Cars, a kid and cool kicks: What makes Utah YouTuber ‘The Burlacher’ tick

You’d think a guy who talks about cars on YouTube, with more than 370,000 subscribers no less, would be super serious about his rides. But Nick Burlacher is not that guy. In fact he’ll tell you, aside from horsepower, he doesn’t even know the specs on his vehicles. 

That’s part of the charm of The Burlacher. It’s not all numbers and stats — even though he’s worked as an accountant his entire professional life. No, instead his channel content is about his life with the cars: running errands, fixing said cars, going golfing and wearing a fine pair of shoes.

Yes, shoes. His garage has shelves of sneakers. He’s been known to put on a fresh pair of kicks to open the video — ala Mister Rogers, minus the singing.

Telling a story

Of course, the majority of his content is about vehicles, some of his own and others he’s driven. And while his wife is happy driving a Subaru Outback, Burlacher’s tastes run a little more high-end. Among his personal vehicles are a 2020 Dodge Challenger Hellcat, a 2020 Shelby F-150 and a 2018 Shelby GT350. See the entire collection in Around the Hood With KSL Cars.

Car tunes

The vehicle that gets the most attention online is his 2007 Ferrari F430. “This is a car I never thought I would ever own,” he said. In fact, when he found it, he wasn’t even looking for one. He was shopping for an Audi R8, his dream car, when he came across the black supercar.

“It was perfect. The price was right, and I pulled the trigger without a lot of thought. I just thought it was super cool. It’s super customized.” That customization includes a red Alcantara suede interior and a bumpin’ sound system. The speakers are directly behind the seats, so when he cranks up the volume, you can literally feel the beat.

Burlacher's 2007 Ferrari, with custom red Alcantara suede interior, is 'pretty fast.' Photo courtesy Nick Burlacher

And driving it? Burlacher said, “It’s pretty fast. It’s light, it’s nimble. It’s a blast to drive. I took it up the canyons into the trees the other day. That was perfection. I think that’s what the Italians had in mind when they built this car, just canyon cruising.” It’s so smooth, in fact, he said he’s reached speeds of 170 mph in it and could still comfortably conduct a business call. 

But the most important factor is that he can fit his 6-foot 6-inch, 280-pound self into it. “I don’t fit in a lot of cars. It’s still a little tight, but I can drive it safely and comfortably, which is awesome.” Sorry Lamborghinis, you’re way too snug.

Search all Ferrari listings on KSL Cars

Better than new

While Burlacher’s vehicles are on the more exotic end of the spectrum, he doesn’t go for the latest models. “I'm not all about having to have the newest cars. There's so many great cars out there from so many different years that it's kind of fun to have different experiences.

“You want all the [technological] goodies that are just advancing so much with cars, but at the same time, a car from seven years ago can be so cool, it can be so epic.” Take, for example, the Ferrari. It’s nearly 20 years old, which makes it unique — and less expensive.

In fact, he said many trucks and SUVs on the road today cost just as much. “Anybody can get one. That's what I like to tell people. Anyone, if you want a Ferrari, you can get a Ferrari, $109,000 and less.” Plus, they usually have low mileage. His has less than 27,000 miles, “which is a lot for Ferraris, because typically owners drive them 1,000 to 2,000 miles a year,” he said.

Customization is part of the appeal of The Burlacher's collection. Photo courtesy of Nick Burlacher

“So, I like the older cars, and I like to find that perfect balance where I can still have Maps or CarPlay or plug in my phone to bounce the tunes. But at the same time, you still get a great driving experience — hear the engine, hear that just growl of a V8. [There’s] nothing better than a V8. Except a V10 or a V12.

“Personally, I think the perfect car to buy is a 1- to 3-year-old car that’s a good deal, because it’s taken a depreciation hit. But it’s still, honestly, new. Now, if I was stacked with cash, yeah, I’d probably just go to a dealership and buy brand new. But that’s not how I roll.”

Change is in the air

Burlacher said his collection will change soon; it’s inevitable when you’re an internet personality. He has plans to create more interesting content for his YouTube channel, and something’s gotta go in order to make way for a couple of new vehicles. He won’t say which one is on the chopping block but, “It’s gonna be a heartbreaker. Emotionally, I’m just not ready to admit yet which one I’m going to sell.”

Incidentally, if you’d like to own one of Burlacher’s vehicles, keep your eyes peeled. “I’m going to list it on KSL, frankly because I’ve listed all my cars on KSL, going back decades. It’s super easy and convenient. Not even a plug for KSL,” he said. “I always like to sell to local buyers.”

See vehicle listings on KSL Cars

Which one would you like to drive? Photo courtesy of Nick Burlacher

Everyone’s a winner

Burlacher said he doesn’t have a favorite vehicle; it’s whichever one he’s currently driving. But we suspect he might be a little more partial to the 2018 Shelby GT350. He calls it his dream car, and something he thought he would need to wait decades to afford. 

