Insightful Videos Featuring Chip Foose or his Work
Awards, Achievement and Movie & Television Credits
Links to On-Line Articles and Other Research Resources
Printed Length: 80-Pages, Word Count: 30,073 (100-Min Read), Images: 276, Video Links 27
MVttS: About ‘Chip Foose’s Garage’
This exhibit features twelve of the autos personally owned by Chip Foose and — I’ve heard told that — he was sincerely humbled, appreciative and enthusiastic about this proposed exhibit and being asked to display his personal cars, all of which have a story that make them special. The twelve include more traditional hot rods, some originally built by his father Sam, as well as some of his own builds, collector cars and even at-least one work-in-progress.
Supporter in Part of ‘What’s in Chip’s Garage”
As we learned for the first time during Chip’s appearance for a Lecture Series event on 10 February 2024, Corky and Theresa Coker’s Honest Charlie’s Garage picked-up the sponsorship of this exhibit at the Savoy. Honest Charlie’s is an internet retailer that still maintains a storefront and garage on Chestnut Street in the Chattanooga historic district adjacent to Coker Tire’s headquarters, noting back in 2018 the Coker family sold the company to Irving Place Capital .
Corky and Theresa retained ownership of Honest Charlie’s and Corky still builds and restores custom hot rods and motorcycles in the original speed shop, while also using it to store and display the Coker’s personal car collection started by his father that has now grown to include over 130 vehicles and even 3 airplanes hanging overhead that we’ve visited and would encourage others to do: it’s an amazing collection, albeit in a more traditional automotive museum setting where the cars are tightly packed, side-by-side, with the massive motorcycle collection on a multi-tiered rack against the walls surrounded by automobilia.
Honest Charlie’s is an internet retailer that still maintains a storefront and garage on Chestnut Street in the Chattanooga historic district adjacent to Coker Tire’s headquarters, noting back in 2018 the Coker family sold the company to Irving Place Capital . Corky and Theresa retained ownership of Honest Charlie’s and Corky still builds and restores custom hot rods and motorcycles in the original speed shop, while also using it to exhibit the Coker’s personal car collection and make the facility available for events. The museum is open for self-guided tours from 10 am to 4 pm on Tuesday- Saturday with tickets priced from $8 for children 4-12, $12 for adults and $10 for seniors, college students, first responders, active duty military, and veterans (ID required). It was well-worth it, especially when combined with a visit to the nearly Tennessee Aquarium that made for a full day’s visit.
What follows is an abbreviated version of my Chip Foose narrative compiled from dozens of interviews, articles and features published on public internet-based sites.
My ‘Abbreviated’ Chip Foose Narrative
Disclaimer: What follows is an abbreviated version of my Chip Foose narrative compiled from dozens of interviews, articles and features published on public internet-based sites. Please be mindful that, while doing my research, I ran into many instances where there were conflicting dates, years-of-age, timing or sequences of event, names of companies, occupations and various other details. I have in most cases found enough supporting information for the information I have included in my narrative, or otherwise resolved the discrepancies to the best of my abilities. That said, I suspect there are still some lingering errors or events out of sequence, if not missing details. I welcome feedback from those who find errors and can provide the corrective dates, facts, sequence of events or missing information and will endeavor to promptly make corrections.
Early LIfe: Born on 13 October in 1963, Douglas Sam Foose, better known by his nickname “Chip” — after being instantly called ‘Chipper” by his mother Terry when he was born, as he had big round ‘chipmunk’ cheeks— grew-up in Santa Barbara, California. Having been born into the automotive, hot-rod and world of custom cars, he was immediately drawn to the industry and at a very early age demonstrated a gift for drawing, design and quickly learned the trade working alongside his father Sam at their home shop, and later at his father’s auto repair and hot rod shop, Project Design in Santa Barbara.
Education &, First Paying Jobs: After graduating from high school, Chip applied and was accepted at the prestigious ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, and attended classes from 1982 to 1985. For various reasons, he tookwhat became a break in studies during which time he quickly found work in the automotive design industry, first as a free-lance designer for several small firms and then Baker Sportronics. His work for Baker led to a position as adesigner with Stehrenberger/Clénet Automotive R&D Studio — later acquired and renamed Osher Corporation –– while also working part-time to pursue his passion for auto design and fabrication in the evenings and weekends at Hot Rods by Boyd for Boyd Coddington, another auto industry and hot rod culture icon.
Lynne Foose: It was also during this time when he met Lynne Pouliet, who grew-up in Santa Barbara and recently graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1988. After graduating at the age of 23, she and one of her brothers opened a small pizza franchise where she was managing the business aspects of the restaurant while her brother ran the kitchen and food service. It’s noteworthy Lynne’s mother, Mary Sue, was a very high-achiever through high school, college and in the professional world of entertainment, radio and business who her family characterized as woman of great tenacity and ambition. After dating for a while, Lynne compelled Chip to return to the ArtCenter to compete his formal training and in 1990 graduated with honors, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Transportation Design. Following graduation, he proposed to Lynne in 1991 and the two were married on 9 August 1992, making their home in Orange County, California where Chip had taken a full-time position at Hod Rods by Boyd.
Hod Rods by Boyd: It was during his time at Hot Rod by Boyd’s when the business came into financial difficulties. Boyd Coddington founded Boyd’s Wheels 1988 and took it public just ahead of an automotive industry down-turn in late 1996-1999. A ten-month slump in business coincided with a $464,700 loss that was incurred when a major customer filed for bankruptcy in October 1997 pushing Coddington’s businesses into insolvency. Chip replaced Coddington as the managing director / president of his business in November 1997, prior to the formal filing for bankruptcy in January 1998 after running-out of cash. Purported not having been paid in some time, Chip eventually left Boyd’s at the end of 1998, about the same time his wife Lynne shared she was pregnant with their first child.
Foose Designs: Lynne and Chip decided to formally co-found Foose Design in late 1998, with Chip as the CEO and talent, and Lynne — who had recently earned her juris doctors degree, joined the State Bar of California and opened a private family law practice in 1997 – as the CFO, and shared the duties normally performed by a Chief Operating Officer (COO) with Chip. It’s noteworthy Lynne’s mother — Mary Sue, a very high-achiever through high school, college and in the professional world of entertainment, radio and business who her family characterized as woman of great tenacity and ambition – was who she credited as her role model, mentor and the one who gave her the confidence she needed early on in her career to ensure Foose Design’s start-up and long-term success.
Foose Design was first located in a small garage in Orange, California.
After quickly securing firm work and growing the business during 1999, they leased and moved into a much larger shop space in a Huntington Beach industrial park that became the new headquarters for Foose Design.
