The Shelby GT350 is a special version of the Ford Mustang that is built for speed and racing. It has a powerful engine and is designed to perform well on the track.
A single turbo is a device that helps an engine produce more power by pushing extra air into it. This can make the car go faster, but sometimes there's a slight delay before the extra power kicks in.
Bumper damage is when the front or back part of a car that protects it gets hurt, usually from hitting something. Fixing it can be very expensive, sometimes costing thousands of dollars.
A caged street car is one that has a metal frame inside to protect the driver in crashes, but it can be dangerous for regular driving because it doesn't always keep you safe from hitting your head.
Drag power is how much power a car has when it's set up for racing in a straight line. These cars can be hard to drive on regular roads because they're built for speed, not comfort.
A big turbo is a larger part that helps an engine get more air, which makes it go faster. However, it can make the car harder to drive smoothly at low speeds.
A roll cage is a strong frame inside a car that helps keep people safe if the car flips over or crashes. It's often used in race cars to protect the driver and passengers.
Lexan is a strong type of plastic used instead of glass for windows in some cars. It's lighter and can handle impacts better, which is why it's often found in race cars.
A HANS device is a safety tool that helps protect your head and neck in a car crash. It works with your helmet to keep your head from moving too much, which can help prevent serious injuries.
Bucket seats are special car seats that hug your body more tightly. They help keep you in place when driving fast, but they can make it harder to see out of the car, especially when you need to look around at intersections.
The BMW M3 is a fast and sporty car that comes from a regular BMW model called the 3 Series. People talk about it because it's known for being fun to drive and has a reputation for being one of the best performance cars in its class.
The Ford Edge is a roomy SUV that can carry a lot of people and stuff, making it great for families. It's popular because it has a smooth ride and comes with lots of tech features to make driving easier.
A turbo setup means adding a turbocharger to a car's engine. This helps the engine produce more power by forcing in more air, but it can also make the car more complicated to maintain.
The Nissan Z is a popular sports car that many people enjoy driving fast and modifying for racing. It's known for being fun to drive and has a lot of fans.
Weight reduction means taking out extra parts from a car to make it lighter. A lighter car can go faster and handle better, which is why some people do it for racing.
Boost is the extra air pressure that a turbocharger adds to the engine, helping it produce more power. However, turning up the boost too much can cause problems with the engine.
The Ford Mustang is a classic American car known for its powerful engines and sporty look. It's popular because it's fun to drive and has a long history of being associated with speed and freedom.
The Honda Accord is a popular family car that is known for being reliable and comfortable to drive. It's a good choice for people looking for a car that lasts a long time and is easy to take care of.
The Acura NSX is a super-fast sports car that looks really cool and is known for being easy to drive even though it's very powerful. It's often talked about because it was one of the first cars to mix luxury with high performance.
The Honda NSX is a famous sports car from Japan that is known for being fast and fun to drive. It's designed to be very light and has a powerful engine, which makes it popular among car lovers.
Car
Lamborghini
Lamborghini is a brand that makes very expensive and fast sports cars. They are known for their unique designs and powerful engines, making them a favorite among car enthusiasts.
LIVE
I'm sitting there watching Instagram the other day and I just recently saw Ben Hobson got
the keys to his local city and he's got his full-on pro car out there and he's drifting
around the streets of his hometown and that kind of brought back those memories of watching
the Jim Khanna videos and Travis when he raced all around down in Annapolis and the streets
of Long Beach and I started to like really reminisce about that whole aspect and kind of how we've
we don't see that as much anymore we're not seeing the kind of like how we saw it with
older race cars where you were seeing them come out to car meets more you know you see these
old school guys with the for instance the Shelby GT350 and you would see them down
at your local cars and coffee and these are full-on streetable race cars like let's be honest
it had no creature comforts it was as noisy as smelly and as raw as it came and these guys are
sitting there getting up Sunday morning at 5 a.m firing it up in their neighborhood and cruising
down the road and I feel like we're we're losing some of that I feel like that rawness of the car
culture is going away maybe it depends on the region there's a there's a huge cars and coffee
near me I don't go every weekend but when I have time I'll head down just to check it out
there are some pretty unique rare vehicles that show up from time to time a lot of times though
they're trailer and then they're you know dropped off in the back and they kind of swung around
there are some that are driven as well you know there's been some cool stuff there like I've
never seen an F40 there that was kind of cool to see you know as person it was a bunch of
veterans and stuff like that too it seems like nowadays though the most extreme vehicles that
show up in terms of like not really being completely streetable like kind of like on the verge of being
almost impossible to drive are some of the imports because some of them are you know single turbo
super like you know slicks the whole thing and so I think those I've kind of taken over at least
in my area in terms of like the rare ones you don't see often when you do everyone's like whoa this
