CadZZilla is a custom car built by Boyd Coddington.
CadZZilla is a custom car built by Boyd Coddington.
Conceived in 1989, CadZZilla is a customized Cadillac, built for Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. The car's appearance was designed by Jack Chisenhall and Larry Erickson. [1] It is acclaimed as one of the great expressions of automotive customization. [2] Drawing inspiration from the lead sleds and Mercury Eights of the 1950s, CadZZilla attracted considerable attention. Hot Rod magazine's Gray Baskerville called CadZZilla "the most incredible transformation he'd ever witnessed", [1] and in their "History of Hot Rods & Customs" the auto editors of Consumer Guide praised it as "the first really new type of custom since the heyday of the 1950s". [3] Coddington's team, led by body man Craig Naff, started with a 1948 Cadillac Series 62 Sedanette. [4] [5] The first sketches were done on a bar napkin. [4] Initially set to feature simple customizations, the vehicle's design was instead radically altered upon Gibbons' request. [4]
The top was chopped. [4] The hood and front fenders were sectioned and combined into a tilt nose. [4] Headlights were frenched [4] and late-model Cadillac taillights frenched into the rear fins. [5] The front bumper was fitted with high-mounted dagmars, with a Moon tank between them in the grille opening. [5] The engine is a 500 cu in (8 L) Cadillac V8 with custom-built Holley fuel injection, mated to a Currie 9-inch (23 cm) rear axle. [4] The exhaust pipes exit through the rear bumper. [5] Springs are Koni coilovers, with a steering box from a 1985 Corvette. [4] The wheels are a 22 in (560 mm)-diameter billet aluminum design by Coddington. [4] The exterior was finished in deep purple from House of Kolor. [4]
CadZZilla cost Gibbons about US$900,000. [5]
The Cadillac Eldorado is a luxury car manufactured and marketed by Cadillac from 1952 until 2002 over twelve generations.
George Barris was an American designer and builder of Hollywood custom cars. Barris designed and built the Hirohata Merc. Barris's company, Barris Kustom Industries, designed and built the Munster Koach and DRAG-U-LA for The Munsters; and the 1966 Batmobile for the Batman TV series and film.
A rat rod, as usually known today, is a custom car with a deliberately worn-down, unfinished appearance, typically lacking paint, showing rust, and made from cheap or cast-off parts. These parts can include non-automotive items that have been repurposed, such as a rifle used as a gear shifter, wrenches as door handles, or hand saws as sun visors. Whether or not so appointed, the rat rod uniquely conveys its builder’s imagination.
American Hot Rod is a reality television series that originally aired between 2004 and 2007 on The Learning Channel and Discovery Channel. The series followed renowned car designer Boyd Coddington and his crew as they built hot rods and custom vehicles at his wheel and car shop in La Habra, California. The show was known for its frequent rows and bust ups, and a high staff turnover rate. Some crew members went to work for Overhaulin's Chip Foose, a former partner of Coddington's, for a more relaxed environment; even Boyd's own son could not work there for long.
The Cadillac Sixty Special is a name used by Cadillac to denote a special model since the 1938 Harley Earl–Bill Mitchell–designed extended wheelbase derivative of the Series 60, often referred to as the Fleetwood Sixty Special. The Sixty Special designation was reserved for some of Cadillac's most luxurious vehicles. It was offered as a four-door sedan and briefly as a four-door hardtop. This exclusivity was reflected in the introduction of the exclusive Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham d'Elegance in 1973 and the Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham Talisman in 1974, and it was offered as one trim package below the Series 70 limousine. The Sixty Special name was temporarily retired in 1976 but returned again in 1987 and continued through 1993.
A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been either substantially altered to improve its performance, often by altering or replacing the engine and transmission; made into a personal "styling" statement, using paintwork and aftermarket accessories to make the car look unlike any car as delivered from the factory; or some combination of both. A desire among some automotive enthusiasts in the United States is to push "styling and performance a step beyond the showroom floor - to truly craft an automobile of one's own." A custom car in British according to Collins English Dictionary is built to the buyer's own specifications.
Boyd Coddington was an American hot rod designer, the owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop, and star of American Hot Rod on TLC.
Chip Foose is an American automobile designer, artist, and star of Velocity's reality television series Overhaulin'.
The Rambler Marlin is a two-door fastback automobile produced in the United States by American Motors Corporation from 1965 to 1967. A halo car for the company, it was marketed as a personal luxury car.
The Detroit Autorama, also known as America's Greatest Hot Rod Show, is a showcase of custom cars and hot rods held each year at Huntington Place in Detroit, Michigan, in either late February or early March.
A continental tire or a continental kit is a term used in the United States for an upright externally-mounted spare tire located behind an automobile's trunk, made popular by the Continental Mark Series, which carried a simulated continental tire until 1998.
Dick Dean, born Richard Dean Sawitskas [Sa-WITS-kas], was an American automobile designer and builder of custom cars. Father of Keith Dean.
The Hirohata Merc is a 1950s lead sled custom car, often called "the most famous custom of the classic era". Setting a style and an attitude, it had a "momentous effect" on custom car builders, appeared in several magazines at the time and has reappeared numerous times since, earning an honorable mention on Rod & Custom's "Twenty Best of All Time" list in 1991. The impact may be measured by the fact that, after more than fifty years and numerous owners, it is still known as "the Hirohata Merc".
In automobile parlance, Tri-Five refers to the 1955, 1956 and 1957 Chevrolet automobiles, in particular, the 150, 210, Bel Air, and Nomad. Revolutionary in their day, they spawned a devoted following that exists in clubs, websites and even entire businesses that exclusively cater to the enthusiasts of the Tri Five automobiles. All featured a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. They remain some of the most popular years for collectors and hot rodders.
Brad Fanshaw is co-star of Speed Channel reality television show, Car Warriors, Season 2, host of Street Rod and Custom Radio by Entertainment Radio Network, an award winning automotive fabricator and CEO/President of Bonneville Worldwide, Inc. and bonspeed 'The California Speed & Design' Studio where he has won design awards from both General Motors and Ford. Fanshaw is credited with coining the phrase, rock-n-roll automotive lifestyle and is business partner with former Van Halen bass player, Michael Anthony.
Ala Kart is a custom car, a customized 1929 Ford Model A roadster pickup, built by George Barris, Richard Peters, and Mike "Blackie" Gejeian in 1957. Originally owned by Peters, it is a two-time winner of the Grand National Roadster Show "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" (AMBR) trophy and Hot Rod cover car in October 1958. Featured in hundreds of car shows, Ala Kart has won more than 200 trophies. It has also made numerous appearances in movies, usually in the background of drive-in shots, and dozens of magazine articles since. It is considered by many to be "one of the most iconic hot rods ever built."
Polynesian is a customized 1950 Oldsmobile Holiday 88 built by Neil Emory and Clayton Jensen at Valley Custom Shop. It was built at the request of original owner Jack Stewart in 1952.
Bill Cushenbery was an American car customizer, show car builder, and model kit designer. Cushenbery was a major influence on the look of custom cars and the customizing industry in general. In addition to building his own designs, he is noted for having helped George Barris create the Batmobile car featured in the 1966–1968 Batman television series.
El Matador is a custom car built by Bill Cushenbery during 1959–1961. It was his first show car.
The Stallion is a customized 1934 Ford 3-window built by Chip Foose for Ron Whiteside. It won the Ridler Award at the 2003 Detroit Autorama.
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