Chip Foose | |
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 Foose at a SEMA show | |
| Born | Douglas Sam Foose October 13, 1963 Santa Barbara, California, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Automobile designer, television presenter |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | www |
Douglas Sam "Chip" Foose [1] (born October 13, 1963) is an American automobile designer, artist, [2] and star designer of the car-customization reality television series Overhaulin' .
Foose began working on automobiles at age seven for his father's company, Project Design, in Santa Barbara, California. [3] Encouraged by Ford and Preston Tucker designer Alex Tremulis, Foose started to attend the Art Center College of Design in 1982; however, he dropped out after two years due to financial difficulties. [3] After working for four years at Clenet Coachworks, Foose returned to the Art Center to complete his education.
After graduating in 1990, Foose worked full-time for Sterenberger Design and part-time for Boyd Coddington. [4] In 1993, Foose resigned from Sterenberger to work for J Mays at Ford; however, Coddington was able to convince Foose to work for him, instead. [3] Working for Coddington full-time, Foose eventually became the president of Coddington's company, Hot Rods by Boyd. While working for Coddington, Foose designed many of Coddington's well known creations such as Boydster and Boydster II. [4] [5]
In 1998, with Hot Rods by Boyd facing bankruptcy (due to the failure of Boyds Wheels [6] ), Foose left his position and with his wife Lynne started his own automotive and product design company. [3] He first set up in Orange, California, where, as his first project car, he rebuilt Boydster II for Chuck Svatos as the 0032 roadster, which went on to win the America's Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) trophy. [6] By 2000, he had established Foose Design in Huntington Beach, California. [6] [3] Foose's departure from Boyd's was not amicable; in a 2006 interview, Foose stated, "Boyd has chosen to not have any relations with me, since I stopped working at his shop." One of the main reasons for the bitter relationship is claimed to be Foose retained many of the talented builders formerly employed by Coddington; Mike and Charley left Coddington's business shortly after Foose had established his shop. [5]
Foose gained more exposure in 2003 as a result of a TLC documentary on his design and creation of a modified 2002 Ford Thunderbird called Speedbird, [4] [5] and due to his work building Ron Whiteside's 2003 Ridler-winning '34 3-window. [7] In 2004, the TLC program Overhaulin' debuted, with Foose as the star. At the 2005 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, a unique 1969 Foose-designed Camaro convertible was displayed, to be produced in a 300 car run by Unique Performance of Dallas Texas. [8] Press releases announced UP would also be handling the marketing of Foose's other custom car lines, including Hemisfear, along with Foose's 2006 Mustang Stallion. Foose also designed a paint scheme for 4-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Jeff Gordon to promote DuPont's Hot Hues paint line. Foose has since severed ties with DuPont and now promotes the BASF Glasurit paint line exclusively.
In November 2007, Foose officially severed ties to Unique Performance [9] following police action against UP for alleged illegal activities. In 2006, Foose launched a line of die cast replicas of many of his famous designs partnering with the makers of Johnny Lightning in the creation of JL Full Throttle. This company produced copies of many of Foose's famous, award-winning designs, including Grand Master and Impression. In 2002, Foose won the coveted Ridler Award at the 50th Anniversary Show of the Detroit Autorama with Bob and Wes Rydell's '35 Chevy Master, Grandmaster. Impression subsequently won the prestigious Ridler prize. Also replicated were a number of cars from "Overhaulin'". Announced at the SEMA show in 2006 was a pact between Foose and Ford to produce Foose-designed Ford vehicles, the first of which was shown at the 2007 New York Auto Show.
In 2007, Foose began limited production (50 vehicles in total) of Hemisfear. Also known as the Foose Coupe, Hemisfear was designed by Foose in 1990, during his time at the Art Center, and publicly unveiled at the SEMA trade show in November 2006. [5] [10] An earlier design drawing of Hemisfear inspired the Plymouth Prowler. [10] The 2007 Hemisfear was commissioned by a new die cast model car company JL Full Throttle which had partnered with Foose to build both the scale and 1:1 Hemisfear. A Foose coupe[ clarification needed ] was sold along with a design consultation with Foose at the Barrett-Jackson car auction in Palm Beach, Florida at the end of March 2007. The first Foose Coupe Supercar was auctioned for $340,000; sold to Atlanta vintage car dealer and avid car collector Roger Burgess.
Foose was retained as design consultant to provide architects with unique styling elements for the exterior and interior of the $275 million expansion of Detroit's MotorCity Casino, anticipated to be complete by the end of 2007. [11]
Foose helped to start the Ridemakerz customizable toy cars business in 2007.