It was during this time when their first of two children, Brock Foose, was born on 1 September 1999. I believe I’ve heard said, Brock was named for Shelby American, Inc. designer Peter Brock, whose work had a strong and lasting influence on Chip.
Foose Design was extremely successful early-on with the 1935 Chevrolet “Grand Master” roadster built for client Wes Rydell that won the prestigious Don Ridler Memorial Award in 2002.
Foose Design would go on to build cars for clients that would win it again in 2003 and then in 2005, becoming only the second builder to have won the award three times, but remarkably in the span of just 4-years with a record-setting fourth in 2015.
Foose Design would be involved in automotive illustration, graphics, ideation, model making, surfacing and the complete construction of automobiles and related products for television, film, automobile manufacturers and had a backlog of projects for very wealthy and successful clients, many from the auto industry.
Rides’ and Overhaulin’: Chip Foose’s experience with film and television work began early, starting with designing and building cars with his father and industry icon Gene Winfield for television and major motion pictures such as Blade Runner and RoboCop then later, Gone in 60 Seconds and others. This familiarity with Hollywood, and perhaps an extensive network of his and his father’s friends and associates, may have been what brought-about comedian-turned-actor Christopher Titus hiring Chip as a consultant for his Titus’ sitcom by the same name, where ChrisTitus played a custom car shop owner with a dysfunctional family. While working on the sitcom, Chris Titus asked Chip to do some upholstery work on his’ 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air and evolved into a 3-year-long, major re-make of his car by Chip, with a lot of help from Chip’s father Sam Foose.
Chip was first approached and asked if he’d like to co-host the series “Monster Garage” with former co-worker Jesse James from Hot Rods by Boyd; however, after the concept and first two build projects were shared with him, he politely declined the role: something he characterized as the one of his best decisions.
However, he was asked for his ideas on what type of a program he felt would be a better fit, and shared the concept for the documentary/biography series that became the series RIDES’ where the producers moved between builders in the greater Los Angeles hot-bed of hot-rod shops and custom car builders over the course of a year to develop the series and first ten episodes.
It wasn’t long-after when Chip was featured in The Learning Channel (TLC) network’s 2003 pilot for RIDES’. Chris Titus began the program with featuring Chip’s work on ‘The Jester’ — Titus’ nearly completed 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air — with several of Chips other award-winning vehicles featured in the biography that first aired on 19 March 2003.
Based on the viewer response to the Rides pilot, and as Lynne Foose recalled in an interview, “In 2003, when I was pregnant with our second child Katie, we were approached by a producer to create a reality TV show, where a car would get stolen, redesigned and fixed up in one week. The show was called Overhaulin’ and got picked up by The Discovery Channel and aired on TLC.
The first episode of Overhaulin‘ aired 10-weeks after Katie Foose was born on 16 February 2004.
It ran for a total of 10 seasons with 127 episodes between 2004 and 2012, with two breaks in production.
The success of the show and Foose’s popularity and talent as a designer and fabricator led to several more made-for-TV automotive enthusiast-focused programs hosted by Chip.
Disney: His public persona brought about an introduction to the world of Disney and licensing opportunities when the Pixar movie Cars director John Lasseter brought Chip on as a consultant and designer for paint schemes and graphic treatments to Cars after Lasseter saw the Titus Nomad’s ‘flame job’ and the Ford Thunderbird ‘Speedbird‘ built for SEMA 2002. He was also involved with Cars 2 and established a business relationship with Disney in 2011 and2012 showcasing and marketing Foose original artwork based on Disney characters and images and even the design of the Cars-based ‘Radiator Junction’ Theme Parks.
A Complex Business: A lot has happened since then. As far back as 2003, the Foose Design world became increasingly complex and based on the various interviews, quotes and comments that were captured in published articles, there was growing tension between Lynne Foose, who was trying to raise a family, run the very complex business and do so while Chip — an admitted workaholic – was totally immersed in project development, design, fabrication in the Foose Design shop, as well spending an inordinate amount of time on the filming of the Overhaulin’ projects in a nearby, but separate shop and traveling to make appearances all around the country and the like.
Carson Lev & RedPhin Productions: In 2006, Foose Design formally retained Redphin Productions, a father-son a marketing and brand management agency founded by Chip’s friend Carson Lev with his son, Aaron. Carson founded Redphin to manage several aspects of Foose Design’s business, initially working as their licensing agent. Chip first met Carson in 1994 at Hot Rod by Boyd’s when Carson was developing a CNC-machine and software to produce aluminum alloy wheels. Chip and Carson quickly became fast friends as — despite Carson being 10-years older than Chip — they had both been born into the hot rod culture. In an interview, Lynne Foose shared how, “Redphin Productions became such a key player in our success. They are an absolutely amazing father and son team who have helped build the Foose name into a worldwide brand,” she continues. “I met regularly with Carson and Aaron to discuss potential licensing and sponsorship deals from major Fortune 500 companies. Together we worked to negotiate the best deal possible, that allowed both parties to experience a win-win relationship.”
On 11 October 2006, Foose Design announced the appointment of Carson as its new vice president and chief operating officer (COO), relieving Lynne of the added burden of running the company’s day-to-day operations, including the management of design projects, scheduling and staffing. Lev would continue to manage their licensing programs and agreements, including Chip Foose’s role on the popular Overhaulin’ and Rides television shows. Clearly, bringing Carson – something of a renaissance man who was degreed in industrial design, a hot rod enthusiast and builder, as well as a seasoned entrepreneur and businessman— on-board lifted a tremendous burden off Lynne. Moreover, he provided both Lynne and Chip with someone involved in the day-to-day management of the business whom they individually shared many personality traits: he may have been the keystone that kept the Foose Design business out of troubled-waters, while also creating new business opportunities.
A lot has happened since 2006 that I cover in my detailed narrative, perhaps most notably that Chip and Lynne legally separated a while back and were recently granted a divorce. However, more recently, Chip met artist and designer Kathleen Jewell while house-hunting and are in a committed relationship In fact, we were pleased to see Kathleen joined Chip for his trip to Georgia and the Savoy Lecture Series event featuring Chip on 10 February 2024. Also an artist, she has clearly become a beloved partner who share their interests and are looking forward to a future together.
The more detailed version of my narrative that continues past 2006 can be found below, or can be ‘jumped-to’ at this LINK.
