- Never look at the trends or try to start a trend
- Cranking out cool rides with iconic shapes
- SEMA was the place to absorb what Chip Foose is about
A good design is timeless
Chip Foose got his start in the world of hot rods by creating one-of-a-kind custom builds, and helping his dad in his Santa Barbara, CA, auto workshop. His earliest days working on cars came at seven years old, he sanded cars and did a lot of learning along the way, which can only be taught by doing hands-on work.
Trends are something that Chip has always stayed far away from, and avoids, with his car designs. "Never look at the trends or try to start a trend," he added. "If you do, your stuff will look old in two years. Just create a good design, a good design is timeless.
He selected the Pasadena Art Center College of Design, and Chip enrolled there in 1984, quit for a time, went back, and graduated in 1990 with a Major in Automotive Product Design.
He went to work at the design studio ASHA Corp., doing fabrication work and becoming a staff designer. Boyd Coddington was impressed with Chip's work on a 1/4-scale hot rod model he did while at the Art Center, then started working there and moved up to president of the company. In later years, all those seasons with amazing exploits on his show "Overhaulin' " helped make him a "household name" in car circles. Even with all the studio and production time, all the while he was still cranking out cool rides with iconic shapes from his Huntington Beach, CA, shop.
One of Chip's famous lines when talking overall about design is: "I like to design things to where, when you look at it, it looks like that's the way it should have come from the factory".
The impact that Chip Foose has had on the industry is immeasurable, and with his cars at the 2019 Grand National Roadster Show, he was presented as being "the builder of the Decade" award. He was the youngest member of the Hot Rod Hall of Fame, the 4-time winner of the prestigious Ridler Award, and there are too many other trophies and awards to list here.
Here's a recap of his work
The Sniper
The "Sniper" came back in 1996 as a result of one of Chip's quick sketches, transforming a 1954 Plymouth Savoy convertible into the radical ride shown here. A hardtop was fabricated, flush glass, the headlights came from a Mercedes, billet grille, extended hood, deck length stretched, body hung over a custom chassis with Viper V10 and six-speed gearbox. Forest Green and Sage Brown paint to the creative metalwork done on that old Mopar body shell.
F100
Certainly a very special, and sentimental truck to Chip, this 1956 Ford F-100 belonged to his father and when Chip was 13, it became his. After drawing lots of sketches of what Chip eventually wanted to perform on the classic pickup, it was "stolen" in 2005 as part of the Overhaulin' TV Show. With his Dad and a dedicated crew, the truck was restored and given the mods that Chip had daydreamed about but never had the time to do himself. With a Roush V8 engine added, it was unveiled at the 2005 SEMA Show with a great, emotional surprise to Chip!
The Hemisfear
With 16 years in the making, "Hemisfear" started as a senior-year project design study while still attending the Art Center College of Design, done up as a "niche market" car for Chrysler Corporation back in 1990, and it was part supercar, part hot rod and part custom. This creation went on to become the inspiration for the production Plymouth Prowler. As shown in 2021, it's equipped with a 6.4L Hemi engine. A total of five have been built, this Lime Green pre-production remains in the Foose collection.
Boyd Air
Designed when working at Hot Rods by Boyd, this one's called "Boyd Air". It started out as a 1959 Chevy Impala convertible, with a two-inch windshield chop, then four months of metal work and reshaping with 1957 panels, creating a bold car that was 10-inches wider than the Chevrolet made in 1957. The hood was widened 8-inches, the doors are '59 Chevy items stretched five inches, and the '57 Chevy rear quarters had the wheel openings moved forward five inches. Plus an '85 Corvette IRS rear end on a custom chassis, '96 Corvette front suspension, and LT-1 power train also from a '96 Vette. The build was based on the general idea, a "what if," what if Chevrolet had been using the 1959 enlarged size proportions two model years earlier?
MAGNITUDE
The butterscotch and Champagne paint scheme on this 1932 Ford "Muroc" Roadster provides a one-of-a-kind appearance. Independent suspensions from Kugel Komponents and power comes from an LS1 Chevy V8, topped off with a Magnacharger with a built-in intercooler system. The cleverly hidden headlamps that pop out of the front fenders are an innovative way of completely cleaning up the front end.
