Building Community One Car at a Time: Cody Walker on FuelFest, Family, and Finding Purpose
writen by: Instagram/T. Walker
From movie fame to real-world change, Cody Walker uses FuelFest to unite car lovers, support worldwide relief efforts, and carry forward his family’s legacy.
What separates the automotive events that actually matter from the countless weekend car shows happening across the country? It comes down to one thing: genuine community. The most memorable gatherings aren’t built in boardrooms or dreamed up in marketing departments. They’re born from raw passion, late-night garage sessions, and the simple desire to connect people who share a love for everything on four wheels. Cody Walker understands this better than most. He’s built something that brings everyone together, from the driver of a souped-up Honda to the collector rolling in with an ultra-rare six-figure exotic whip.
Most people know the Walker name from Hollywood and Fast & Furious, but Cody has carved out his own space in car culture. Built on a real love for cars rather than inherited fame, his approach stands apart. He fell in love with cars at an early age, starting with a GTI and an S2000, like countless other enthusiasts. What makes him different is how he transformed that personal obsession into FuelFest, the traveling car show that’s become one of the most inclusive automotive events in the country. From coast to coast, FuelFest celebrates the full spectrum of the automotive scene. It’s his “perfect three-car garage” philosophy in action: celebrating every corner of the car world rather than just the expensive stuff.
Geography plays a major role in shaping car passion, from the high-horsepower builds dominating Florida’s wide-open spaces to the handling-focused cars built for California’s canyon roads. Each FuelFest stop becomes a snapshot of local car culture, but there’s something bigger happening here. Cody has taken the helm of Reach Out Worldwide, using automotive events to fund disaster relief efforts around the globe. That mix of community, creativity, and purpose is evident at every show. When asked about his most unusual car modification, Cody lights up talking about a modified twin-turbo U.S. Postal Service mail truck that showed up at a recent Bay Area show.
Cody’s automotive passion feels refreshingly real in a car culture often tangled up in image and status. When he talks about his love for cars, there’s no scripted enthusiasm or calculated response. It’s the real thing, born from genuine experiences and shaped by years of hands-on involvement with everything from canyon carving to track days. We sat down with Cody to explore his automotive journey, tracing it from his early days with a GTI to the dream garage he’s building today. Our conversation offers a look at how a personal love for cars can build real connections and meaningful change.
Tam: When I was looking at your Instagram profile, the first thing I saw was “car guy,” followed by “husband, father, and fun-haver.” At what age did you fall in love with cars, and what’s the most fun you’ve ever had behind the wheel of a car?
Cody: I’ve liked cars since a young age. I became an enthusiast in my 20s with my GTI and then my S2000. It’s been an addiction ever since.
The most fun I’ve had behind the wheel? Shoot, that’s a tough one. Driving in the dirt is a blast because you’re steering with the throttle all the time. One of the most unique experiences was driving an F4 open wheel car. That was a lot of fun.
Tam: Looking back at your childhood and Sunland and your family trips and all that, going to the beach, is there a memory or a lesson from those early days that still shapes how you approach life and work today?
Cody: Yes, about how important your family is. I cherish those memories a lot. It was always my family and then our extended family, and we would go to Carpinteria. It was like any excuse to go to the beach. Any weekend, three-day weekend. Also, we spent our whole summers there. Those are some of my fondest memories. And it was with our family.
Tam: Random question: beach or the desert?
Cody: The beach!
Tam: If you could design a car, and this is a “Cody Special” that represents your personal journey over the last decade, which features or custom touches would it have?
Cody: That’s a tough question, because I have a couple of different cars and they all kind of scratch a different itch for me. So I think my answer is that it’s not just one car with a bunch of features. I’ve got my crazy supercharged V8 truck, which is an incredible family car. Then I have my R35 GT-R, which is my super-fast GT car. And then I have my S2000, which is my super fun car that’s just set up for track days and circuit tracks. So I don’t know. I feel like I have the perfect three-car garage right now. I don’t know how I would push all of that into one car.
Tam: Is there a car you regret selling? If you could go back, is there one car that you’re like, dang, I should have kept it?
Cody: Yeah, I wish I would have kept it. It’s nothing crazy or high dollar, but I really liked my Civic Type R that I sold a few years ago. I just kind of outgrew it, but I did have a lot of fun with that car.
Tam: What’s the most unusual car modification you’ve seen at FuelFest?
Cody: The most unusual? I just saw something very unusual, and I loved it because it was just so different. This guy took an old U.S. Postal Service mail truck, whatever those are, and he had it twin-turbo. It was slammed to the ground, and he had it all done up. It was like a priority mail truck or something. It was just kind of hilarious. I don’t know, it’s hard to pinpoint just one. That was recently in the Bay Area for our FuelFest show. But yeah, you’ll see all sorts of crazy things out there.
Tam: We saw Bisimoto’s car when we walked up. We see him a lot on the car circuit here in LA.
Cody: Yeah. That guy is brilliant!
Tam: What is one story from FuelFest that’s just taken you by surprise from somebody who’s attended? For me, it was NASCAR for the Brickyard in Indianapolis. There was a bachelorette party, bridesmaids and all, out there in the stands celebrating. And I was like, “Who does this at a NASCAR race?” But NASCAR fans…
Cody: Well, we’ve had, I think, two proposals at this point at FuelFest, and we had a couple also get married at our show. That was pretty wild.
