Ride-in-Style Podcast: Episode 33 Tyler Willy of GKR Motor Cars
The Business of Building Cool: Inside GKR Motorcars with Tyler Willy
When Tyler Willy joined the Ride & Style Podcast, hosts Josh Poulson and Jesse Stoddard quickly discovered that his path from farm life to custom-car entrepreneur says a lot about where the restyling industry is headed.
From Farm Tools to Fast Cars
Willy grew up in Missouri surrounded by trucks and tractors. “I learned how everything worked out of necessity,” he said. That mechanical curiosity turned toward cars at sixteen—right when The Fast and the Furious hit theaters. “I’ve done some dumb things in tractors,” he laughed, “but cars were just more fun.”
He began flipping affordable Corvettes, cleaning up interiors, and selling them for profit while keeping a full-time job. Television shows like Gas Monkey Garage and Kindig-It Design convinced him that professional car-building could also be good business. “Richard Rawlings rubs people the wrong way sometimes,” Willy noted, “but he knows branding.”
Launching GKR Motorcars
By 2021, encouragement from his wife led him to leave the nine-to-five and start GKR Motorcars full-time. “She told me, ‘If you’re going through changes at work, make them for yourself.’ ” Within four years he had a small team, three employees, and a growing portfolio of builds ranging from a Cobra to Bandit-style Trans Ams, classic Broncos, and a ’69 Camaro.
Some builds are for customers; others are “spec cars” the shop completes and sells. “Each approach has pros and cons,” Willy said, “but both keep us creative.”
EV Conversions in the Midwest
About one-third of GKR’s current work involves electric-vehicle conversions—an unusually high percentage for central Missouri. “You’d think everyone here would hate EVs,” he said, “but they also hate paying for gas.” Interest is high even if final conversions remain pricey.
Modern systems are increasingly modular. “Battery packs come pre-assembled; you wire them to the management system and fabricate mounts. It’s still custom work but not as intimidating as people think.”
The “Garage Condo” Concept
Willy’s biggest expansion project is an eight-acre automotive campus in Columbia built around “garage condominiums.” Instead of renting storage bays, owners purchase units they can customize with mezzanines, bars, or golf simulators. “A lot of people can’t build a shop behind their house because of zoning or HOAs,” he explained. “This gives them that space—and they own it.”
Some clients are turning multiple units into family gathering spaces. “One guy bought three: one for his cars, one for an office, and one just for holidays,” he said. Willy expects the site eventually to include an event center and his new 22,000-square-foot shop capable of fleet-scale EV conversions for local government vehicles.
Balancing Work, Family, and Growth
“The hardest part is balance,” Willy admitted. “I’ve got three kids, and I’m turning 40. My brain’s still 25, but my body isn’t.” He often attends evening networking events and weekend car shows while maintaining shop operations. “It’s worth it, but you have to manage burnout.”
Pricing, Process, and Customer Collaboration
Asked how he prices large restorations, Willy said experience has taught him to start with realistic labor estimates and clear limits. “The project ends up costing what it costs,” he said. “We set expectations early and warn that it’ll probably go over budget—because it always does.”
He tries to balance customer vision with design sense. When clients request questionable modifications, he looks for compromises. “If someone wants a Rams logo stitched in a ’60s interior, I’ll integrate it tastefully rather than slap it on. It’s still their idea, just executed better.”
Building a Brand, Not Just Cars
GKR Motorcars maintains an active social-media presence and appears on Power Tube TV, where it recently finished filming its first full season. “It hasn’t paid off yet, but it’s brand building,” Willy said. The exposure already generated inquiries, including a Texas customer seeking an EV conversion after seeing the shop’s Lotus project.
Willy also organizes Columbia’s local Cars and Coffee, further connecting GKR to the community.
Looking Ahead
He sees the future of performance as diverse: “We’ll never be 100 percent electric,” he said, predicting growth in hybrids and modular drivetrains. The demand for personalization will continue. “People want to show their style without spending six figures on a ’69 Camaro. That’s the opportunity.”
For Willy, success comes from combining creativity with business discipline. “Every entrepreneur says they wish they’d started sooner,” he reflected. “Have a plan, trust your gut, and just do it.”
