KERA:

“TCU student Erick vant’ Westeinde is an expert on antique luxury cars, having fallen for them at age 12, when he started collecting and trading pricey, miniature reproductions of Porsches and Mercedes.

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.

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.”