this is crazy to see but there are still some you know there's a few like old school ones that will
come out that are you know rare or super unique but I kind of think like if you actually own one
of those vehicles even if you're you know a rich guy and this is one of your toys it's such a risk
you know especially cars and coffee I see these guys go like bumper to bumper pulling in and then
one wants to do you know you know hit it a little bit and and give a little bit of gas I'm like damn
just you know just bumper damage is probably like you know in the tens of thousands you know what I mean
so the question is where do you draw that line like where is where does the street car
end and where the race car begins in your opinion like if if you were to say hey I want a dedicated
race car that I'm only going to use to go into the track obviously we're talking full gut no
amenities but where does that line start to blur if you take your street car and start to walk it
to that line for me personally yeah I would be looking at things like drivability number one
and that includes not just like the car being able to idle and like to be able to you know be be
manageable in the street but also your clutch you got like this super high horsepower setup and you
can get old quick you know what I mean if you've got a if you've got a race bucket and a back like
mine that doesn't like to cooperate it's not the best thing in the world definitely for me personally
I would not drive a car with a full cage on the street ever that's just my thing I would never
do that and I see it all the time and it just what I see it I mean just real quick from a safety
aspect in case some of you guys don't know we usually frown upon having a fully caged street car
because there's no head protection um well don't put a we'll put a pad but yeah a pool a pool
noodle is really going to stop you in 110 mile per hour crashes yeah no um so we usually try to
steer clear of that in street cars and that's I don't know if anyone you know doesn't know that
background but I just want to kind of fill some people in that that might go to that fact when I
see those they scare the hell out of me when I see those yeah and I see people cruising and you
know like usually they'll have a bucket seat that's a bit lower than a factory seat but
the the distance between the bar and your head it's not gonna it's gonna get filled in quick
if you get in an accident correct yeah no you can be driving you know like like in grandma but it's
the next guy you also have to worry about as well so exactly but yeah that that for me personally I
wouldn't put one of those on the street um you know like I said drivability is a big thing for me
because I don't want to be the guy like stalling at every at every stoplight because your clutch is
so heavy you know and and the car under you know let's say under 5000 rpm it's just a you know
complete complete mess which you'll see a lot with like a drag power especially in like in the
Honda world right if you have a an insane drag build um and even if it's too too well if you've
got a big turbo on it it's it's hard to to sort of like manipulate the throttle and drive like a
normal person yeah we want to rip on it it's great but before that that's that's that's that's my
opinion for me my my civic I have a civic hatchback that is you know it's stripped out and it has
it has plastic rear windows and it's got bucket seats but they are adjustable of course no future
comforts so that for me is pretty much the limit I'm not going beyond that it has a roll bar not a
roll cage yeah that's about as far as I would go I mean that that sounds pretty reasonable I mean
I think a lot of people have that definition pretty similar I just love the the street outlaw
aspect of it where you know we're talking a you know a full big tire car with a full tub and
they roll out the back of a trailer but it's a street car I always I always love that aspect um
you know I always it's always been a thing I'm surprised that you have the plastic windows
because I was actually going to bring up like if you have a lexan windshield or inside windows at
that point are we are we still considering your street car like windshield oh they I've seen them
I literally you just have the rear but I'm saying I've seen guys come down and say it's a full on
street car and you're talking all lexan or plastic windows lexan windows whatever you want to call
it full plastic windows and a freaking net essentially holding the car in and they consider
that a street car and I don't see how that's possible for me I I don't and then also you know
the seats that have like the like the the head part that goes all the way around for your
to your humble head yeah those I think are also awful for the street because it's such a
it's such a blog review you can't see you know completely kind of duck under
in my opinion those are just not a good idea but aren't a lot of those design oh I'm sorry aren't
a lot of those designed also to support like the Hans devices more so than just like your standard
seat setup too yeah and then it comes on the side so you know your your helmet can balance off of it
but uh for the street it just seems like a terrible idea yeah I could see that yeah you
definitely need to be able to look both ways when getting to the intersection without an
unobstructed view is kind of important yeah and with bucket seats it's already hard enough to like
back up out of a spot properly because you gotta really turn your whole body right so yeah actually
in my z I have that problem um I'll actually have to drop one side of my harness to be able to like
look over my shoulder while I'm backing out because it's such a bad like positioning because I'm like
locked in my seat I'm not moving yeah exactly so yeah I mean I think you definitely run into
those sorts of like um little issues if you if you're using race car parts um on the street
but I think what you're what you're alluding to is like really really a hardcore track builds
just kind of being driven on the street I mean obviously I'm assuming you're not talking about