The Savoy’s Lecture Series & Chip Foose with Ken Gross
Ken leads Chip through an insightful and enjoyable oral biography
Miscellaneous Comments and Quotes Left On The Cutting Room Floor
The Average Day: When Foose is working, he performs a variety of tasks, doing different things in different places. Every day is a new challenge and a new story, so his itinerary varies greatly. Foose enjoys that part of his job and thinks it’s great. “My day is different every single day,” Foose said.” I may stay home—I have a studio at home. Last night, I was in the shop until one in the morning.” [Hot Cars, July 2020]
How Big it Too Big? Foose Designs has a two-bay garage stretching a modest 5,000 square feet. His reasoning is that he likes to keep things manageable and actually develop close working relationships with his employees. [MotorTrend Interview, 2006]
On Drawing with a Sharpie Pen as Chip Does: “Who the heck draws with Sharpie permanent markers? You have to have a steady hand and a finality to your pen lines and designs. Sharpies are to mark things that are permanent, like clear plastic baggies with parts names and locations on them. Other artists and designers use their own medium for the starting point. Joe Martin and Dave Kindig come to mind. But Sharpies in color? That is confidence and a terrific artistic work. Kudos to those artists, designers, and builders.” [Junji Nakamura, a journalist who first met a 7-year-old Chip in 1970, commenting on his skills in May 2020]
Chris Titus on Knock-Offs of Chip’s Designs: As a comedian, “Jay Leno said to me once, you have to keep writing comedy… people steal your jokes. You’ve got to write faster than they can steal. And, that’s what Chip does, he designs faster than they can steal it… and then they come out with a new thing and Chip’s two years ahead of them again.” [RIDES’ Season 1, Episode 1, 19 March 2003]
“P-32 was a personal project of Chip’s, an homage to rat rods and the design elements of WWII era warplanes. Chip always wondered, what if a pilot returned from the war and missed his plane so much that he built a hot rod to emulate his old aircraft? So began his first thoughts related to P-32. Not until Chip had a break from the Overhaulin’ show was he able to customize this distinctive vehicle.
Starting with a ’32 Ford and a Brookville body, Chip made certain body mods in order to achieve a lower stance. He also lengthened the doors 2 inches, taking 2 inches out of the quarters. All the stitch marks, hammer marks and welds were left untouched, just as they did when they made repairs to warplanes being serviced during war time.
A flathead Lincoln V-12 provides the power and the exposed exhaust manifold tips are modeled after those of a P40. A custom nosepiece and olive drab paint meant to match aircraft primer continue the aviation theme. The interior even features bomber seats from an actual B-17!”
“For Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) 2017, Chip Foose kicked it off with the week’s first reveal, his personal 1932 Ford five-window. Taking a break from his contemporary hot rodding style, the Deuce sits with its roof posts un-chopped with its fenders attached. Hell, it even wears a single-stage paint job. This upright, tastefully conservative Deuce looks fresh out of SEMA 1932, if there was one back then.
And for the most part, that was Chip’s goal. “The whole theme was: ‘What if there was a SEMA trade show in 1932?’ Like if you took a brand new car, did wheels and tires, suspension, brakes, and some performance goodies,” he said. “We wanted to keep what was great about a ’32 Ford.”
“A friend of mine owned this car for 50 years,” Chip explained. “But he had it in his for the last 38 years. I knew it was a survivor car, it had only one paint job over the original, and they had a little four-cylinder in it. Because the car was so nice, I didn’t want to modify the body change it and hot rod it because you can go buy a brand-new five-window ’32 coupe now from United Pacific. If you want to modify [a ’32 Ford], go modify that one.”
The interior is also pre-war-stock, with the original dash, gauges, steering wheel, and even the starter button present and accounted for. Chip’s Duce sits on a set of 18-inch Curtis Speed wheels, which mimic those iconic Halibrand wheels.
“It’s been a pleasure to build one of the cars I’ve wanted since I was a little kid,” Chip recalled. “One of my father’s friends had a five-window coupe, and I thought it would be so cool to have one, one day; and today’s that day.”
In 1932, Ford introduced their new range of full-size V8 powered cars. For 1932, this new V8 powered car was known as the Model 18, and then as the Model 40 from 1933 until 1934. This range of cars was available in a wide range of open and closed body styles, and featured power from a 3.6L V8 engine. As well as standard car body styles, pickup variants were also offered, and were known as the Model 46. Production lasted until 1934, when these cars were replaced by the Ford Model 48 & 68. Hot rods and custom vehicles from this period can be found in the Ford Hot Rod market. Cars with a 4 cylinder engine were known as the Ford Model B.
MPL Commentary: There’s not a lot of information out there on this specific ’32 Ford Roadster, but what makes it unique in this collection is its originality. Other than changing-out the tires to give it a staggered look, i.e., taller and wider rear tires and standard size front, aka., ‘big and little’ tires.The car looks to be both stock and, while not a true survivor, it’s an older restoration showing a very nice patina with fading and imperfections / routine nicks, dents and scratches and maintains most of its original features, notwithstanding the additional four rows of louvers added to the top of the engine cowl.
The car was acquired by chance during a social event not too long ago, when Chips significant other, Kathleen, accompanied him to an event where they saw this car and Kathleen — having disclosed she’d never ridden in a classic 30’s era Ford roadster hot rod was encouraged to go for a ride. She was thrilled by the experience and after a little back and forth, Chip ended up buying the Roadster for Kimberly, so it’s technically on loan from Kimberly Jewell’s private collection, not Chip’s.
In 1932, Ford introduced their new range of full-size V8 powered cars. For 1932, this new V8 powered car was known as the Model 18, and then as the Model 40 from 1933 until 1934. This range of cars was available in a wide range of open and closed body styles, and featured power from a 3.6L V8 engine. As well as standard car body styles, pickup variants were also offered, and were known as the Model 46. Production lasted until 1934, when these cars were replaced by the Ford Model 48 & 68. Hot rods and custom vehicles from this period can be found in the Ford Hot Rod market. Cars with a 4 cylinder engine were known as the Ford Model B.
MPL Comments: From the video linked below, Chip describes his 1934 Ford “Woody” as a car he purchased in Georgia that’s slated to receive the Columbia two-speed rear-end he has sitting in his shop but, at present, was otherwise mostly a mostly stock truck that has had the sheetmetal restored and repainted with its all-original wood passenger compartment body showing a great patina that appears to have been fitted with the rare, canvas windows.The flathead V-8 engine remains mostly stock with the truck’s odometer showing 11k original miles, with some recently-added, mild custom performance parts ; however, the front axle has been dropped and the wheels have been fitted it with a set of staggered tires, i.e., taller and wider rear tires and standard size front, aka., ‘big and little’ tires.