Read The Transcript
Jesse Stoddard: Welcome to another episode of the Ride and Style podcast. We’ve got a great guest for you today, Tyler Willie of gkrmocars.com. And how you doing today, Tyler? Thanks for being with us.
Tyler Willy: Hey, pretty good. Weather’s starting to warm up, so we got the shop doors open and little
Josh Poulson: Now,
Tyler Willy: little
Josh Poulson: what do you
Tyler Willy: uh higher
Josh Poulson: what do you
Tyler Willy: higher
Josh Poulson: prefer
Tyler Willy: spirits
Josh Poulson: to do?
Tyler Willy: right now.
Josh Poulson: What do you prefer to do in the shop when it’s nice out and you got the doors open? Obviously, paint’s probably not your friend.
Tyler Willy: Uh, just kind of put some fans on, suck some of that dust out so it’s not so much in the air.
Josh Poulson: Yeah.
Tyler Willy: But really it’s just the weather—better mood when it’s better weather.
Josh Poulson: Yeah, absolutely. Well, I was just looking at some of the builds you’ve been doing. Obviously Bronco’s so hot, and the first thing that came to my mind was, why do you think there’s this role of cars that come and go? For instance, like the Bronco 10 years ago—okay—but obviously when the new ones came out, all of a sudden the old ones became so popular. Why do you think that is?
Tyler Willy: I mean, I’ve actually done a lot of thought on this, especially for business planning in the future. I think it’s kind of generational. Dads back in the day wanted two-seaters or big muscle cars and didn’t really care about taking their kids in daily driving, but for me, I love taking my kids for a ride and I want the SUV, the sports SUV, the sedan that’s like a CT5V or something like that because I want my kids to experience that.
Josh Poulson: Yeah.
Tyler Willy: And not that dads didn’t do that in the past—I just think my generation likes our SUVs. We’re kind of coming into that money now, got long careers, and you’re seeing so many of these fast sedans. It seems like the sedan’s dying overall. You’re not selling the luxury sedan as just luxury—it’s now a high-performance car. They’re selling well because my generation wants a supercharged V8 in their kid hauler.
Josh Poulson: They want a Corvette engine in their Cadillac.
Tyler Willy: Exactly.
Josh Poulson: Awesome. Go ahead, Jesse. Sorry.
Jesse Stoddard: I was just going to say—tell us a little more about your background and history. How’d you get started in all this stuff? What’s the journey been like?
Tyler Willy: Yeah. So, I grew up on the farm — trucks and tractors, learning how everything worked out of necessity just to keep the farm moving. It was instilled in me; I’m a builder, I’m a tinkerer. I was always doing something in the barn. But once I turned 16, speaking of generational, that’s when Fast and Furious first came out. Not that those cars were necessarily my style, but it was the idea of fast sports cars and doing stupid things.
Josh Poulson: Mhm.
Tyler Willy: You can’t really do too many — I mean, I’ve done some stupid things in tractors, don’t get me wrong — but it’s kind of more fun to do stupid things in cars.
Josh Poulson: We got to come back to that. I’ll put an asterisk there. Go ahead.
Tyler Willy: Yeah. But ever since I was 16, it just turned into cars — two doors — and I tinkered with trucks, but it was all about cars. Muscle cars. I was a Dodge guy growing up; we had Dodge trucks, but that transitioned to Dodge Chargers, Dodge Challengers. Those were always way too expensive for me, so I had Corvettes. I’d always find a cheap Corvette and flip it.
That was kind of my bread and butter — with my 9-to-5 job I’d flip cars on the side, usually a Corvette. I’d just put in new carpet and seat covers and it would completely change the car. I’d make a couple grand, drive it for a few months, whatever.
Josh Poulson: Mhm.
Tyler Willy: Then those shows really started coming out — Gas Monkey Garage, Kindig, and others — and it gave me the idea that this was my dream. I’d always wanted to build cars professionally, and seeing them do it — the business side, the branding — that hooked me. Richard Rawlings can rub people the wrong way sometimes, but I look up to him for his business acumen. He’s great with branding and the business side of things.