Tam: What is one thing you have noticed about how car culture is different from country to country, as you guys are doing FuelFest? For example, how is Japan different versus LA?
Cody: I would say it doesn’t even have to be that far apart. Having done FuelFest events, even just coast to coast here in the US, the way people build their cars tends to be a little bit different. Whether you’re in LA, the Midwest, or Florida, I think part of that comes down to the culture and the local scene. If road racing is big there or if there are some great canyon roads to go drive on, it’s a little different. It kind of dictates how people build their cars.
Obviously, in Florida, too, since they don’t have all these emissions regulations, things are just more openly crazy, flamboyant, and in your face. I kind of view every stop along the FuelFest route and the cars you see at FuelFest as a direct representation of the local community in that scene. There’s overlap, of course, and you’ll see similar stuff, but then you’ll see things that are like, okay, here in this part of Florida, or here in this part of Texas, you guys have big, open, wide spaces, so it’s high-horsepower cars, versus maybe a part of the US where they’ve got nice canyon roads that are twisty and windy, and it’s just kind of built differently.
Tam: A fun question for you. If you could organize a secret food fest for your friends and family, what would that experience be like? Who would you bring? And it has to be five famous people.
Cody: These are super fun.
Tam: I’ve been in the NASCAR circuit, and people ask the same question: so where do you go to the bathroom at, you know? And I’ve interviewed enough drivers. Are you familiar with NASCAR?
Cody: No, I’m not super familiar. I will say I’ve been to a race before, maybe two over the many years, and I have an appreciation for it, especially when you go and see it, it’s like, oh my gosh, this is insane. But I don’t closely follow.
Tam: Well, it’s the same questions. Okay. [Laughing] Back to my question. Five famous people.
Cody: That’s a good one, five famous people. Famous people… [Laughing] I don’t know.
Tam: Well, who are your five car guys that are famous? I mean, most people say Jay Leno.
Cody: Jay Leno’s an awesome guy. I’ve got to meet him multiple times. I even did one of his episodes on YouTube a few years back, which was so cool.
I feel like any answer that I give you right now is just not a well-developed thought.
Tam: Okay, so just friends and family, your wife. [Laughing]
Cody: Yeah, well, of course, my wife and my brother, my family, my brother from another mother, Sean Lee, and just all my friends. It would be so cool to basically put on a FuelFest Track Day event, where it’s just kind of small and we could tear it up all day long.
Tam: Okay. I won’t throw any curveballs at you. [Laughing] Do you have a favorite driving song or playlist that always keeps you going? If you’re in your car, what do you listen to?
Cody: Straight up, I oftentimes just don’t listen to anything.
Tam: Okay, fair enough, because I don’t either.
Cody: Yeah, I like to hear and listen to the car. That’s the truthful answer. I kind of get sick of music, especially on a long drive. I like to think. I think it drives my wife crazy sometimes, because she’ll spend her whole time on the phone, and I’m just thinking about a lot of different things. Listening to the car is what I like.
Tam: What legacy do you hope to leave in the world of automotive culture?
Cody: I just like bringing everybody together. It’s one love that so many of us share: cars and the culture. There are so many different subcultures within car culture, and that’s what I strive to do with FuelFest. I want to bring everybody together, celebrate together, and put the community in a positive light. That’s what I’m all about.
Tam: The fairy car gods, if that’s such a thing, are saying you have one wish where you can get three cars. What three cars are you taking?
Cody: I’d like a first-gen Acura NSX. See, this changes all the time. This is right now for the camera. I really like wagons a lot. I would like an E63 AMG wagon. That would be sick. I just bought one of my dream cars, which was my R35 GT-R T-spec. Otherwise, that would have been on the list.
See, and, yeah, a Porsche GT3. If it was a 992 GT3, it would just be a GT3 so that I could still have a manual transmission, versus the RS or something like that.
Tam: Mine is a 718 Spyder and a Ferrari.
Cody: Yeah, cool, yeah.
Tam: Yeah. And a GT AMG. So I know my three cars. Have they always been consistent for you? Ferrari has always been consistent. A Ferrari California. I know it’s the bottom of the barrel, but it’s what I like. So that’s all that matters. Last question: What would people be surprised to know about you?
Cody: I’m just a normal guy. I have imposter syndrome. I’m just the little brother of a great man whom I miss very much, a man so many of us really miss, and I’m just as crazy. I’m thankful, and I don’t know that there’s anything special or unique about me. I’m just a normal guy.
Tam: I did say last question, but I did have one more, since you brought up your brother. The foundation… because I know you took it over, how do you foresee that living in terms of the legacy of you and your brother and with your kids?
Cody: Well, I see Reach Out Worldwide as a part of Paul that he left behind, and that’s genuinely the whole catalyst behind FuelFest. I created FuelFest, first and foremost, as something I just find fun and awesome because I love this stuff. But it was also to create an entity I could always direct some of the funding back to, helping keep that organization going so they can accomplish their mission. I have three young children. It would be amazing to see them help in some way as they get older, to carry the torch and see it continue. I’m just so grateful for Paul and what he was able to achieve in his short time here. Leaving Reach Out Worldwide is such a beautiful thing, and I take it very seriously. I’m honored to be able to help in some way to keep that going.