“I thought I’d be 60,” he said, but his channel “helped justify the purchase” about five years ago. He said his wife and his friend, James The Stradman (also a YouTuber), ultimately talked him into buying the car.

It came in gray stock, but Burlacher has it wrapped to mimic a Navy Blue Angels jet. “The common question I get a lot is, why? I’m just kind of a weird fan of the Blue Angels. I love jets, I love the armed services, I love America, and it was just kind of a way to show some respect to the Blue Angels.”

Besides, he said, it’s something that gets attention. Wrap your car in a Utah Jazz theme? OK, but “they just say I’m a crazed fan.” Wrap it to look like a Navy jet? That’s a conversation starter.

And a door opener. Burlacher and his father recently took a trip to Colorado to see the Blue Angels. “We got special permission to park next to an F-18 jet, which was super cool. It was kind of a dream come true. I was able to touch the F-18 Blue Angel — got some awesome pictures. That, alone, was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had since doing YouTube.

“That’s something that’s been fun, to get these unique experiences that I never got working in the basement of a business doing accounting, looking at Excel. Even though Excel is incredible,” he said, laughing. 

Baby B has his choice of premium rides but may favor the Shelby F-150. Photo courtesy of Nick Burlacher

Like a jet, it takes some finesse to drive the supercharged GT350. “This is just brute force. It’s so insane. It’s a car that I have to get my mind right whenever I want to take this out on the road, because it’s just such an experience. You’ve got to respect the power.”

Burlacher said fans will be disappointed to learn that he’s not sure how fast it can go, but he may or may not have reached 130 mph in the middle of southern Utah. “These cars, they’re built for those speeds,” he said. In a race with a Bugatti, he said his Shelby hung with it for three seconds — until he chickened out. 

Find Ford Mustang listings on KSL

Family matters

While Bulacher’s vehicles demand attention, there’s no doubt his family comes first. Indeed, his most valued ride may surprise you.

“Now I want to show you all the most important, impressive vehicle I have in my fleet,” he said during our visit with Around the Hood. “And that is the Guava baby run, walk, stroller — whatever. That's Baby B's ride right here. Just a beautiful spec. Black with a little bit of silver. 

“The ride is so smooth. I'm super impressed. It's perfect. The Guava Stroller.” The teasing in his voice is evident, but he’s not totally joking. He’s all in when it comes to fatherhood.

He calls the Shelby truck Baby Burlacher’s ride and the ideal vehicle for his wife and young son. “I needed the perfect vehicle that was good for YouTube, good for social media, but at the same time me, my wife and my baby could ride in safely and comfortably.

“The Shelby F-150 doesn't get better than that. Except maybe a Rolls Royce. I'm shopping for one of those, a used one,” he said. “If you see one, let me know.”

New additions

Followers of The Burlacher will know the truck replaced his purple-plaid wrapped Ford Gen 1 Raptor. He said his 5-foot-3-inch, then-pregnant wife especially appreciated the built-in step on the Shelby. 

Burlacher admits his car buying decisions are heavily influenced by how well they’ll be received on his channel. “When I’m looking for vehicles for YouTube, you’ve got to think ‘what does the audience want?’ So I’m trying to match the audience's desires, what they want to see, with my own passion for cars. And ideally, that’s when everything comes together … and that’s when it’s a lot of fun.”

See Ford F-150 listings on KSL Cars

Neighbors are used to seeing The Burlacher's collection as he makes YouTube content. Photo courtesy Nick Burlacher

Getting an early start

Burlacher’s interest in cars, Ford Mustangs in particular, came from his father. “At one point, [Dad] bought a 1969 Mach 1 Mustang, which was like a dream car for him and a dream car for me because it’s super sick.

“He picked me up from school the day he bought it. I was in 7th grade. He pulled up. A lot of people didn’t care because it was an older car,” he said. “I remember I walked out of Oquirrh Hills Middle School and there he was. Beautiful ‘69 Mustang [in] great shape. I jumped in and went home. That was a really cool experience.

“So it was my dad that got me into cars,” he said, “and we still are.” Today, he and his father are working on a ‘68 Mustang together. Burlacher said he provides the cash and his dad provides the labor.

He’s subtly sharing their interest with Baby B. “He loves car rides, so that’s a blessing because we love to drive,” he said. Although his son has ridden in all of the vehicles, he doesn’t seem to be particularly partial to any of them — not just yet, anyway. 

Shop Ford Mustangs on KSL

In the very beginning

Burlacher has owned a variety of cars over the years, even before starting his cruise to internet fame. There was a BMW X3 and an X5 (the first featured on his channel), some Ford Mustangs, a Honda Accord and a Bentley. He’s had so many, in fact, he’s not sure he remembers them all off-hand. But he does remember the first one that he was most excited about. 