That’s big for us too — we build cars, but that’s the cool part of the brand. And now we’re expanding into some other things beyond car building itself.
Josh Poulson: Nice.
Tyler Willy: Yeah.
Josh Poulson: So that’s how you got into it. But you touch on this on your website — how much do you think is natural raw talent from your dad versus what you learned from hard knocks?
Tyler Willy: Yeah. My dad’s an electrician — very OCD like me, detail-oriented. I’d get in trouble if I didn’t have wires straight when we’d wire a house. He was on the house-side of everything, but that attention to detail and understanding how things work — that’s what I got from him. And I just happened to apply it to cars. There were no car people in my family — no car guys or car girls. They liked trucks, but never customized them.
Josh Poulson: Yeah.
Tyler Willy: So yeah, I’m the only car person in my entire family.
Josh Poulson: So a lot of that was self-taught then? You taught yourself bodywork, paint, restoration?
Tyler Willy: Yep. Self-taught. And again, we had YouTube — I tell my guys in the shop, “Don’t be embarrassed to go to YouTube if there’s something you can’t figure out.” Even the best people check it sometimes. Don’t be afraid to get help. I was kind of born with that mechanical, builder mentality.
Josh Poulson: That’s cool.
Jesse Stoddard: Speaking of your website, it’s beautiful. My favorite is the Cobra you have on the What We Built page — that thing is awesome.
Tyler Willy: Yeah, that actually evolved from when I first got it. That was the car I bought to test-run a full project before starting the business. It began as a side project — not just carpet and seat covers — and ended up becoming our first full project sold under the GKR brand.
Josh Poulson: Nice.
Tyler Willy: It was kind of the transition car.
Josh Poulson: Oh yeah. It’s beautiful. And you look at the Chevy truck and the Trans Am—
Jesse Stoddard: I gotta show this. I’ll do a screen share for us here because this is just awesome. I’m on the Cobra page looking at the photos and the project. It’s incredible. Seeing this thing scream down the street—that’s just very, very cool.
Tyler Willy: Yeah, and we went with nice and polished, but there’s some rawness to it that we like. Shelby, when he built these, wasn’t after perfection—he was just cobbling them together as best he could. Not that we cobbled it, but we gave it that “race car” rawness, especially underneath with the exhaust.
Josh Poulson: Mhm.
Tyler Willy: Now, of course, that truck—the ’50 Chevy—and the Bandit Trans Am don’t look cobbled together at all. Sometimes we go with a theme for each car. Right now, we’re working on a ’76 C10 called Spirit of ’76. It’s numbers-matching and everything, but we’re changing up the blue and white to make it richer—still authentic, but with a custom twist.
Josh Poulson: Yeah.
Tyler Willy: We like to do little theme projects. It’s fun.
Josh Poulson: So, are these all cars you guys own, or do customers bring them to you?
Tyler Willy: It’s a mix. The Cobra and the Bandit were both spec builds that we built and sold. The two Broncos, the ’50 Chevy, the ’69 Camaro next to me—those are customer cars. We’ve got more customer cars coming in, and a ’76 Chevy pickup as another spec build. It’s nice having both sides.
Josh Poulson: Yeah.
Jesse Stoddard: Go into your business today—what are you doing now, and what makes you guys stand out? What’s your focus and vision for the future?
Tyler Willy: Yeah. Like I mentioned earlier—the brand. We’re expanding beyond just building cars. We want people to feel part of the community—to spread “car people-ism,” if that’s a word, here locally. I always say, “You don’t have to be a car person to be a car person.” You can hate cars, but if a cool one drives by, you’ll turn your head. You can’t lie to me and say you won’t.
We’re building a large campus here in Columbia, Missouri, doing the garage condo concept. We’re first to market here—building a community around garage condos. Some buyers are car guys, some aren’t. It’s all about community, cars, and coolness. We’ll eventually have an event center and my new shop there.
Josh Poulson: Yeah.
