North Texas
Entrepreneur's Summer Job Pays Thousands
by Bill Zeeble, KERA reporter
DALLAS, TX
(2008-06-24)
Erick vant' Westeinde, between red
1956 Mercedes Roadster and
1973 Purple Porsche 911. BZeeble, KERA
Bill Zeeble, KERA reporter: Erick vant' Westeinde likes this sound. It's the rear-mount engine of a 1973 purple Porsche 911-T, that sits in the family driveway.
Erick Vant' Westeinde, Student Entrepreneur 2008 Winner: Runs good. Mechanical fuel injected. Very advanced in its time.
Zeeble: Westeinde's an expert on these cars, having fallen for them at age 12, when he started collecting and trading pricey, miniature reproductions of Porsches and Mercedes.
Westeinde: It's a passion, that's what it is. I love these cars. I wouldn't really like to work on any others except these European classics.
Zeeble: Vant' Westeinde sold some of his miniatures for double what he paid, then started souping up bicycles. A few years ago, he moved up to real cars, way before he was old enough to drive. With help from his parents, he bought his first Porsche for under 10 thousand dollars, worked on it, and sold it for more than 30. He purchased this purple Porsche from a Dallas owner for 7 thousand dollars. He'll fix it, advertise it on the web to European buyers, and hopes to get 25 thousand.
Erick Vant' Westeinde: That's conservative. I mean it could bring 30. You know, when I estimate prices I'm very conservative on that. How quickly I could sell it for, it may be a week after I advertise it for sale. It goes pretty quickly.
Zeeble: Westeinde's made about a quarter million dollars so far. He's not only fluent in Porsche lore and mechanics, he also speaks Dutch and German, having spent summers with relatives in Holland. So he ably communicates with European buyers. His father, Andre vant' Westeinde, says his son's been into business since before he was teen. The dad is himself successful in real estate and international trade.
Andre vant' Westeinde: He was interested in trade from a young age. We've seen over the years the U.S. dollar drop versus the Euro. A market was created. So it was logical that he would jump on this boat and export these classic cars.
Zeeble: Young vant' Westeinde has sold more than a dozen Porsches, 4 Jaguars and a few Mercedes, like the one we're standing next to. It's a rare 1956 190-SL Roadster Vant' Westeinde found it in Nebraska, listed on a mislabeled website that advertised car parts.
Westeinde: 97/53 This car has been sitting in a barn since the late 1970s. When I pulled it out of the barn, it was a lot of work to haul it out of there. Look at all the dust!
Andre vant' Westeinde: CAR DOOR SHUTS This is manufacturing to perfection. Thirty years on jack stands and doors still close like a vault.
Erick vant' Westeinde: This car I bought for $9500 and I just sold it for 25 thousand.
Zeeble; Erick vant' Westeinde's skills impressed the judges at Texas Christian University's Young Texas Entrepreneur contest. He beat 22 others teens with their own businesses, all competing for scholarship money. Brad Hancock is Assistant Director of TCU's Entrepreneurship Center.
Hancock: He does the work on the cars himself. Brakes, sanding fenders. I'm sure some of it he outsources. But this isn't a kid who buys things on the cheap and then finds someone who values it more than what he paid. He adds value to cars, through manual labor. That impresses me as well.
Zeeble: The 9 contest judges were impressed too. vant' Westeinde won the 5 thousand dollar scholarship valued at 10 thousand dollars if attends TCU. He will. He plans to focus not on auto sales or marketing, but in real estate and business management, like his dad. But he'll keep his interest in these cars.
Westeinde: These Porsche 911s. These are my passion.
Zeeble: Bill Zeeble, KERA news.
© Copyright 2008, KERA
Erick vant' Westeinde, between red1956 Mercedes Roadster and
1973 Purple Porsche 911. BZeeble, KERA
Erick Vant' Westeinde, Student Entrepreneur 2008 Winner: Runs good. Mechanical fuel injected. Very advanced in its time.
Zeeble: Westeinde's an expert on these cars, having fallen for them at age 12, when he started collecting and trading pricey, miniature reproductions of Porsches and Mercedes.
Westeinde: It's a passion, that's what it is. I love these cars. I wouldn't really like to work on any others except these European classics.
Zeeble: Vant' Westeinde sold some of his miniatures for double what he paid, then started souping up bicycles. A few years ago, he moved up to real cars, way before he was old enough to drive. With help from his parents, he bought his first Porsche for under 10 thousand dollars, worked on it, and sold it for more than 30. He purchased this purple Porsche from a Dallas owner for 7 thousand dollars. He'll fix it, advertise it on the web to European buyers, and hopes to get 25 thousand.
Erick Vant' Westeinde: That's conservative. I mean it could bring 30. You know, when I estimate prices I'm very conservative on that. How quickly I could sell it for, it may be a week after I advertise it for sale. It goes pretty quickly.
Zeeble: Westeinde's made about a quarter million dollars so far. He's not only fluent in Porsche lore and mechanics, he also speaks Dutch and German, having spent summers with relatives in Holland. So he ably communicates with European buyers. His father, Andre vant' Westeinde, says his son's been into business since before he was teen. The dad is himself successful in real estate and international trade.
Andre vant' Westeinde: He was interested in trade from a young age. We've seen over the years the U.S. dollar drop versus the Euro. A market was created. So it was logical that he would jump on this boat and export these classic cars.
Zeeble: Young vant' Westeinde has sold more than a dozen Porsches, 4 Jaguars and a few Mercedes, like the one we're standing next to. It's a rare 1956 190-SL Roadster Vant' Westeinde found it in Nebraska, listed on a mislabeled website that advertised car parts.
Westeinde: 97/53 This car has been sitting in a barn since the late 1970s. When I pulled it out of the barn, it was a lot of work to haul it out of there. Look at all the dust!
Andre vant' Westeinde: CAR DOOR SHUTS This is manufacturing to perfection. Thirty years on jack stands and doors still close like a vault.
Erick vant' Westeinde: This car I bought for $9500 and I just sold it for 25 thousand.
Zeeble; Erick vant' Westeinde's skills impressed the judges at Texas Christian University's Young Texas Entrepreneur contest. He beat 22 others teens with their own businesses, all competing for scholarship money. Brad Hancock is Assistant Director of TCU's Entrepreneurship Center.
Hancock: He does the work on the cars himself. Brakes, sanding fenders. I'm sure some of it he outsources. But this isn't a kid who buys things on the cheap and then finds someone who values it more than what he paid. He adds value to cars, through manual labor. That impresses me as well.
Zeeble: The 9 contest judges were impressed too. vant' Westeinde won the 5 thousand dollar scholarship valued at 10 thousand dollars if attends TCU. He will. He plans to focus not on auto sales or marketing, but in real estate and business management, like his dad. But he'll keep his interest in these cars.
Westeinde: These Porsche 911s. These are my passion.
Zeeble: Bill Zeeble, KERA news.
© Copyright 2008, KERA
