A passion for PORSCHE

BUILT HERE—Camarillo-based Automotive Legends makes exact replicas of Porsche's rarest models, including the Le Mans 550 Coupe, left, and the 550 Spyder, right, which actor James Dean turned into an icon when he was killed driving one in 1955. The local company also features a three-bay garage specifically tooled to repair all types of Porsches.

An engine block sits in the middle of the floor in Wil Cashen's Camarillo office. 

The engine, Cashen said, will literally be the driving force that'll take Automotive Legends—the car company he started nearly 20 years ago—into the 21st century.

The office is part of a 30,000-square-foot industrial building that not only houses the corporate headquarters for Automotive Legends but also includes three full-service garage bays specifically tooled for work on Porsches.

As Cashen talks about his company, the unmistakable smell of the working garages wafts through his door from down the hall, and the throaty growl of a German-built motor in the midst of a tuning can be heard faintly in the background.

It's a one-stop fix-it shop that's drawing Porsche owners to Camarillo from as far as San Diego. But it's not the German-trained mechanics that has put Automotive Legends on the map.

The growing business has made an international name for itself by making and selling replicas of three of Porsche's most fabled and rare models—the 550 Spyder, the 356 Speedster and the Le Mans 550 Coupe.

Cashen, 52, who sells the highly detailed replicas on the Internet and from his boutique dealership in Malibu, came to Southern California—epicenter of America's car culture—fueled by a lifelong obsession with Porsche.

"My passion is for Porsche, and it always has been," Cashen said. "I fell in love with Porsche when I was 12 years old, and I've never looked back."

Although he built his first replica Spyder in 1977, shortly after returning from grad school in Germany to his home state of Indiana, Cashen traded in his wrenches for a computer in order to support his family.

"I had four kids and needed to find work," said Cashen, who spent the 1980s designing software programs to help automate production lines for carmakers in the U.S. and overseas.

A self-taught engineer with a background in mathematics and physics, Cashen sold his ownership in a successful software design company and moved to California in 1995. Shortly thereafter, he began making the replicas.

Cashen said he makes the Porsches—which are built using Volkswagen chassis and engines—because car lovers are drawn to the lowslung German sports cars that were built in the 1950s and have since become icons among car enthusiasts.

Following the 1955 death of James Dean, who was killed when he crashed his 550 Spyder in Central California, the rare car became sought after by collectors.

"After James Dean wrecked his, the 550 became this mystical, secretive Porsche," said Ross Malinger, Automotive Legend's general manager. "And I think that mystery makes it a cut above any other Porsche."

Malinger said an original 550 Spyder is nearly impossible to find and could cost anywhere from $2 million to $5 million.

A replica costs a fraction of that.

Malinger, a Thousand Oaks resident, said his company can build a custom replica of a 550 Spyder for between $35,000 and $45,000 depending on options. He said the company can build the Speedster for a little more than $26,000.

The cars take from six to 12 months to make.

Malinger said that because of the tough economy the company has seen a slight dip in car sales in the U.S., but said the weak dollar has meant more foreign buyers and that has kept their sales number generally even with last year.

He said the dealership sells between 80 and 100 cars a year, with about 40 percent of those sales heading to Europe. Most overseas sales, Malinger said, are from Germany, home of the Porsche.

The Malibu showroom has helped the replicas gain popularity with celebrities, including Jay Leno, Britney Spears and Kurt Russell. A number of reality television shows have followed the reproduction process from start to finish.

The company employs 14 people, including two of Cashen's sons.

Legend Automotive recently opened a second showroom in Malibu to sell hybrid and lowemission cars.

Cashen said he plans to start soon on production of a car that is modeled after the 356 Speedster but can accommodate either a low-emissions, eclectic or hybrid engine, which is where the engine block on the floor of his office becomes important.

Purchased from a Venturabased company, the 1liter engine will be used as the model for his new environmentally friendly automobile.

Reticent to give many details, Cashen said the car will be built in the Midwest and will have an initial run of about 20,000. Cashen said the future of the car industry will be green cars, as he expects gas prices to rise to $10 a gallon before too long.

Regardless of what the future may hold, though, Cashen enjoys what he's doing now and plans on continuing his work in Camarillo and Malibu.

"I love what I'm doing," Cashen said. "It's hard, but I love it."

For more information about Automotive Legends, visit www.automotivelegends.com.