Tyler Willy: Eventually, I want to expand to Lake of the Ozarks too. People always tell me, “Never open a bar and grill,” but it’s kind of a dream of mine to have something on the water tied to the brand. Look at Richard Rawlings—he does that to push his brand. People with money will come in, see a couple cars on display—it just reinforces the brand.
Josh Poulson: Makes sense.
Tyler Willy: Right now, it’s all about building that brand. I’m still hands-on with cars—there are things only I’m trained to do, like electric conversions—but I’m also handling client relations, the new campus build, and everything in between.
Josh Poulson: I want to ask you about the campus build. Is that a new concept? I’ve seen your site—it’s beautiful. So, it’s like everyone has their own garage they rent out and keep cars in—mainly for cars, but could also be a hangout, right?
Tyler Willy: Exactly. Golf simulator, lounge, events, car shows—you name it.
Josh Poulson: So it’s for people who don’t have their own garage or want extra space?
Tyler Willy: Yeah. People want their own private space. So far, it’s all men demographically—they want something that’s not their basement, but their own spot. Most live in subdivisions, so this gives them that freedom. We’re actually selling these, not renting.
Josh Poulson: Oh really?
Tyler Willy: Yep. We sell them as white boxes, and owners deck them out however they want. Some put in mezzanines, pool tables, bars—you name it. Ours has a lounge upstairs with a full bar, a kitchen downstairs, and a bathroom.
Josh Poulson: I love it. How does everyone do this without their wives finding out?
Tyler Willy: (laughs) I have to sign NDAs now.
Josh Poulson: NDAs! Bills to offshore accounts and all.
Tyler Willy: Right! And actually, it’s funny—I go to local women’s business groups too, because the heart to the man is through the woman. I tell them, “It’s not just a man cave or she-shed; anyone can have one.”
Josh Poulson: Absolutely. Plus, they get their garage back if their partner’s car is taking it up.
Tyler Willy: Exactly. One guy is buying three units—one for his cars, one as an office, and one for family gatherings. They’ll host Thanksgiving and Christmas there. It’s like a family clubhouse.
Josh Poulson: No, I love it. It’s a great idea. So, you said your shop’s going to be there eventually?
Tyler Willy: Yep. We’ve got a 22,000-square-foot shop planned. A lot of it will be office and showroom space, but we also want room for EV fleet conversions—like for local government vehicles.
If we can take an old truck and make it electric, they’d have no maintenance for the rest of its life. That’s where we want to go. Right now, our body and paint area is small—we just need more space.
Josh Poulson: So what percentage of your business is EV conversions now, and what do you expect in the future?
Tyler Willy: Right now, it’s roughly one-third EV.
Josh Poulson: That’s more than I thought.
Tyler Willy: Yeah, especially here in mid-Missouri—you wouldn’t think that. But surprisingly, a lot of people are curious about EVs. Inquiry-wise, probably 60% of what we get is EV-related. People ask about it constantly. It’s still new in the Midwest, while the coasts have been doing this for decades.
Once people see the price, though, it’s kind of like solar panels—it sounds great until you see the upfront cost. Still, we get plenty of clients who are passionate about it. One guy here has an electric truck, sedan, and even an electric tractor—he wants his fun car to be electric too.
Josh Poulson: Makes sense. How’s the learning curve been for you getting into EV conversions? Is it more plug-and-play now?
Tyler Willy: It’s definitely easier than before. You can buy preassembled 400-volt systems—battery modules you basically plug and play. There’s still wiring and some fabrication, especially for mounting Tesla or VW motors, but that’s just normal fabrication work.
Josh Poulson: Got it. Jesse?
Jesse Stoddard: Yeah, I wanted to ask—what’s been one of the biggest challenges in your career, and how did you get through it?
Tyler Willy: Oh man, probably balancing family and business. My dreams have always been big, but now I’ve got three kids, and I’m turning 40 this year. My brain still has 25-year-old energy, but my body doesn’t always agree.
Josh Poulson: (laughs) It gets worse, by the way.
Tyler Willy: That’s what I’ve heard! I need to stop having birthdays. But yeah, it’s about balance. My old 9-to-5 had great work-life balance, but it didn’t fit my dreams. When I started my business, balance became my responsibility—and it’s a constant adjustment.