Sadly, Chip’s Woody did not have the rare, slide-down canvas & clear cellulose windows sitting in their roof tracks in evidence. But, if it did they would have looked like this in the ‘up’ and “down” position:
A ’33 Ford with the Rare Canvas Slide-Up Windows in the Down Position
The right and left passenger doors still show ‘shadows’ or what was likely hand-painted lettering that spells-out EDGECLIFF as a single name in all capital letters. Given the patina of the wood body, it’s likely lettering that was applied early, when the wagon was newer and, being just a single name, there aren’t too many places or institutions with the name ‘EDGECLIFF.’ The most-likely candidate I could find was Edgecliff College, a private Catholic women’s college located in Cincinnati that was founded in 1935. I could easily imagine such an institution having a Woody Wagon early-on as a multi-purpose vehicle to support the small college, that that’s purely a guess based on the process of elimination.
Additional Information Found on the Internet
This video will start at the point where Chip talks about his ’34 Ford Woody Station Wagon
In 1932, Ford introduced their new range of full-size V8 powered cars. For 1932, this new V8 powered car was known as the Model 18, and then as the Model 40 from 1933 until 1934. This range of cars was available in a wide range of open and closed body styles, and featured power from a 3.6L V8 engine. As well as standard car body styles, pickup variants were also offered, and were known as the Model 46. Production lasted until 1934, when these cars were replaced by the Ford Model 48 & 68. Hot rods and custom vehicles from this period can be found in the Ford Hot Rod market. Cars with a 4 cylinder engine were known as the Ford Model B.
MPL Comments: This is a well-restored, mostly original-looking ’34 3-window coupe recently acquired by Chip in 2023. A gal shot the video linked below that was uploaded on 27 August 2023 where she makes mention that when Chip shared some details regarding the restored but still cosmetically-correct-looking coupe he said this was, the car his dad always wanted and never had… and added, it was now his wife’s car, perhaps a left-handed comment. Regardless, the car presents extremely well with the only obvious changes being the same staggered stance achieved by fitting oversized rear tires to the car and what I suspect is a slight drop of the front axle.
Your more ‘typical’ client’s 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe, once it’s been ‘Foose-i-fied’ along the lines of so many of his builds that may be what many visitors to the Savoy would be expecting to see at this exhibit. This one in the ’32 Lil Foose Coupe and was built for Chuck Svatos, a very important client to whom Chip remains grateful for his support of ‘Foose Design’ in the early years. Don’t fret if you were one of those, there’s already an exhibit in the works for 2025 that will feature some of the many award-winning cars Chip has produced for clients over the years…
In 1932, Ford introduced their new range of full-size V8 powered cars. For 1932, this new V8 powered car was known as the Model 18, and then as the Model 40 from 1933 until 1934. This range of cars was available in a wide range of open and closed body styles, and featured power from a 3.6L V8 engine. As well as standard car body styles, pickup variants were also offered, and were known as the Model 46. Production lasted until 1934, when these cars were replaced by the Ford Model 48 & 68. Hot rods and custom vehicles from this period can be found in the Ford Hot Rod market. Cars with a 4 cylinder engine were known as the Ford Model B.
MPL Comment: An amazing car that looks far better in person that it does in photos, with a older but still stunning almost 30-year repaint being the only change that has been made to the original customization work by Sam Foose in 1975-1976. I was able to find a high-enough resolution photo of a July 1977 MotorTrend article on the car and if you click on the images below and open them in a new window, the resolution is good enough to allow easy reading of the article and original car’s specifications, i.e., I’m not going to transcribe them since they’re readable.
The Ford Deluxe and Super Deluxe were a series of full-size cars introduced for the 1941 model year. This new series of full size Fords, along with their entry level ‘Special’ variants, was offered in a wide range of body styles, such as sedan, coupe, convertible, sedan delivery, and station wagon. Whereas previous generations of full-size Fords had been offered exclusively with V8 engines, the Deluxe & Super Deluxe family saw the addition of a more economical 3.7L inline six unit alongside the established 3.6L and 3.9L V8 engines. Due to WW2, production was halted early in 1942. After the war, production resumed for 1946 with a mechanically identical model to 1942’s offerings. The most notable post-war variant was the Ford Sportsman, a limited production wood panelled convertible. Ford built the Deluxe & Super Deluxe series of cars until 1948, when they introduced their new line, headed by the Ford Custom Deluxe. Ford also produced a range of Pre-War Pickups based on the full-size platform during these years, with these trucks becoming the F-Series in 1948.
MPL Comment: The 1943 Willys Jeep Chip traded was an MB military model he recently acquired at an auction for this well-restored, mostly stock 1956 Ford Fairlane Club, 2-door sedan with the OEM optional ’55 & ’56 wire wheel covers. The interior features a premium patterned fabric and ribbed padding, but the front seat cover just doesn’t look quite right, i.e., the seat portion’s ribs appear to have become loose and bunched-up.
The one thing not mentioned in the reader board is that this is a 1st generation Ford Fairlane, introduced in 1955 when the full-size Fairlane model name replaced the Crestline model name. The top-of-the-line model was the Fairlane Crown Victoria and the model line came in six different body types; 4-door and 2-door sedans, a coupe, a convertible ‘Sunliner’ and the ‘Skyliner’ with a transparent plastic roof and the four-door station wagon. All of the Fairlanes featured the trademark stainless steel, stylish body side molding. The engine options were the standard 223 cid straight-6 in base models, an optional 272 cid V-8 Y-block, and there was also the optional 292 cid Y-block ’Thunderbird V-8′ that this particular, well-optioned Fairlane Club Sedan is fitted-with, with it’s red, bird-shaped fender badge at the right front fender ahead of the front tire.
It was in 1956 a four-door Victoria hardtop model was added a larger, 312cid Y-Block ‘Thunderbird’ V-8, the ‘Lifeguard’ safety package was added, as mentioned on the reader board, and a two new body style changes were made: the two-door Victoria hardtop featured a new and slimmer roofline, and a one-year only two-door ‘Parklane’ station wagon with the Fairlane-level trim was introduced in response to Chevrolet’s 1955-1957 Bel Air Nomad 2-door wagon.
Ford introduced the Fairlane for the 1955 model year. The Fairlane was one of Ford’s premium offerings, replacing the Ford Crestline as the top full-size model. A range of body styles were available, including convertible (Sunliner), clear roof hardtop (Skyliner), and hardtop (Victoria). The most notable first generation offering was the Crown Victoria, which was the top trim level available. In addition to the standard 3.7L inline six engine, a few V8 options could also be selected. Production of the first generation Fairlane lasted until 1956, when it was replaced by the Second Generation Ford Fairlane.