As of 2010, Foose continues to operate Foose Design and provide design consultations to the Big Three automakers. He has also built the '32 Ford roadster coupe Magnatude. [12] Overhaulin' was canceled at the end of 2009, though reruns still air on Discovery Turbo. Shortly following the launch of the channel Velocity, it was announced that the show would return in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Foose serves as the vice chairman of the Progeria Research Foundation's California Chapter. His youngest sister died of Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome. He has also taken part in numerous children's charities such as Childhelp and Victory Junction Gang Camp. [13] He was named grand marshal of SEMA's Show N' Shine public car show for children's charities. [13]
In November 1997, Foose became the youngest person to be inducted into the Hot Rod Hall of Fame. Additionally, Foose was inducted into the Darryl Starbird Rod & Custom Car Museum Hall of Fame in 2002, the Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame in 2003, the Detroit Autorama "Circle of Champions" [14] Hall of Fame in 2012, and the San Francisco Rod and Custom Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2005. In January of 2019, Foose was recognized as the Builder of the Decade by the Grand National Roadster Show. [15] Foose has also won the following awards for his work:
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Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimized for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made to go much faster." However, there is no definition of the term that is universally accepted and the term is attached to a wide range of vehicles. Most often they are individually designed and constructed using components from many makes of old or new cars, and are most prevalent in the United States and Canada. Many are intended for exhibition rather than for racing or everyday driving.
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 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 Coddington's own son could not work there for long.
Overhaulin' is an American automotive reality television series. The show originally ran for five seasons between 2004 and 2008 on TLC. After a four-year hiatus, sixth season premiered on October 2, 2012 on Velocity and Discovery (Cablevision). In June 2019, it was announced that the show would be returning for a new season on November 16, 2019 on Motor Trend.
Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) of the automobile aftermarket was formed in 1963 by Paul Schiefer, Roy Richter, Ed Iskenderian, Els Lohn, Willie Garner, Bob Hedman, Robert E. Wyman, John Bartlett, Phil Weiand Jr, Al Segal, Dean Moon, and Vic Edelbrock Jr. and now consists of 6,383 companies worldwide, bringing together aftermarket manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers (OEM), media, car dealers, specialty equipment distributors, installers, retailers, and restoration specialists.
A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been altered to either improve its performance, change its aesthetics, or a 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.
Chris Jacobs is a television host and personality. He is the Host of "Long Lost Family" on TLC and also the host of Overhaulin'. For several years, he was an on-air talent for the NFL Network, guest hosting several episodes of "NFL AM" as well as "Up to the Minute" updates. He formerly hosted The Insider and worked as a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight.
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.
Dick Dean, born Richard Dean Sawitskas [Sa-WITS-kas], was an American automobile designer and builder of custom cars. Father of Keith Dean.
The Deora is a 1965 Dodge A100 pickup truck that was heavily customized by Mike and Larry Alexander in Detroit for the 1967 Detroit Autorama. Harry Bentley Bradley, designed the Deora and helped with the build process. After winning many awards, including the Ridler in 1967, it became the prototype for a Hot Wheels car, and plastic model kit. It was sold at auction in 2009 for US$324,500.
Skratch is an American pinstripe artist and “metal fabricator” best known for his work on TVs Overhaulin' and one episode on Hot Rod TV, among at least 3 magazine features.
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.
Troy Ladd is an American designer and builder of custom cars and hot rods from Burbank, CA known for building traditional styled vehicles. After obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Business from Vanguard University, Troy formulated a business plan for Hollywood Hot Rods, taking into account location, size of the building and equipment. In 2002 Headquarters for Hollywood Hot Rods were set up in Burbank, CA. Industry magazines took notice of the cars being built at Hollywood Hot Rods and titles such as Street Rodder Magazine, Hot Rod Magazine and Rod & Custom were responsible for getting the word out about Troy Ladd’s shop.
The Grand National Roadster Show, is a showcase of custom cars and hot rods held each year at the Fairplex in Pomona, California, in either late January or early February.
"America’s Most Beautiful Roadster" or (AMBR) is an award presented annually at the Grand National Roadster Show. It was created by promoter Al Slonaker to recognize the best roadster in-show. The winner's name is engraved on a 9-foot "mega-trophy" that is maintain by the event's promoter, Rod Shows Inc. At that time of its creation, the AMBR Award trophy was the biggest in the world.
Troy Trepanier is an American automobile designer and builder. He is the owner of Rad Rides by Troy in Manteno, Illinois. Among many other awards and accolades, he built the 2007 Ridler Award-winning 1936 Ford three-window coupe, First Love, for Ross Myers.
CadZZilla is a custom car built by Boyd Coddington.
Impact is a custom-built 1934 Ford roadster built by Richard Berg. It won the 2001 America's Most Beautiful Roadster award.
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.
Don Pilkenton is a car customizer based in Ohio, United States. He has built three cars to win the Ridler Award, in 1993, 1996 and 1999. He was the first builder to win the award three times.
