Remembering Roger Rodas and Paul Walker Through Their Car Collections
The tragic deaths of Paul Walker and Roger Rodas cut their lives too short, but their memory lives on. Today, we’re remembering who they were by looking at what they loved in the world of cars.
November 30 will always be a sad day for Fast and Furious fans. It's the anniversary of the car crash that killed franchise star Paul Walker and financial planner Roger Rodas.
Walker and Rodas left behind a large legacy, one that is memorialized, in part, by what united both men: their love of
Having met at a California race club, the two men bonded over their love of race cars. While Walker's acting career is well-known, many may not know that the Fast and the Furious star was a client of Rodas. Rodas was a financial planner at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and helped Walker manage his investment portfolio.
Rodas was also the owner of the LA racing shop Always Evolving and the captain of its racing team, for which Walker was a driver. The two men didn't just bond over racing. Walker created a nonprofit known as Reach Out Worldwide that helps aid first responders at the sites of natural disasters.
It was this organization's charity event that the two men were leaving on November 30, 2013, when the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT Rodas was driving crashed. The vehicle struck a curb, then a tree, and a light post. Both men were killed in the accident.
Both Roger Rodas and Paul Walker left rich legacies behind. Not only did they leave loved ones behind, charities started by the two men have helped thousands of people to this day. Of course, Walker can still be seen in the Fast and the Furious movies and a long list of films, beginning in the ‘80s.
But of course, as both men loved cars, they left an extensive collection behind. These vehicles run the gamut from European to Japanese to U.S. models. According to
, a video on The Smoking Tire showed a good number of Saleen sports cars and Porsche 911s, both beautiful and high-performing models.
For those unfamiliar with Saleen sports cars, they originated with Steve Saleen, a former professional race car driver who had gotten into customizing cars like Mustangs with aftermarket parts. Saleen Autosports used several customized models to win various motorsport races in the early years.
Other cars in Rodas’s and Walker's collections
Though their collections are filled with amazing models like the Chevy Corvette C1s and rare BMWs. Both men also shared a love for Porsches, specifically, the 911 model.
Porsche 911s come in a wide variety of types—Carreras, Cabriolets, Targas, and more. Between the two men, there seemed to be at least one of each style in their collection. That's not surprising given the models’ significant curb appeal, power, acceleration, and handling.
Another notable car is the Ferrari F355 Spyder Fiorano, belonging to Walker’s collection. This limited edition, released in 1999, included several customizations, such as cross-drilled brake rotors and a suede-covered steering wheel, that set it apart from other F355s. It was already an improvement over its predecessor, the 348, with an upgraded engine that produced the highest horsepower of any production car upon release.
Rare cars...and hidden expenses
Keeping those vehicles secure and in great condition was likely a small price to pay for the enjoyment those cars brought Walker and Rodas. And though insuring them was also probably costly, the two men would’ve been secure in the knowledge their cars were well-protected.
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