“Chip Foose’s personal 1956 Ford F-100 is more than a truck, it’s a member of the family. Originally his father Sam’s shop truck, Chip bought the vehicle at the age of 13. He spent the next 3 years rebuilding and restyling the pickup, settling on a root beer brown paint color. It became his daily driver throughout high school and his early college years.
After years of use and storage, the vehicle eventually made its way to the front lot of the Foose Design shop where it sat for a few years. But the truck was never out of Chip’s thoughts. He drew sketches and concepts of how he would like to customize to the vehicle, if his hectic schedule ever afforded him the time.
In 2005, as part of the show Overhaulin’, which featured Chip as co-host and lead designer, the truck was “stolen” from the Foose Design lot. Unbeknownst to Chip, his dad Sam led a team of builders and designers in reforming the ’56 into the truck it is today. They were able to use Chip’s drawings as their design template.
Nearly every panel was reshaped, reformed or cut. The cowl was sectioned, the hood was pie-cut, the front wheels were moved forward, the rear fenders were widened and raised up, the cab was section cut 3 inches at the rear window and the front fender wheel opening was moved up. A Roush NASCAR racing motor, serial number 1, was installed and one-off wheels were cut.
When the completed truck was unveiled at SEMA 2005 in Las Vegas by Jack Roush, Chip’s emotions overwhelmed him. The Ford is again one of Chip’s daily drivers and he looks forward to the day when his son Brock will inherit this family heirloom.”
As with many popular models, the 2nd Gen F-Series was commonly used as a base for Custom cars by automotive enthusiasts. Due to the timeless look of these cars, they have been customized by a wide range of people, including professional builders to amateurs.
FooseDesign.com“Chip took his personal 1967 Chevy C-10 truck and dropped in an original ‘67 Camaro Z/28 motor. Inspired by the new engine, Chip wondered, what would a Chevy sport truck package built around Camaro performance have looked like in ‘67? From there, he created his vision of a “C/28” package.”
Additional Information Based on Articles Found on the Internet
While Chip’s ideal starting criteria for the C/28 was a 1967 Chevrolet truck with a panoramic style cab with the larger back window, original paint not for the reasons you might guess, and a manual transmission, those were as noted, ‘foundational’ for the project as the truck would be torn-apart and take a trip through the body-shop and given a repaint in an original, color-matched finish — to include the application process — and a completely reworked drivetrain. But the result was a ‘factory-looking’ 1967 truck that ‘could have been’ produced by Chevrolet in 1967.
You can find the 8-part Video Series that takes you through the entire relatively-short, five-month C/28 build so you can see everything that was done, and how it was done at the following link.The link is actually a search string on Foose Design’s YouTube page that brings up all eight of the videos at the top of the list, just not necessarily in numerical order… but it’s close enough: Foose Design 1967 Chevy “C/28” Project
My Summation of the Build Project based on Several Articles
The 1967, Chevrolet 302cid Small Block
The idea for this project came about when Chip found a small block engine for sale and when they checked the serial number, it turned-out to be one of the very-rare, small-block 302cid engines produced for the 1967 Chevrolet Z/28 program, of which only 602 were produced, as part of an effort to homologate the Camaro for SCCA racing, to compete against the Ford Mustangs, meeting the FIA homologation rules for producing at least 1,000 units by ‘bundling’ the 302cid model and 350cid Camaro model in their application.
The ‘What if” and the C/28’s Grand Forks, North Dakota, Rydell Chevrolet Dealer Emblem
While he could have put the 302cid small block into a Camaro of the right age to build a ‘tribute’ model, or in an original ’67 Z/28 chassis that needed a proper, numbers-matching engine, it was in 2017 when he got it his mind to build a one-off, “What If” custom vehicle that didn’t exist at the time: a super-sport truck model, like the Dodge Warlock and Lil’ Red Pick-Up ‘Muscle Trucks’ that were introduced in the late 1970s.
Note that, one of Chip’s best customers and the gentleman who had Chip build his first Riddler Award winning ‘Grand Master’ in 2002, Wes Rydell and his son Bob. Wes is the second-generation owner of the largest GM dealership enterprise in the midwest, noting his father Leonard Rydell had originally opened his first car dealership in Montgomery, Minnesota during the 1940’s and, in 1954, moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota at Chevrolet’s request to the run dealership there. In 1976, Wes acquired the dealerships from his father and carried-on the ‘Leonardism” ways that enabled him to grow and expand the enterprise, which now has over 83 dealerships in 17 states.
This nicely played into the idea of having a motivated Chevrolet dealer — along the lines of Don Yenko and Fred Gibbs who built the famous and extremely rare, high-performance Camaros using the General Motors ‘Corporate Office Production Order’ or COPO process developed for fleet and small-special production run vehicles like taxi cabs, police cars and every the Mary Kay Cosmetic Cadillacs –– to create the high-performance, straight-line COPO Camaros in the late 1960’s. Had Wes owned Rydell Chevrolet in 1967 and perhaps been friends with GM engineer Vince Piggins who was deeply involved with the development of the Z/28 program, what would they been able to develop and offer as a ‘sport truck’ with the fabled Z/28’s 302cid engine? So, there you have a strong Chevrolet connection, and why Chip’s C/28 wears a Rydell Chevrolet dealership emblem on the tailgate.
Why the Z/28 was Called a Z/28
Incidentally, if you didn’t know… the Z/28 got it’s name from the sequentially-assigned General Motors Regular Production Order (RPO) that was generated to build the limited run of Camaros that came right after the one that was used when someone ordered a Z/27 Camaro Super Sport package, RPO number Z/28. It somewhat weakens the case for a C/28 model truck — the hybridization of a C10 pickup truck model and a Camaro Z28 model — but at least you now now why a Z/28 is called a Z/28, if you didn’t already know where those ZL-1, ZR-1, L88, etc., numbers came from.
And, yes… back in 1967-1969, the Z/28 had the forward-slash in the model designation just as it did in on the RPO paperwork, but it was dropped from both in 1970. The Camaro was discontinued in 2002, then brought back in 2009 and in 2014, they added-back the Z/28 with the slash; BUT… the Camaro and Z/28 are both going-away — for good, we’re told — at the end of the 2024 production year this summer.
Finding the Donor C-10 Truck & Reworking the Z/28 – 302 Engine
It was on 29 November 2017 when Chip and found and gone to Pacific Classics in Mount Vernon, Washington, who had a one-owner, 1967 C10 short bed truck with a straight body and the RPO L30 – 327cid optional engine. In one version of the story, he traded a newer Ford F150 for the Chevy C10, but regardless of how it was acquired, shortly thereafter the C10’s 327 engine blew up. While at one time Chip had considered using the 302 Z/28 motor to build a custom, Camaro-based sport truck like an El Camino, he now realized he now had a 1967 C10 pick-up’s original date-coded 327 engine block’s casting number was only a few numbers away from the the date-coded casting numbers on the 302-inch Z/28 engine’s block, indicating both blocks left the foundry in a relatively narrow time frame. This is when the What-If C/28 Project really took-off.
