Editor's note: Actor Paul Walker, who helped make the "Fast and Furious" franchise a mainstay of America's car culture, died in a crash on Saturday. He was the passenger in a Porsche Carrera GT that crashed in Santa Clarita, California. We'll always remember him as Brian O'Conner in the films, but what will stick with us most is what a genuine good guy he was. And he was a genuine car guy, too. Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and colleagues, as well as those of the driver.

We were fortunate to be able to chat with him at length in May, as "Fast & Furious 6" was about to debut. That interview is below.

My eyes are still as big as saucers as the world slows back down to the pace I knew before Paul Walker's 580 WHP S15 Nissan Silvia introduced my bellybutton to my spine. When I pull into the Always Evolving performance garage, which Mr. Walker runs with pals Roger and Rich in Valencia, California, his eyes are as big as mine -- but his grin is

even bigger.

PW: Is that rad or what!? I really love that S15. It's just ridiculous.

MT: You've never needed to dig too deep to channel Brian O'Conner, the gearhead you play in the four highest-grossing "Fast & Furious" movies, and the soon-to-be-released sixth.

PW: I love "Donnie Brasco" and "Days of Thunder," so after I did "The Skulls" I was like 'I want to be either an undercover cop or I want to race cars!' Universal came to me with a newspaper article about street racing in L.A. and I was like 'Are you kidding me? I grew up doing that right off Peoria in Sun Valley.' They asked if I wanted to do it. There wasn't even a screenplay, there was nothing, but I was like …'F¬*** yeah, I want to do it!'

MT: The franchise has been a benchmark for crazy stunts in Hollywood, with the famous one driving under the 18-wheeler and now in "F&F6," a car crashing out of the front of a crashing plane. What's been your favorite stunt in the series so far?

PW: For me, I'm kind of a stickler for this stuff because as soon we get into the realm of hyper-real, I'm out.

MT: So you're not a fan of the two Dodge Chargers dragging a 10,000-pound vault through downtown Rio de Janeiro?

PW: That was pretty bitchin', I've got to admit, seeing the vault rip through buildings and stuff. But at the same time, I'm one of the people like; 'Ok, how much does that vault weigh right now? What kind of cable do we have dragging it? Pulling it straight from a wall, with no charge or anything?' I'm a hater. I feel like Justin (Lin, the director), as much as he appreciates my mind, sometimes he wants to just kick me in the head and go, 'Dude, just shut up and let it roll. People will love it!' The same thing happened on the sixth one. I'm was like, 'Really? Cars coming out of a f****n' plane that's crashing?'

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MT: That's so awesome though!

PW: I know, I know! But I'm the cosmic killjoy when it comes to this stuff. That's what I bring to the franchise. I have such a critical mind and everything's so technical. I love helping them figure out how to do it and make it look more real. Even though a lot of these guys have been around the cars when we're filming, they haven't lived with cars the way I have; they haven't spent time with cars on the track the way I have. I'm a technical consultant. Justin goes, 'Hey, what do you think about this?' or 'How does that look?' or 'How could this look better?' That's my favorite question!

MT: What's been your favorite custom creation in the franchise?

PW: In "Fast Five," Dennis McCarthy's flatbed rig was badass. What they did with that flip car in "F&F6" is pretty bitchin' too. Dennis is no slouch. He can do it. He's a fabricator himself, so I have a lot of respect for him. The thing I like about him too is if he says yes, it means yes. It doesn't mean maybe and it doesn't mean later it's going to turn into no. Dennis McCarthy is a cool guy and he's really talented. He's obviously got the right team because what they ask for sometimes is…you read sometimes and you're like 'OK, we know what the hokey version looks like, what's the cool version going to look like?' I know that Dennis is going to bring the cool version every time.

MT: Are there any customs you'd like to see in future installments?

PW: Nah. Not so much. I was really excited 'cause in "F&F6" I drive that Ford Escort MK I… Nobody knows what that Mark I is here! I remember on set I was with Tyrese and all the guys, they're like 'Man that's messed up, they gave you the whack car.' And I was like 'No, actually, this is the one I would want to drive.'

MT: What was your first dream car? The first car you really obsessed over?

PW: As far back as I can remember, it was the '70s vintage Porsche RS. That was just such an iconic car, that was the golden era for Porsche and it was just badass. '73 was the last year they had the fixed bumpers; '74 they went to the accordion bumpers. '73 was the year I was born. There was a lot of good stuff there. So I'd have to say specifically the '73 RS.

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MT: Have you driven either of the Toyobaru twins?

PW: Yeah, they're cool. I'm excited to see what's going to come of that car. I mean really, that's the new Silvia when you think about it. As soon as we start making it faster, it'll really be worth paying attention to.

MT: Subaru swears even when they do an STI it won't be turbocharged.

PW: Isn't that a bummer?

MT: Well, they're still fun as is, but I wouldn't mind another 50 HP.

PW: What're you talking about? That car needs 500 horsepower.

MT: What has been your favorite car in the franchise?

PW: I really like the Evo from "2Fast." That car is a lot of fun as a daily driver. They're really quick on the track too when they're set up right. I drove an R35 GT-R at the tail end of "Fast Five" and I drive a 35 in the new movie. As much as I like the 35 it's just…there's just not as much driver input. It's the latest and greatest, but it's also…it pains me to see the manual transmission is going away. We're seeing maybe the last generation or two right now. Fly by Wire and everything, even the throttle, to have a cable going to the throttle is like…that's what I was always complaining about with the E46. On the M3 I hated it. You know, there's just no real driver feedback. Compared to the E36? Oh my god, I think the E36 shits on the E46. I will always say that.

MT: Which is your favorite car in "F&F6?" Which car is everyone going to want see most?

PW: They're not going to want to see mine but I like mine the best. I like the Mark I just because it's such an oddball. Originally it was going to look like a pedigree car with sponsors and banners all over it, and then last minute they decided to ditch all the graphics, and I was like, 'They just took the balls off my car!'

MT: How much of your own driving are you doing for the movies now?