The Imposter
A C6 Corvette in 1965 Impala skin, the "Imposter". A visit to the local Chevrolet dealership, and a brand-new Corvette was peeled off its body shell with an expert "downsizing" of the Impala body, all done with beautiful proportions. The body was shortened 14-inches, with tons of slicing and dicing. Magnuson supercharger added. This stunning creation melds the classic lines along with the latest GM technology. 2015 Ridler Award winner!
Jag E type
Revealed at the 2019 SEMA Show after a 2.5-year build, this 1974 E-Type Jaguar is strictly a roadster, with no top, or side glass. Gone are the big ugly crash bumpers, new revised extended rocker panels, extended-length trunk lid on a newly formed rear clip, and all kinds of small but effective body tweaks. Instead of retaining the original V12 Jag engine, a more powerful LS3 GM V8 was used along with a GM 4L60-E 4-speed automatic. Dazzling Palm Copper paint and the crown jewel of the car are the billet wheels made to look like wires.
P-32
Starting with a steel Brookville Roadster body, the "P-32" '32 Ford Roadster pays homage to "rat rods" with design elements of WWII-era warplanes. Doors were lengthened 2-inches, with the same amount removed from the quarter panels. Inside is a narrowed dash from a '38 Lincoln Zephyr, with actual "bomber" seats from a B-17 plane. Olive Drag Green hue inside is from the aircraft industry as well. A 1939 Lincoln 292-cid V12 flathead engine powers the aircraft-themed rod and fitted with exposed exhausts that are modeled after a P40 plane. The reasoning behind the build was to imagine if a pilot from the war returned home and missed the time in his plane, so much that he built a hot rod to emulate his old aircraft!
The Grandmaster
The "Grandmaster" is a 1935 Chevrolet 2-door Master Sedan. It was the result of six years of construction time, and has over 1000 modifications to the original body. BASF Glasurit 90 paint, a mix of Millennium Jade over Chip Silver, separated by side chrome trim, Saffron Pearl pinstripe line with Orange Pearl accent line. It won the highest honor at the 2002 Detroit Autorama, the Ridler Memorial Award.
Chevy Cool Air
A 1954 Chevrolet "Cool Air" hardtop. The car rides on an Art Morrison Max-G chassis, C5 Corvette front suspension, power coming from a 427 LS2 powerplant, 530 hp on the dyno. The front bumper is from a '56 Chevy, the headlight eyebrows from a '55 Chevy, and both the hood and decklid have been wedge cut for a lower profile. The paint is a rich, copper finish and cream top. Inside is a '55 dashboard, and custom center console. Billet wheels measure 19- and 20-inch and mimic the '54 Bel Air hub caps. The general theme of the build was to go back in time and for it to be the star of the 1954 GM Motorama.
Cadillac Madam X
Re-bodied from a four-door Sixty Special, this 1939 Cadillac is now called "Madam-X" as a 2-door coupe with an aluminum removable Carson top. The theme was based on a Cadillac concept Car drawing from Harley Earl's studio, a design concept that never existed. Technical highlights include a Corvette Gen V LT1 powerplant, Cadillac 8L90 8-speed automatic transmission, and Camaro ZL1 third member, with C6 Corvette front and rear suspensions. Rolls on billet 18-inch diameter wheels designed to look like original '53 Cadillac wheel covers. It debuted at the 2016 running of the SEMA Show.
Keystone Coupe
This 1933 Ford Coupe started out as an American Speed Company "Speed 33" steel reproduction roadster, then went to Foose Design where it was fitted with a roof to make it a coupe. The fenders, hood, running boards and grille were created at Marcel's Custom Metal, with 714 handling the interior work. It features a custom chassis that has an LS3 Corvette engine tweaked by Street & Performance. The two-tone paint is from the 90-line of BASF Glasurit water base products.