It was a somewhat fast, five-month build that he was targeting to debut at the 2018 SEMA show in Las Vegas. When he had the 1967-era 302 rebuilt, he spec’d it so it would be fully compatible with contemporary pump-gas, by lowering the compression, installing updated hydraulic roller camshaft with low-profile rockers that would fit beneath the stock valve covers, porting and polishing the stock heads, porting the intake and opening the exhaust to fit the D-shaped ports on period-correct rams horn exhaust manifolds so, externally, the engine still retained its original appearance. Bostick Racing Engines balanced and blueprinted the 302 engine fitted with the appropriate Corvette 30/30 camshaft and camelback heads to factory stock specs.
The Body and Chassis Rework
After the motor was blown and the truck became the donor vehicle for the C/28 project, the bed, cab, fenders, hood and tailgate were pulled-off the frame and the frame was stripped-down to bare metal, or blown apart in body shop terminology.
The frame was given a fresh, black powder coated finish with a new, aftermarket and vastly-improved from stock Hotchkis suspension and Wilwood 14-inch disc brakes, a reworked rear-end and fitted with a set of Foose-designed wheels inspired by the original wheel covers. The reworked Z/28 302 cid small-block engine was installed in the frame mated via a custom Centerforce clutch and flywheel to a Bowler T-56 5-speed manual transmission with a floor-mounted chrome Hurst shifter, just as the ’67 Z/28 Camaro’s had. The rear gears of the C10 truck were changed from 4:11 to 3:08., and a Magnaflow exhaust was mated to the rams Horn exhaust manifold.
The truck’s sheetmetal was painted in BASF 22 Line Glasurit White, a shade that matched the original factory color, and sprayed over every original spot weld and mass production detail to replicate OE bodywork. The bed floor was rebuilt using furniture-grade wood planks and finished by Chip in a deep brown/black finish and installed with stainless steel hardware.
The interior was painted a complimentary, nearly matching color using an upholstery kit that uses the GM factory original-style orange hound’s-tooth cloth produced by ‘The Truck Shop’ fitted to the C10 by Alfredo Carcamo of Al’s Garage. While there was thought given to using an actual dashboard out of a 1967 Camaro, it proved to be unworkable and the original dash was refurbished and used. However, a wood-rimmed original Z/28 steering wheel was used, fitted to an aftermarket steering column. The custom-upholstered interior used the aforementioned orange vinyl and herringbone inserts, initially with matching orange carpet that was subsequently switched to black carpet.
For the final build and assembly, the fictitious C/28 options package included a reworked front grille that was deeper-set with the turn-signal lights moved back, and the original, massive chrome bumpers were replaced by reworked, much more narrow bumpers from a 1967 camaro with lower roll-pan and valances fabricated from sheet metal added.
In terms of attention to detail, Chip even had a faux Service Parts Identification (SPID) produced using a scan of the original, adding a listing of all the modifications made to the truck as if they were pulled from a GM options list that is affixed to the inside surface of the glovebox door.
The C/28 Goes to SEMA, Get’s Sold, and Chip Trades to Get it Back
Chip took the truck to SEMA in 2018 was planned, but not too long after that, a friend who is also in the car hobby wanted the C/28 so much, that in addition to his first offer he sweetened the deal by adding two engines to his offer: an Offenhauser and a Duesenberg. The Duesenberg engine was to be used for a future build Chip designed in 2020 called the “Foosenberg,” a stretched 1932 Ford inspired by the Franklin Hershey designed alloy-topped Murphy coupe design. At last check, I’m not sure that project moved passed the drawing stage. However, in 2022, Chip had finished working on a 1970 Chevelle SS project sponsored by the Original Parts Group and ended-up working out another trade with his friend to get the C/28 truck back.
The Chevrolet C10 was a variant of the 2nd Gen C/K that was introduced for the 1967 model year. The C10, which was a 1/2 ton, rear wheel drive pickup truck, was offered with two inline six engines, as well as V8 powerplants, which included small or big block options. These engines ranged from 155hp to 325hp in power, with drive sent to the rear wheels through manual or automatic transmissions. The C10 was available in two bed configurations, with the sleek Fleetside bed, or the fendered Stepside bed being the two options. Notable trim offerings included the Cheyenne and CST (Custom Sport Truck). Production of the 2nd Gen Chevrolet C10 ended in 1972 with the introduction of the Third Generation Chevrolet C/K.
“The 330 GTC was introduced in Geneva just two years after the 330 GT 2+2, and it embodied the best of both worlds between the comparatively plush 330 GT 2+2 and the more hardcore 275 GTB. The 330 GTC used the same steering, suspension, and transmission as the 275 GTB, and these features, coupled with a wheelbase that was 10 inches shorter than the 330 GT 2+2, made the GTC much more dynamic to drive. Perhaps the most sporting characteristic of the 330 was its engine.
The 330 GTC’s Colombo V-12 produced 300 horsepower and had a top speed of 150 mph, with a 0-to–60-mph time of less than seven seconds. “One professional competition driver likened its cornering capabilities to those of a good, mid-engined Group 7 sports/racing car.”
A report from Rosso Corsa Consulting LLC shows that in 1968, this Ferrari was sold new to Count Antolini-Ossi in Rome, Italy; and in 1969 it is believed to have been traded in on a 365 GT 2+2. The Antolini-Ossi brothers bought over a dozen brand new road Ferraris throughout the late 1960s and into the 1970s.
This wonderful Ferrari GTC is finished with silver paintwork that is complimented by excellent brightwork. The interior is equipped with air conditioning, power windows, AM/FM radio, wood grain dashboard and steering wheel; and also well-presented black pleated upholstery. Under the bonnet of this Ferrari is the 3,967-cc V-12 engine that is producing 300-hp and mated to a manual transmission.
At the end of the 330 series’ production run, total numbers for the GTC stood at 598. This specific example has been well cared for and is fit to be driven.”
During Chip’s speaking engagement at the Savoy on 10 February 2024, he confirmed this is the same Ferrari 330 GTC that had been offered for sale by Sotheby’s, but did not sell. However, the seller was a friend of Chip’s who visited his shop not long after the car failed to sell at auction and ended-up trading it to Chip for two of his other cars. He has plans to make minor, reversible changes to the tires and wheels and may repaint the car, as it has had bodywork done at some point and would present better.
