Image Source: X
[Saba Sports News] Ryan Friedlinghaus, the founder and CEO of West Coast Customs, shared some of the wild requests he’s received from Shaquille O’Neal, his first big client, during an appearance on The Tom Ward Show.
“Shaq still calls me with crazy ideas like, ‘Hey, I found this. Build me one,'” Friedlinghaus said. “He once sent me a link to a Mustang that looks like a boat and said, ‘I want one of these, but a truck.'”
Friedlinghaus continued, “After the Navigator, Shaq got a Bentley Azure. He said, ‘I can’t drive it. My knee hits the steering wheel and door panel.’ So we moved the seat back, but he still couldn’t fit. So, we made him the first Superman steering wheel.”
Another time, Shaq bought a Ferrari and wanted it converted into a convertible. “He said, ‘Cut the roof off the Ferrari.’ So we did. These challenges pushed me to realize we could do anything,” Friedlinghaus explained.
O’Neal’s extravagant tastes and unique requests played a significant role in making West Coast Customs a household name. Their relationship helped land a deal with MTV, featuring West Coast Customs in the first four seasons of “Pimp My Ride,” which aired in 2004 and boosted the company’s popularity.