Dan Brunn

This Californian based architect has been a car enthusiast since the age of 5. Living in Tel Aviv for the first 7 years of his life, Dan wasn’t accustomed to seeing a lot of expensive exotic cars as there simply weren’t any in Israel back then. His main obsessions were his Matchbox cars, but as soon as he landed on U.S. soil, everything changed. That’s when Dan first saw a Porsche 911, and it immediately stood out to him as something special and he yearned for the day he could actually be behind the wheel of a Porsche.

Oddly the Porsche wasn’t the first car he fell in love with. That title goes to the Mercedes 300SL. To this very day, Dan admires it like no other car. The tube space-frame structure was so unique for the time, that there was no way of describing the car other than a masterpiece. It was the Mercedes 300SL which proved to be a real eye-opener for Dan. He finally understood what “form follows function” meant in practice.

Driving down the scenic PCH with the wheel of a 911 Porsche in one hand and a espresso macchiato in the other is where Dan Brunn finds himself at home the most. Now days you might find him in one of his three collectible cars blasting the sounds of Duran Duran's Hungry Like the Wolf (one of his favorites form the 80's).

The first car Dan has in his garage is a rare, previously owned by the Max Factor family, 1994 Mercedes E320 Cabriolet. It’s one out of several hand-built of its kind, making it extremely rare and unique. Dan drives it occasionally, as he reckons the unicorn-factor of it will drive prices really high, similar to the 280SE Cabriolet. It’s also, in his mind, the last genuine Mercedes vehicle ever built.

Next, we have a Porsche Carrera 3.2 from 1987 which Dan had to hunt down for over a year before finally acquiring one he was happy with. The iconic profile and unique design drew him in, but it’s the driving involvement and requirements which really made a big impression. If you think he left it stock, you’re fooled however. He upgraded it with 17-inch Fuchs wheels, rolled fenders, original Porsche Sport seats with Alcantara and leather for the interior, a re-covered steering wheel and a few other minor bits. The next major job will be the suspension, as he plans on bringing it up to modern standards.

A BMW M5 is in charge of the daily driving duties. Dan loves his BMW's and at one point he owned a 7-Series as a daily driver. When it was time to retire the BMW 7 Series he decided to purchase a second BMW 7 Series as he enjoyed driving it so much. Seeing as how the new BMW 7 Series is not available in a standard wheelbase in North America, he recently decided to ditch the limo and go for his M5 instead. The aroma of his new cars leather tantalized his sense of smell and yet he still yearns for his weekend drive so he can ignite his childhood memories in his Porsche(s).