a daily driver right no no but this is like weekend worse like I get I mean daily drivers
a daily driver like anytime you start pushing power out of that that that window gets smaller
and smaller really quick um no I mean just the the I just I miss the aspect of being able to go
out on like a Friday and center and you're saying you're seeing it on your end with the supers and
stuff here maybe there yeah maybe I'm just missing it a little bit here you know but a lot of guys
a lot of times it's the same recipe it's a BMW with a big turbo and a tire and that's all you're
seeing and it's great I mean it's great to see them out there and and seeing them put up really
big numbers and these Audi's put up big numbers but these cars are they're full on like they're
not daily drivers but they're not a race car either if that makes sense they're they're that in between
level and you're like you have a full carbon fiber leather seat in there full dash everything
you've got the AC blasting it all the way up to the line but you're saying it's a race car and I'm
trying to figure out is that the new definition of race car are we okay with having those feature
comforts you know I don't think there's a a specific label you can really put on it it's really
based on the on the individual right so what I might think is um a track car Scott might be like
yeah I'll drive that you know drive that on Saturday and Sunday so it's a little bit different
for for every person everyone's interpretation is gonna be different um but I think one one thing
that that comes to mind is like I see a lot of um at that cars and coffee in particular I see a lot
of drift cars come through with LS slops and the the slops are pretty pretty mellow you know the car's
got exhaust and an intake and that's about it yeah and I have to think like it makes sense when I see
those because it makes the car so much more drivable right they get all the power they want all the
torque they need they have you know two simple mods that aren't going to affect drivability at all
and then the car can be wild like it's got you know it's all stripped down it's got the bucket seat
and the PDM and all that kind of stuff but the engine part of it that equates that it's taking
care of for them because it's so simple and I know the LS slops are you know are pretty played out
by by most standards but when I see that it makes perfect sense to me why you would do that you don't
have to worry about anything um in terms of like complicated turbo piping or wiring or anything it's
just plop that motor in there and then it's gonna do what it's supposed to do every single time you
turn the key um I don't know that's came to mind because I see so many of those now especially
at that car's a car there's like there's usually like kind of them so yeah I mean and you're right
it makes sense it's a very easy formula to put something together that has great drivability
but then you still can go out and use it as the race car the drift car on the weekends
and take it to events but then you can still have a license plate on it you can still have
insurance on it you can still drive it everywhere it and it it's no different than driving a you know
a a Corvette with bolt-ons for instance or or something along those lines where you're not
so far out the zone of drivability and reliability that the car is usable and I think that that's
something that a lot of guys are also missing out on like it's great to have the fastest you
know GTR and or the fastest you know F80 or whatever but at the same time like if you're not able to
actually get out and enjoy the car and use it though you know to its fullest potential I mean I
feel like we're we're kind of pigeonholing ourselves I guess would be the best way to term it
well you're I think you're more of a dual-purpose type of guy like you would like to have a race car
but you also like to every once in a while go go to cars and coffee just hang out for a little bit
maybe maybe drive it to like you know Starbucks or just for fun and then head back home yeah 100
fully understand but with that said there's a lot of risks that come with that beyond
worried about that guy that's going to like cut you off or or or or people when you were something
bring it back yeah yeah there's also the aspect of police presence is well you have to be careful
because you go too far you draw a lot of attention to yourself and then you're the one complaining
about this this mile long we got for you know for everything from the missions to at least out here
in Southern California you do have to think about that the louder I mean louder visually
the vehicle is the more attention it draws to you and then even if you're driving
the way that you should be legally speed limit you're not being you know an a-hole you can still
get targeted because you're an easy target right so that that's certainly something you have to
think about I don't know if it's as bad where you are but over here those are just like you know
it can be it kind of depends on where you are Long Island is very good at having different
rules depending on which town you're in within counties so you know if you're in like certain
neighborhoods yeah it's going to attract all the wrong attention and and there's a very large
possibility you'll get stopped and then in other areas you're just you know a pedestrian driving
around you know another person just driving around is there a point where you think that you personally
will get to that that level where you don't even want that one that doesn't have the creature
comforts like you're gonna demand AC power steering and all those things out of that car
like is there ever that point where it's like I'm done with that aspect of the culture and I
want to move on to having something that is 100 reliable daily you know when does that is that
change ever going to happen or you always think that you're going to have your little hot rod and
then have your other projects you know it's it's it's an interesting point because I think that