“The most memorable/big purchase/exciting car that I bought with my own money was a 2005 Mustang GT. For me, it always had to be a V8. And when they came out with the new body styles of the Mustangs, that was something that I was like, that is a ticket that I want to be on. 

“And so I bought it shortly after college. And,” he lamented, “I wish I still had that car today. I sold it and have regretted it ever since.”

Find your dream car on KSL Cars

A 1968 Ford Mustang Burlacher and his father own. Photo courtesy Nick Burlacher

What do I know?

Burlacher started his channel at the prompting of his friend, The Stradman, who has over 4.4 million followers on YouTube himself. Since he had appeared in many of Stradman’s videos, Burlacher had the potential for followers. But he didn’t know what to talk about. He didn’t want to copy his friend’s content.

Initially Burlacher considered doing a travel channel, but then realized he didn’t travel all that much. He thought about finance but didn’t feel like he was a true financial expert. Ultimately, he decided, “I just, I love cars. I love hanging out with James in cars. And James and I both acknowledge that I like muscle cars and he likes Lamborghinis.” It’s a different audience, he decided, so there was no actual conflict. Problem solved.

Midlife crisis

As a lifelong muscle car enthusiast, especially Fords, Burlacher surprised himself when he bought a Dodge Challenger. “You can call it my midlife crisis — bad influence from James, if you will,” he said, laughing. “When I say bad, [I mean] great influence. You wouldn’t really expect a boring accountant to be driving this, but it’s a blast.

“I have not touched the engine at all. I’ve only changed the exhaust because, I mean, the power … everything is perfect. I put a wide body kit on it and I got massive wheels, massive tires.”

Although he regularly upgrades his vehicles, Burlacher isn’t a tinkerer. “I get a little frustrated when I try working on cars myself,” he said. “The Hellcat in the garage is in pieces because I’m actually trying to work on it, and it’s a very slow process.” But, he added, “I enjoy watching other people work on my car and doing it the right way, and doing it quickly.”

Usually, he relies on local experts to get his vehicles looking right — and keeping them running. He recommends Premier Complete Auto Care and 218 Automotive for muscle car work. “It’s nice to have a few different shops [where] you know the people, you know the process, you know they’re going to take care of your car and they’re going to do it right.”

Search Dodge Challenger listings on KSL

This Dodge Challenger has seen a few upgrades. Photo courtesy of Nick Burlacher

Goodbye, corporate road

When The Burlacher uploaded his first video in September 2018, putting out content was a side gig. The number of subscribers has grown exponentially over the years, so when his accounting firm was bought out and his first baby was on the way, he started thinking. Should he “stay committed to my family and a day job, or stay committed to my family and YouTube?”

Then, Baby Burlacher “was born with a heart condition that we didn’t see coming … and ended up having open-heart surgery.” The experience definitely helped sway his career decision. Today, Baby B is doing well, but papa B isn’t wasting any time.

“YouTube provides me so much more flexibility to be with my family and to be able to be with my kid more. I'm an older dad. I'm not 20 — I don't know if you guys could figure that out. And so being an older dad, I wanted to be able to make sure I was spending the quality time and not working 10 to 12 hours a day at the office as he's growing up.”

In May 2024, Burlacher was able to fully step away from the office, although he still does some consulting. He’s welcomed the opportunity to spend more time with his son, along with the opportunity to play copious amounts of golf.

“Now my days are mostly filled with my baby, my wife and trying to figure out what video to film next — and trying to figure out how to fix the next car,” he said. “It’s hectic, it’s random, it’s unpredictable. It’s a lot of fun.”

Nick Burlacher shares his passion for cars with friends, including fellow YouTuber The Stradman. Photo courtesy Nick Burlacher

More to come …

While Burlacher spent much of his first free summer out on the links, he has big plans for the future, including much more content. He’s also started another channel, this one to “get more into real life stuff, stuff that really impacts everybody on a day to day.” Topics could include his bad car dealership experiences, for example, and maybe some humorous business experiences — including when a co-worker told him she was armed.

On top of that, Burlacher is working on a new product he hopes to launch. He wouldn’t tell us what it was — he’s saving that reveal for his YouTube channel — but he said it would make life easier and more organized.

Share the road

Despite his big personality on screen, Burlacher calls himself an introvert. So while he may attend a car show by invitation, you won’t find him at the regular events such as Cars and Coffee. It’s too stressful, he said. But you may see him out on the road or at a gas station. When you do, feel free to say hello. He’s happy to chat.

“I love when people say hi to me,” Burlacher said. “So if you see me out on the road, you see one of my cars, if you want to check it out, if you want to sit in it, just say, ‘Hey, what's up?’”

Something else he’s culled from Mister Rogers: It’s nice to share. 

Know someone who has a cool car collection? Reach out to cars@KSL.com.