Some weeks I’m barely home. Between car shows, networking events, and everything else, it’s tough. I even gave up Mizzou football this year because weekends are too packed promoting the business.
Josh Poulson: Yeah, makes sense. So what made you start your own business? How did you go from a 9-to-5 to “I’m doing it”?
Tyler Willy: Funny enough—it was my wife. She was the one who told me to go for it. She’d seen me watching car-building shows every night, trying to get my kids into them when they just wanted Paw Patrol.
There were changes happening at work, and she just said, “If you’re going through changes, make them for yourself.” So I did. I left my job, with her full support, and went all in.
Josh Poulson: That’s awesome.
Tyler Willy: About eight months later, she said, “I think I want a third kid,” and I said, “Whoa, whoa, whoa—let’s slow down!” (laughs)
Josh Poulson: (laughs) She knew what she was doing.
Tyler Willy: Oh yeah, she’s wise. But honestly, I’m one of those entrepreneurs who says, “I wish I’d done it sooner.” I’m glad I did it when I did. I probably would’ve waited another three years, but I jumped—and it worked out.
I’m the type who signs up for something when I believe in it, because it keeps me accountable. That’s what I did—I just jumped in, built cars, hired a few employees, and now we’ve grown into an eight-acre campus.
Josh Poulson: That’s awesome.
Tyler Willy: I don’t even know how it all happened, but we’re here.
Jesse Stoddard: Where do you see the industry going, and what are you excited about in the future?
Tyler Willy: The industry could go in a few different directions, but I think we’re moving toward more modular, minimalistic vehicles. It’s funny — that new Slate truck/SUV just came out, and I think we’ll see more stuff like that.
Josh Poulson: No radios, no anything, huh?
Tyler Willy: Exactly. Just simplified design. I think we’ll still have the big players — the luxury brands, the performance cars — those won’t disappear. But electric and hybrid tech will become more application-specific. Electric isn’t the answer for everything. I don’t think we’ll ever be 100% electric. Hybrid has a huge future, especially for industrial and commercial use.
I’m even working with someone now on hybrid concepts for that space. Look at Dodge — they said they were going all electric, then pulled back. People still want sound and emotion in cars.
Josh Poulson: Yeah.
Tyler Willy: I drive an electric Lotus Esprit sometimes, but there’s still something about my C7 Corvette with a loud exhaust. I want my kids to experience that too. I think we’ll see a lot more drivetrain diversity — some electric, some gas, some hybrid — and cars becoming more customizable and modular so people can express their style without dropping six figures.
Josh Poulson: Yeah, for sure. So, for business owners listening — how do you price your resto-mods? How do you even come up with a quote when someone brings in, say, a ’67 Charger?
Tyler Willy: Good question. Honestly, experience helps. I usually start with a baseline estimate — hourly rate times estimated hours, plus parts. The project costs what it costs. Early on, I underbid jobs, and we’d hit the “budget” with tons of hours still left. So I learned to budget better.
Josh Poulson: Yeah.
Tyler Willy: Now, I start with high-level conversations — I’ll ask if they want an LS swap, a full resto-mod, or just a refresh. Are we talking new chassis, or just a rear four-link setup? I can give ballpark numbers quickly now after almost four years of doing this.
Some builds, like ’69 Camaros or Corvettes, have tons of parts available — easy to estimate. But a ’79 Porsche 911, for example, has limited parts and expensive suppliers. That changes everything.
Josh Poulson: So costs can go way up.
Tyler Willy: Oh yeah. I always tell clients, “This is just an estimate — it will probably go over.” And if they add anything mid-project, it definitely will. They always do.
Josh Poulson: (laughs) Gives me a headache just thinking about it.
Tyler Willy: Exactly. I’ve even talked people out of adding things. Anything can be done with money, but I’ll say, “It’s not worth it at this point.” Sometimes you just have to be honest.
Josh Poulson: Yeah. So how much of what you do is heart versus brain?
