Car Tuning and Styling with Alois Greifeneder

In the motoring industry, the name Alois Greifeneder has been heard often over the past 18 months – but who is the young auto stylist?

Alois ‘Calazero’ Greifeneder (22) is the face behind Toy Boyz Tuning, which has been revving up some engines for approximately a year and a half now. Greifeneder grew up in Freedom Square and has resided there for nearly his entire life.

“I grew up in Freedom Square. I’ve lived there nearly my whole life with my parents and little sister. I attended primary school at St Andrews and high school at Khomas High School, whereafter I switched school to Dawid Bezuidenhoudt High School – chasing my passion of art,” Greifeneder said.

Auto styling wasn’t always on the young man’s agenda. It was only after he got his Toyota Hilux single cab that he was attracted to his new path.

Not having enough money to customise his car, Greifeneder took the job into his own hands. After watching several videos on YouTube and finishing his car, his friends came to him and it all started there.

Greifeneder said his mother always wanted him to further his studies, however it wasn’t meant for him.

“It all started when I got my first car,” he said. “Mechanical engineering was slightly too difficult for so I decided to drop out. Then I was cut off from funds so I had to make my own plan to make money. Every day I would plan and plan, but auto styling was never in my wildest imaginations,” Greifeneder said. He then teamed up with one of his friends, Mondario van Wyk, who had welding experience and tools to go with it.

“My cousin came up to us and asked if we can change his brakes, so we did it in a couple of minutes and we made our first N$200. The day after, he came back and asked if we could paint his calipers so we charged him N$350 and we were so excited to make N$350 in a couple of minutes. We decided to start a business, and so Calazero was born.”

Greifeneder is now in charge of two workshops in Windhoek, one located in the Khomas Grove Mall underground parking and one in Northern Industrial Area. Greifeneder said that one more workshop is on the horizon, and then he will expand his focus to the broader parts of the country, specifically the North, he mentioned.

“My biggest challenge is tools,” Greifeneder said. “Some tools would make my job much easier and some clients like to put me under pressure and don’t understand the work. But other than that, we love what we do even if it’s one of the hardest jobs. But we live for this,” Greifeneder said.

“I hope we just get our stuff straight. Then we can be number one because we have five departments, which are body work and spray painting, lights, audio and upholstery, and air conditioning mechanical work, service and rebuilds,” he noted.

For those who have seen the young entrepreneur driving around town, you would have noticed his unique design on his bakkie. “The design on my bakkie was with the theme “why so serious”. I decided to think outside the box and build the hottest jaw-dropping bakkie, and yes, we did it with a hard-working team and creative squad. I’m just proving a point that the bakkie I built from the bottom is now an outstanding masterpiece,” he said.

He has a team of 14 men which are divided into two groups and they all come together to conquer welding, panel beating, painting, mechanical work and design, amongst other things.

“My motivation is my background. I’m inspired by Ryan Friedlinghaus, the owner of West Coast Customs, and my dad,” he said. “My father is Austrian – that’s where my skills and creativity came from – and my mother is Owambo, that’s where my leadership and work ethic comes from,” Greifeneder said.

“I know that this was the best choice I have ever made because I sleep and eat cars all day every day and I’ve made a difference in this industry in such a short period of time, making me one of the most successful and self-made 22-year-olds,” Greifeneder said.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.