Christina Roki on Building Cars, Making Mistakes, and Inspiring Women in STEM

Ferrari is a famous Italian car brand that makes high-performance sports cars. People who love cars often associate Ferrari with speed and racing.

Ford Performance is Ford’s brand for making and supporting faster, sportier versions of their cars. It’s aimed at people who want more performance than the standard models.

“Baby Driver” is a car-and-heist movie where driving and music are tightly linked, making it a popular reference point for car enthusiasts. It’s relevant here because the host asks for the guest’s favorite car movie.

Jumper cables are the wires you use to restart a car when the battery is dead. You connect them to another car’s battery so your car can start.

When you’re learning to work on cars, you sometimes make mistakes and something doesn’t go right. The important part is learning from it and improving next time.

“YouTube University” just means learning how to do something from videos online. In cars, people use it to understand repairs and what to check.

Troubleshooting is like diagnosing a problem. You look at what’s happening, test a few possibilities, and figure out what part is causing the issue.

“Muscle cars” are classic American performance cars. People often expect them to look a certain way, including traditional colors, so using something like pink is a deliberate twist.

Custom paint choices—like painting a car pink—are part of personalizing a build and can change how a car is perceived (curb appeal, identity, and brand/style). In enthusiast circles, bold colors often signal creativity rather than trying to match factory norms.

“Finishes” in paint and appearance typically refer to the surface look—such as matte, satin, gloss, metallic, or pearl effects—beyond just the base color. Different shades and finishes can dramatically change how light reflects off the body, affecting the car’s overall presence.

“Reverting to stock” means undoing modifications and returning the car to its original factory configuration—often including paint, trim, and appearance. This matters because it can preserve resale value and make future changes easier if an experiment doesn’t work.

Performance Lab Detroit is referenced as the shop where the SN95 Mustang was sitting and where Christina usually works closely with a partner. For listeners, this gives context on how real builds often rely on specialized local shops and collaboration.

Aftermarket parts are upgrades or replacements made by other companies, not the car’s original manufacturer. People use them to customize the car or improve certain features.

OEM stands for “original equipment manufacturer,” meaning parts made to match what the car was built with. Using OEM parts alongside aftermarket parts is a common approach when restoring or refreshing a car while still allowing customization.

This refers to a lead role in designing the vehicle’s interior—likely responsible for the overall look, materials, ergonomics, and design direction. It’s a useful reminder that car design is a team effort, and that the interior can be tied to specific designers and design leadership.

She’s describing efforts to get more women into science and tech fields. In cars, that can mean engineering, coding, and other technical jobs behind the scenes.

She’s talking about helping women feel confident to join and succeed in technical careers. The goal is to remove barriers and stereotypes.

Formula One is a major professional racing series. Following it can make someone more interested in how cars work and how they’re tuned for speed.

A STEM program is a class or group that teaches technical subjects like science and engineering. She used it to help younger women feel comfortable trying those things.

A “project car” is a vehicle you’re actively working on—often with upgrades, repairs, or troubleshooting—rather than a fully finished daily driver. The episode uses it to highlight the real-world messiness of car building, including parts availability and setbacks.

“Daily” here means the car is being used as a daily driver, so it can’t be down for long. That adds pressure to fix issues quickly and makes troubleshooting more stressful.

The cam position sensor tells the engine control unit where the camshaft is, which is critical for correct ignition and fuel timing. If it’s installed incorrectly or tightened improperly, the engine may fail to start or run poorly.

Woodward Avenue is a well-known Detroit road for car fans. People meet up there and cruise, especially during big car events.

The Woodward Dream Cruise is a big car event in Detroit. People bring their cars and cruise along Woodward Avenue, and it’s especially popular in August.

When a car “stalls,” the engine shuts off by itself. That can be caused by things like fuel problems, and in this story they’re trying to figure out what caused it.

Charlotte Motor Speedway is a famous race track in North Carolina. Driving there feels different from normal roads because it’s built for cars to go fast safely.

GM stands for General Motors, a major car company. Here it’s brought up as one of the companies whose leaders could help support more women working in cars.

Le Mans is a famous endurance race in France. Cars race for a full day, so it’s about both speed and lasting reliability. It’s one of the biggest racing events in the world.