Tyler Willy: For me, it’s all heart — but the brain kicks in automatically. I’ve got an internal line of what’s “too far” for a customer’s budget. That’s the best expectation to set early on. Still, sometimes we’ll spend a little extra just because I know it’ll elevate the build — like a $500 upgrade that makes the car pop.
Josh Poulson: Yeah, for sure.
Tyler Willy: And sometimes I don’t even tell them — they just see it later and love it. They’ll say, “Oh my gosh, I love that detail!” and I’m like, “Yeah… that was my idea.” (laughs)
Josh Poulson: (laughs) Love it.
Tyler Willy: It’s all about bang-for-buck moments — small touches that make the build special.
Josh Poulson: Do customers ever ask for things you completely disagree with?
Tyler Willy: Oh, all the time. The interior choices get me most. Sometimes they want stuff that just doesn’t fit — I’ll go into “compromise mode.” I’ll keep their vision, but refine it. Like if someone wants a Rams logo in a classic Mopar, I’ll redesign it to fit the car better.
Josh Poulson: That’s smart.
Tyler Willy: Yeah — I’ll integrate it subtly. It’s still their car, but it needs to represent our shop too. If it’s really off-brand, I’ll say, “I don’t want to do that, but let’s find a compromise.” Those moments are actually my favorite — finding design solutions that work for both of us.
Josh Poulson: That’s a great approach.
Jesse Stoddard: Tyler, you’re obviously an artist. The way you talk about this—it’s art, not just work.
Tyler Willy: Oh yeah, absolutely.
Jesse Stoddard: Tyler, you’re obviously an artist. The way you answered these questions shows it’s art for you — not just a job. It’s craftsmanship and art.
Tyler Willy: There we are. Yeah, absolutely.
Jesse Stoddard: So, where can people follow you or learn more about what you’re doing? We did mention the website, but what about social media?
Tyler Willy: Yeah, we’re on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok — if you’ve still got it on your phone or whatever the latest is. We’re also on Power Tube TV.
We just finished the last episode for the current season — literally today. I filmed the last two minutes. It’s been fun and stressful at the same time. Those episodes will be on Power Tube’s YouTube, and eventually on ours as well.
Josh Poulson: Gotcha. Have you started seeing an ROI on that yet?
Tyler Willy: Not quite. I’ve gotten plenty of inquiries though — people calling and saying, “Hey, I saw you on YouTube building that car.” We actually got an EV project from Texas because they saw our Lotus build.
Josh Poulson: That’s great.
Tyler Willy: Yeah, so for me, it’s all about the brand. Even if I don’t see it immediately, it’s about long-term visibility. The best way to grow is through reach — whether local or national.
Josh Poulson: (laughs) Jesse’s falling in love with you right now — he’s a marketing guy, so this is his jam.
Jesse Stoddard: It’s so cool.
Tyler Willy: (laughs) Thanks! Yeah, it’s been fun.
Josh Poulson: It’s awesome. Well, thanks again for joining us. Major props for what you’re doing — not only building the cars but also managing design, clients, and the business side. That’s huge. And I love the condo idea.
Tyler Willy: Yeah, thank you!
Josh Poulson: I want to come to a Cars & Coffee once the campus is ready.
Tyler Willy: We actually own the local Cars & Coffee — we run that too. Just one more feather in my cap, I guess.
Josh Poulson: That’s awesome. Are you guys going to SEMA this year?
Tyler Willy: We go every year, but this will be the first year we’re skipping. It’s actually my 40th birthday that Saturday.
Josh Poulson: There you go!
Tyler Willy: Everyone said, “What better place to be than SEMA?” But I’ve done SEMA for my birthday so many years — this year I want to do something different. Something opposite of Vegas.
Jesse Stoddard: Good for you.
Tyler Willy: Yeah — a quiet forest in Montana in November sounds pretty nice.
Josh Poulson: That’s called life balance — good for you.
Tyler Willy: Exactly.
Josh Poulson: Well, we’ll see you at the next SEMA for sure.
Tyler Willy: Oh yeah, absolutely.
Jesse Stoddard: All right, take care, Tyler.
Tyler Willy: You too, thanks guys.
Josh Poulson: Take care.
Jesse Stoddard: Bye-bye.