EldoRod
This 1948 Cadillac Eldorado was the first car that Chip drew up for Boyd Coddington, and the last vehicle finished to leave Boyd's Garage in 1997. In 2009 the opportunity came for Chip to re-do the car, "EldoRod," featuring a deep blended Huntington Blue paint, done with20-percent black, creating a very dark hue that provides deep reflections in it. Its white Carson top was added along with the billet wheels, with faux whitewalls, and redesigned grille. Under the hood is a 502-cid big block Chev.
The Stallion
This car in 2003 earned Chip his second Ridler trophy, a 1934 Ford Three-Window Coupe known as "The Stallion". The working of the body included a 3-inch chopped top, 2-inch longer doors , a 4-inch pie-cut, extended hood, smoothened cowl and re-shaped fenders. The front wheels were also pushed forward. A new chassis was fabricated and included a front and rear suspension system. A Grand Sport Corvette LT-4 V8 is the powerplant. "Sedona Fire" was chosen hue, a darker version of a Burnt Orange to be more elegant. To have some additional fun with the theme, it was given "Mercury Monarch" emblems with the thought of "what if" the Mercury brand would have come in '34 instead of 1939?
The Black Bow Tie
With teamwork, this 1935 Chevrolet Phaeton won the coveted "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" award. Known as "The Black Bow Tie," the phaeton body style was know as a touring car, and for 1935 only 217 were produced, with this one completely revised. It rides on a Roadster Shop Chassis, using Ride Tech Shocks and Hyperco Airbags, power from a 383-cid SB Chev with Ram Jet EFU. Curtis Machine Wheels wrapped with wide-white rubber. In history, of all the cars that were awarded the AMBR title, this is the only Chevrolet ever to win. The actual award calls for any car with a removable top and no roll-up side windows, 1907-1936, so yes, it qualified!
The 0032
A 1932 Ford roadster for the new millennium, it became known as "0032" and it won America's Most Beautiful Roadster Award in 2000. Interestingly enough, this same car back in 1996 won the AMBR Award, then it was known as "Boydster II" and was, at that time, a design by Chip as an employee of Boyd Coddington. While the "Boyd Look" was still desirable, the car became owned by a collector, who hired Chip, now on his own, to re-do it. Leaving the body shape alone, but with re-worked fenders, this time around it received a fresh coat of black color along with a new distressed leather interior. An LT1 Corvette engine provides power. A very historically significant vehicle, as it was customized twice by Foose and won top awards both times.
Malone Belair
While it retains a factory look from the outside, this 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible is a lot more than meets the eye. It's equipped with a Roadster Shop chassis, big Baer brakes, LS3 engine upgrade with 4L75E transmission, mini-tubbed, and full leather interior. A special blend BASF Tropical Teal Pearl paint was the chosen color, and upgrade rolling stock as in 18-inch billet wheels that replicate stock '57 wheel covers. The front fenders, doors and the rear quarters were skillfully reshaped by being flattened" for a show car look. This reworked '57 Bel Air was first shown at the 2018 SEMA Show.
The Ford 5-Window Coupe
Debuted at the 2017 SEMA Show, this avocado-hued 1932 Ford 5-window Coupe is the traditional hot rod that had been on Chip's bucket list for a long while. As a kid, Chip's neighbor had one and he thought it was very cool. So when it came time to build one up, the decision was made to keep the body as Henry Ford intended, but add some speed-enhancing features. An H & H flathead V8 with Navarro heads, complete with Italmeccanica roots supercharger, twin carbs, 180-degree tubular headers. All backed up with a Cyclone quick-change rear end. The Mor-Drop front axle provided a lowered stance and the 16- and 17-inch diameter Halibrand-themed wheels from Curtis Speed add to the nostalgic flavor of the car.
Mayberry Camaro
Foose's magic extends to late-model "resto-mod" cars as well, as seen here with the '69 Camaro. A Roadster Shop SP3C chassis was used, Baer Brakes, power comes from a GM Performance LT4 supercharged crate engine. Deep Impact Blue paint, silver stripes, tucked bumpers, custom-shaped bucket seats, ARC Audio sound system and "Star Thruster" wheels by Foose Design. The car debuted at 2019 SEMA Show.