Classic.com: Ferrari 330 GTC: The Ferrari 330 GTC two-seater berlinetta (coupé) was introduced in March, 1966. With its Pininfarina designed body, the 330 GTC was more like the Ferrari 275 than the 330 GT 2+2 Series II which it succeeded. It shared the short wheelbase of the 275 as well as its independent rear suspension. This model was more refined than earlier Ferraris, quieter and easier to drive. A total of 598 GTC’s were produced. It’s sibling, the Ferrari 330 GTS spider was introduced later in October 1966.
“Part supercar, part custom and part hot rod, Hemisfear is perhaps the most important and renowned Foose vehicle“
“Hemisfear is the culmination of a 16 year personal dream for Chip. In 1990, during his senior year at the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, Chip and his classmates were presented with a Chrysler-sponsored graduation project. They were to design a vehicle for a niche market. Chip took a bit of a spin on the concept, he didn’t want to design for an existing market, he wanted to create a new one.
With its unique flair, Chip’s 1:5 scale model of the Hemisfear gained significant recognition and was even featured in an issue of HOT ROD magazine. It also became the inspiration for the Plymouth Prowler, as careful study of the two will show many design similarities. OEM’s had now recognized the need to fulfill this “hot-rod” niche market as vehicles like the PT Cruiser, Chevrolet SSR and Chevrolet HHR were made available to consumers.
Chip actually began building a chassis for a real version of the Hemisfear while working for Boyd Coddington, but there was never enough time to complete the project. That all changed in 2005, when Chip signed a die-cast toy deal with RC2 Corp that also included seed money to complete the Hemisfear build. The entire car was first designed on the computer with CAD drawings. The original scale model was digitized and a fullsize version was computer-milled out of foam. The foam was then used as the buck to form the carbon-fiber body.
A limited edition vehicle program was also introduced and at SEMA 2006 two Hemisfears were unveiled, the preproduction unit in Hemisfear lime green and the first production model in black. It was a full 16 years for this vehicle to make it from original concept to working vehicle.
In total, one pre-production (Chip’s personal, lime green car) and 5 production-model Hemisfears were built and produced. Additional background information on Chip’s time at the ArtCenter College of Design, during a 3-year break in his formal training, and then his final Senior Project — the design and fabrication of a 1:5-scale model of his Hemisfear — that gained him notice by the likes of Boyd Coddingtoncan be found in my full-narrative using this LINK .
This is Chip’s new Manx “Remastered Classic” dune buggy, made famous in part when Steve McQueen suggesting having a custom Manx built for him to drive in the original “Thomas Crown Affair” movie, fitted with a Chevrolet Corvair 2.7-litre flat-six engine and some other unique features like recessed headlights and a quilted interior. Bruce Meyers – Meyers Manx were built from 1964 to 2009.
In 2020, Trousdale Ventures Phillip Sarofim bought the firm from then 94-year-old Bruce Meyers and hired world renown automotive designer Freeman Thomas who created a re-boot of the Manx MX with a new Remastered Classic design, the $79,000 twin electric motor powered Manx 2.0 or a $49,000 four-place ‘Resorter’ version, as well as the classic body-only kit used to built Chip’s two Manx Remastered Classics.
Chip Foose’s ‘Big Sur’ blue Manx is one of two built by Chip: the ‘Big Sur’ blue one for himself and an ‘Apricot’ one for his girlfriend, artist and designer Kathleen Jewell.The dune buggy’s were built in collaboration with Phillip Sarofim, Freeman Thomas and Paul Montesano of Meyers Manx, Robert Keller of EMPI (Engineered Motor Products, Inc.), and Rob Emory of Emory Motorsports — renown for their Porsche performance parts, restoration and custom builds, including the ‘love ’em or hate ’em’ Porsche Outlaws. The Volkswagen-based 2265cc engines were built by Steve Johnson in San Diego. The engine for Chip’s blue Manx was fitted with a Porsche fan and shroud to give it a Porsche engine look, whereas Kathleen’s Apricot Manx has just the stock, VW engine fan.
The cars were built on EMPI Volkswagen chassis pans that were shortened and reworked by Manx and Chip Foose, who also designed and fitted some custom parts. such as torsion bar end covers that will eventually be produced and marketed by EMPI. Chip next took the two chassis along with a pair of transaxles and steering boxes to EMPI where he and the folks at EMPI built-up the chassis using EMPI and other high-end components. One chassis was set-up as a classic Manx and the other was given the Foose touch before both were sent over to Manx for the body installation and major final assembly work.
Back at Chip’s shop, he added the final details using a Porsche fan and engine shroud, custom-made, extra deep steel wheels with Porsche 356 center caps, to create the illusion it was built from a Porsche 356 donor car, noting the original Manx dune buggies were typically rebodied VW Beetles. The first stop for Chip’s ‘Big Sur’ blue Manx Remastered Classic designed by Freeman Thomas with the custom Foose touches was its debut at SEMA 2023. Note: I have yet to find a photo of Kathleen’s finished Apricot Manx, only a 2016 photo of Chip driving an older VW-based Manx MX, and a video where Chip fabricated a fuel filler recess in the center of its hood.
Based on some 2021 photos I’ve seen of Chip with an older orange VW-based Manx MX, I’m left to assume he owned or still owns that Manx MX, which perhaps led to business opportunities with Manx and EMPI that inspired the Foose build of a pair of the 2023 Manx ‘reboot’ Remastered Classics. It would have been a great way of getting Manx, EMPI and others involved in the project with a huge boost in exposure, but that’s purely conjecture on my part.
The Meyers Manx, which is credited as being the first fiberglass bodied dune buggy, entered production in 1965. Built on a Volkswagen Beetle platform, the Manx introduced the world to the now iconic dune buggy shape. Named after the Manx cat, which has a small, stubby character that is reflected in the car, the Manx inspired a raft of imitations. Although only around 6,000 original Manxes were built, the number of imitations is thought to number near a quarter of a million examples. Unfortunately, these imitations are what led to the demise of Meyers, when the company lost its patent battle, leading to numerous companies selling their own Manx knock offs. Production of the original Manx ended in 1971, when B.F. Meyers & Company closed its doors. As the Manx is built using a Beetle platform, many vehicles can be titled and have the year of the donor Beetle. In 2000, Meyers was reborn, and built a range of new Manxes, with 100 examples channelling the original Manx, while new variants such as the Manxster were also introduced.
