stripped interior, a roll-bar, and, as a first for any 964, manual-crank windows from a 1965 Porsche 912.

1995 Porsche 993 RS look

A model Walker often described as “the Cadillac of 911s,” the 993 was far from the top of his P-car wish-list. But the more Walker drove it, the more he liked it. The 993 quickly ignited his imagination as a potential art car and after experimenting with paper tape graphics on the car, Walker settled on a vinyl strobe-like color-block application over the wrap.

2004 Porsche 996 GT3

Often quoted as saying “we need both air and water to survive,” Walker took his own advice and purchased his first water-cooled 911 in 2016. The 2004 Porsche 996.2 GT3 is one of Walker’s all-time favorite Porsches he has ever owned. The 996 remains analog in driving feel while representing a quantum leap in useable, streetable performance. The car comes with a livery inspired by the famous Brumos stripe design.

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