I'm fortunate that I do have I own a couple of cars so I was able to you know to get them really
cheap because I'm a very cheap person so I got them when they were when they were dirt cheap
and then poured way too much time and money into them but I do have like I said the the civic
hatchback that is right on the edge I wouldn't go any further in terms of going more toward
toward a track car it's like right at the edge right there and you know that one I drive it every
maybe every other weekend and I'll take it out for an hour or so that's about all I can take
and then I'm like I'm good like I get my fix more or less you know I mean yeah it it rips I love
that car and it rips I love it but after about an hour or so I'm like I'm good I'm good like you
know there's no creature comforts at all everything's on a switch panel even the blinkers everything's
on a switch panel so you know it's it's very very raw and I like that for a little bit and then
I'm good if I take it to if I do go to cars and coffee which is rare you know I'll be out for
you know two or three hours and then and then I'll head home on one of my other cars it has full
interior it's like a very mild turbo setup it's got a it's got a stereo it's got power windows
and stuff like that so that one is kind of like my that one I can sit in for a lot longer you know
so I'll take a trip to San Diego and I'll be out you know most of the day and just have fun with it
that's cool but I think for some people if they just have one one project car they got to make
that decision kind of early on like what do you want to do because you can go too far we talked
about it before many times you and I and Scott and I that you can you can go too far and then sort
of regret those decisions you made because it's too much of this or that maybe it's too much power
or it's you're breaking stuff left and right or it's just not daily drivable anymore if that's
your goal so I have a funny story about that I actually have something really funny so about
taking cars way too far so when I first got by Z I was like I'm going to make this into a track
car eventually this that's what this is going to be and I started pulling out you know pulled out
my carpet pulled out the back you know all the panels tossed it all the way you know being dumb
turn around I don't know less than 10 years later I have now bought new carpet all my interior
panels re-put everything back in all so I am just as bad as I'm sure some of us on the pot or some
of us in the comments would be you know we've all been there where it's like you make this
brash decision you're like oh I'm gonna I'm gonna do this this is what I'm gonna do and then all
of a sudden you're having to walk back those decisions and you're spending money twice so
um I just I mean that's that's part of it right that's part of the process is learning learning
from your mistakes like anything else but in the car world nowadays especially you're fortunate enough
to have all this information at your fingertips right like through social media through websites
through even through old forums you can search back through yeah you can sort of like map your path
without making a lot of financial mistakes if if you want but I think a lot of times people
know that and they still move forward anyways because they want to get the feel of it like
but what if I did this big single turbo setup like what if how's it gonna feel and then they
do it they're like yeah this is amazing and then they might run into a roadblock later on or they
start breaking parts yeah you know what happens when you go up three more pounds of boost yeah yeah
exactly so it's one of those things that like I think it comes with experience if you've been
doing it for a long time you sort of know you know better you might not make the best decision
because you could kind of get um I don't know you kind of get maybe a little bit you go a little
overboard at times but I think if you're a newer builder and you're just coming into this
you want to do it all you want to do you want to have the appearance you want to have the
horsepower the torque you wouldn't have it all but you sort of have to like manage your expectations
and then also you know watch your watch your your pocketbook as well because you know as you know
you can you can get it over your head oh yeah I mean I'm always in over my head that's the fun part
yeah exactly exactly yeah the ramen for lunch again yeah that's that's been the uh
that's been the mo but the uh I definitely think that we've kind of covered like you
know what what kind of goes into this I mean I just I really still find it magical to see
some of these really cool cars that were were actual race cars like I don't know if you had a
chance to see like they're um there was a post recently of one of the old GTM mustangs that they
the saline ones that they raced over at like Luganaseka and um the guy actually has a streetable
I guess it's like a transport plate or whatever so he was actually ripping it up and down around
the shop and the thing just it's a it's amazing to see I mean you gotta understand these cars
were never really seen driving around on on a street and then when they're on there they look
menacing like they honestly it's it's something out of place that just makes me feel uh you know
makes me feel excited to see that aspect of the car yeah I think I don't think what you see around
you can also influence it right because like in the the area that I live in and you know like
with taking the kids to school and stuff like that um there are some homes not my home but there
are some homes here that are like you know really really big and they've got these guys have a lot
of money so it's I see you know like Ferraris Lamborghinis and McLaren's on the regular like
it's all the time so when I go to cars and coffee down the way and then get out there there's a
whole row of them everyone's freaking out over of them it's nice it's cool but it doesn't really
do anything for me because I see it all the time now you know I see these guys cruising their their
cars around but then if something like an f40 comes out like you never see those right so that
