Ryan Friedlinghaus founded West Coast Customs in 1993 with a $5,000 loan from his grandfather. Starting with mini-trucks in a modest Laguna Niguel shop, he grew the business into a global name in automotive customization.
As the shop outgrew its beginnings and moved to Inglewood, its reputation brought clients from entertainment, sports, and business. Ryan’s ambition extended beyond any one vehicle: a place where an idea could become something real.
That ambition still drives the work. From custom vehicles to projects beyond automotive, West Coast Customs brings design and craftsmanship together under one roof, with hard work and dedication at its core.
it is the foundation of our work behind every project we create.
Los Angeles is a city powered by ambition, risk, and imagination. It's where culture is born, where industries collide, and where ideas are tested at the highest level.
Being built here means our projects are shaped by that energy— by dreamers who refuse limits, who see possibility where others see constraints.
The journey
3 decades of trendsetting
The Beginning
The spark
A dream takes shape.
Before the first shop, there was a passion for making a vehicle personal. Ryan Friedlinghaus’s early work in the mini-truck scene laid the groundwork for West Coast Customs: imagination, hands-on craft, and the drive to keep building.
Ryan’s early daysRyan in the officeIn the shopHands-on beginnings
1993
Laguna Niguel
The first chapter.
In 1993, Ryan founded West Coast Customs in Laguna Niguel with a $5,000 loan from his grandfather. Mini-trucks were the starting point. The vision was much bigger.
Laguna NiguelOutside the shopOn the shop floorThe first chapter
1996–2000
Compton & Inglewood
A reputation takes shape.
The Compton and Inglewood years marked the next chapter for West Coast Customs. From 1996 through 2000, the shop continued building its identity around personal expression, custom vehicles, and the culture of Southern California.
Outside Inglewood locationWork in progressOutside Compton locationAfter hours
2004
LAX / Los Angeles
A bigger stage.
The LAX / Los Angeles chapter began in 2004. A new location carried the same ambition: bring bold ideas to life and keep pushing what a custom vehicle could be.
The Los Angeles shopOutside WCCSignature styleRyan outside the shop
2006
Corona
Room for the next idea.
In 2006, West Coast Customs began its Corona chapter. The address changed, while the focus remained the same: turning a client’s vision into a vehicle with its own identity.
The Corona shopOn a different scaleHands-on craftThe team and the build
2014–Current
Burbank
Our California headquarters.
Since 2014, Burbank has been home to West Coast Customs. Our 60,000-square-foot headquarters brings design, fabrication, and craftsmanship together under one roof—carrying Ryan’s original ambition into every new project.
Burbank headquartersThe showroomAbove the build floorInside WCC