Society requires credentials to operate most vehicles. Passing a simple test allows you to drive a car, a motorcycle or a speedboat. But what about legendary beasts like the supersonic SR-71 fighter jet? Strolling onto the tarmac at an Air Force base and flashing your recreational aviator’s license won’t get you anywhere except jail.

Luckily, writer Steven Leckart and photographer Dan Winters are on it. Even if they can’t get you behind the wheel of a fighter jet, a cruise ship or a monster truck, their gorgeous photo spread in the July issue of Wired takes you inside tricked-out cockpits from some of the coolest vehicles in the world.

In this week’s Storyboard, Leckart, photo editor Anna Alexander and podcast host Adam Rogers discuss the making of the photo essay as well as special iPad-only extras.