I was just like whoa I'm blown away so I hate to say it I feel like the f40 has become the
YouTube car of 2025 yeah I feel like I feel like we're seeing it everywhere I you know we went from
seeing like one or two examples of it and now it's I can't open YouTube without seeing it right now
there's like guys that are like painting them and doing all this stuff but uh but for me personally
when I see those things I I take a second look I just think I've only seen maybe maybe three my
entire life in person I just think I don't know that's just one of my favorites just to see it
pour over it but then you know I'm also I'm also a weirdo like I see it in a sex and I'm like damn
I never see this in the road so you know I'll sit there I'll kind of go through it and you know
for people that have actually driven one it's you know it's a fancy accord really but but it's just
the fact that it's in a sec like all the engineers fancy backwards accord yeah if you uh you know if
you sit in it there it's it's so familiar 90s Honda but oh yeah no it's gotta oh they are 100%
a 90s car 90s Honda like they smell like it they feel like it every touch is that period like um yeah
it's a little a little more refined just a tiny bit I would say it's more accurate than Honda but
you know it's still it's a little nicer but it's like when when I see one of those since I rarely
see them you know I'll I'll take the time to kind of go through it especially at cars and coffee
whether it's modified or not I just want to check it out you know because there's not many of them
around it seems like so isn't that funny that sometimes like you know the hypercars and supercars
aren't those cars that we gravitate towards necessarily I mean the lame we like yeah we car
guys you know car people right tend to be like you know oh look at this really cool four door
car over here that we're all staring at and nobody understands why and it's just because it's something
that is unique to us as a culture yeah yeah there's there's people that that will find out that I
like you know like the guys that they soccer with they'll be like hey you go to cars and coffee
you know I think I saw you there or whatever and they'd be like did you see that you know
you see that Lamborghini that was there I'm like yeah I saw it's cool you know I don't know it's
it doesn't really do it for me just because I see them all the time now especially in this area
you know they're all you know kind of by the beach and everything so it doesn't really doesn't
throw me too much well hopefully hopefully you get some good pictures at the next cars and coffee
when the spring starts up and we can we can reminisce about some cool NSX's that you see there versus
the Lambos yes I mean I guess that kind of sums up where you kind of fall on where the street car
race car line is driven driven go figure where the where the race car and street car line
is kind of defined yeah at least for me at least for me I'm sure I'm sure people watching
probably have a different view so maybe they can they can comment let us know those kind of what
what what side they fall on yeah definitely with their own bills because some people you know
they go wild man they'll go all out I mean that's actually the best part window you know all that
stuff that's gonna be the best part about doing a lot of the comments on the YouTube stuff is I get
to hear from so many different people in our community with all their different projects so
please guys I mean I'm I'm a die-hard car guy so please put everything down in the comments
send it in tell us what you're doing what projects you're doing and you know I love to hear it
wow man all right that's it we'll see you on the next one see you on the next one guys take care
peace
About this episode
Exploring the blurred lines between street cars and race cars, this episode dives into the nostalgia of raw automotive culture and the evolution of car meets. The hosts reminisce about iconic vehicles and discuss the practicality of modifying cars for both street and track use. They share personal experiences with their own builds, highlighting the challenges of maintaining drivability while pushing performance limits. The conversation touches on safety concerns, the impact of local car culture, and the allure of unique vehicles at car events, making for an engaging discussion about the current state of automotive enthusiasm.
In this episode of the Konig Behind the Wheel podcast, we dive into one of the most debated topics in car culture: where does a street car end and a race car begin? Every build starts with good intentions, but somewhere between coilovers, sticky tires, roll cages, and gutted interiors, the line starts to blur.
We talk about the moment a car stops being comfortable, practical, or even livable on the street, and becomes something better suited for the track.
Is it suspension stiffness? Noise and vibration? Daily drivability sacrifices? Or is it simply a mindset shift once lap times matter more than convenience?
This episode breaks down real-world experiences from street-driven builds, track-focused cars, and everything in between.
Whether you’re building a weekend canyon carver, a dedicated track weapon, or something you still need to drive to work, this conversation explores how far is too far—and whether that line even exists.
Perfect for car enthusiasts, racers, and builders trying to balance performance, comfort, and practicality, this episode captures a debate every enthusiast eventually faces when modifying their car.
Don’t forget to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for more car culture talks, industry insights, and all things wheels.
2025 Behind the Wheel Podcast | All Rights Reserved
Thank you for tuning in, and if you enjoy our podcast, please SUBSCRIBE! We’re on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and iHeartRadio, and we always upload our full video interviews on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/konigwheels (we’d love for you to subscribe there as well!) Thank you for listening!