My Apologies: My ‘Chip Foose narrative’ compiled from dozens of articles,, features, interviews and videos published and uploaded to websites referencing Foose Design, the Foose name or other key personalities, businesses, etc, from Chip’s life that follows has far-more detail than I envisioned. However, there were many things I felt compelled to follow-up on and to include that helped me to have a much greater understanding and appreciation for Chip’s pre-Rides’ and Overhaulin’ story, experiences, design approach and personality.
Disclaimer: Be aware that while doing my research, I ran into many instances where there were conflicting dates, years-of-age, timing or sequences of event, names of companies, occupations and various other details. I have in most cases found enough supporting information for the information I have included in my narrative, or otherwise resolved the discrepancies to the best of my abilities. That said, I suspect there are still some lingering errors or events out of sequence, if not missing details. I welcome feedback from those who find errors and can provide the corrective dates, facts, sequence of events or missing information and will endeavor to promptly make corrections.
I’d like to offer an anecdote from the first and only encounter my wife Debbie and I had with Chip Foose not too long ago, as it was very telling:
We had the pleasure of meeting Chip Foose while attending the Bryan Fuller “Forged by Fuller” event on 5 August 2023 at the Savoy. I will note, I was caught off guard since it was a chance encounter.
Chip immediately extended a handshake during our introduction professed our enthusiasm for his work which we’d seen on the made-for-TV programs and then Chip deftly offered a very thoughtful ‘conversation stimulator’ question, “So, what do you drive?” I fumbled the question by responding ‘nothing special’ and he adroitly followed-up with, “What was your favorite car?” I thought for a moment and offered-up my 1975 Chevrolet Cosworth Vega. Chip immediately responded, “They have one one here in the storage building, and it’s only been driven 59-miles!” I acknowledge it since I knew the car from two previous exhibits, and then politely moved-on as I knew he had many, far more important people vying for his attention.
However, in that brief exchange I learned a lot about Chip Foose: He is a thoughtful, humble gentleman who actively seeks out and engages the people he encounters at events who are likely predisposed to have an interest in automobiles. He is also a naturally-skilled conversationalist who intuitive offers easily answered ‘ice-breaker’ questions to stimulate a discussion.
He also has a quick-mind, an eye for detail and an amazing memory. After all, when out of the blue I offered-up the obscure Cosworth Vega in our brief exchange, he instantly recalled seeing the Savoy’s Cosworth Vega earlier in the day during a walk-through of the Savoy’s Vehicle Storage Building — one of over a 100 cars in the VSB — and recalling a few words about the car.
MPL…
Our experience was clearly not unique…
I ran across many comments regarding other personal encounters in different articles, interviews and discussion forums. Some of the comments were made by automotive journalists who have met and interviewed dozens if not hundreds of influential ‘movers & shakers’ from the automotive industry.
One in particular was by Ted Gushue, the former editorial director of Petrolicious.com – a web-based automotive lifestyle brand providing world class short films and tasteful editorial center on the world’s finest classic vehicles whose slogan is “Drive Tastefully” – who sat-down with Chip in April 2016 and captured their discussion in an article entitled: Chip Foose On Staying True To Yourself While Becoming An Automotive Icon. After conducting his research and doing the interview, Gushue wrote the following introduction to the full, published interview:
There’s only one Chip Foose. I don’t mean that in the sense that there’s literally only one guy named Chip Foose who works in his space. I mean it in that there’s no “actor” side to Chip Foose. There’s no “artist” side to Chip Foose. There’s no “engineer” side to Chip Foose. There’s simply Chip Foose, a straightforward guy who values family, tradition, artistry and craft. I’d never really been able to understand this fully until I had the pleasure of sitting down with the man at his Huntington Beach headquarters.
Ted Gushue, Petrolicous.com
However, what are perhaps even more impactful are the anecdotes shared by auto enthusiasts who had brief encounters with Chip: Here are three such recollections from the JalopyJournal.com’s ‘The H.A.M.B.‘ following an entry posted by one of their administrators and bloggers named Ryan on May 27, 2020: Chip Foose & The ’32 Ford that offered a link to Ryan’s blog where he shared his own chance encounter with Chip Foose. The blog entry also had a link to a really insightful 2020 Hagerty video with Chip drawing a ’32 Ford and his drawing skills — this time with a ballpoint-pen — are mesmerizing: What makes the ’32 Ford so iconic? | Chip Foose Draws a Car – Ep. 1.
Years back at the nationals in Louisville, Boyd Coddington was signing autographs and there was a line a 100′ long. My wife asked if i wanted to get his autograph, and I said nope, I don’t worship them guys lol. He just had this arrogance about him, acting like people should bow down to him for his signature. His wife was acting like she was having a blast though. That same night at the Hilton hotel bar, sitting there having drinks and socializing, my wife asked, “ain’t that guy on TV?” I turned around and Chip Foose had come in. There’s no way he didn’t shake every hand in that bar, told stories, listened to stories, and didn’t act any different than any other car guy in the bar. Now that’s a true car guy. [Lloyd’s Paint & Glass, May 30, 2020]
The stories about Chip being a good guy are true. One year at SEMA it was closing time and everybody was rushing to the exits. We passed the booth where Chip was signing autographs, there were only a couple of people left in line and we asked if he had time for two more: ”Sure”. My buddy got a sketch of his ’34 Sedan Delivery and I got my ’32 Sedan. [redo32, May 30, 2020]
I first met Chip when he was just a quiet kid with his dad Sam…. Many years later on set up night at Autorama I seen a very stylized model 40 Coupe called (I think) the 33 Mercury. I was kicking people out because it was close to time to clear the floor. (I’ve been on the MHRA overnight security detail for several decades.) I saw a couple dirty tennis shoes poking out from under the coupe, And a guy with a towel polishing the transmission. I pulled my golf cart up to a stop, And ask this guy “Hey you about ready to wrap it up?”…I can hear him ask “How late can I stay ?” I replied, “Well you still have a few minutes, But I’ll come back after the floor is clear to give you the final boot”…. The voice came back, “Thanks man, I appreciate it”. (This coupe obviously looked like a Ridler contender, And I like to give those guys just a little more latitude ). About 30 minutes later, I go back to see the same shoes sticking out from under the car, while the guy working vigorously on tiny details of cleaning… When I pulled up, I said, “Well that’s it, You got to go ! you can come back at 8:00 am”…. So he shinnies out from under the car. and it’s Chip. I said “Chip !… I didn’t know it was you !” Sorry about giving you the bums rush”… He smiles, Then asks, Could I stick around a little longer to sort of finish up,… “I smiled back and said, Nope !,… Sorry. You gotta’ go too.” (He graciously understood, and left).
Chip is the real deal, A true talent and a great person. Over the years I have had a chance to see him interact with all kinds of people, and he’s always engaging and pleasant. I’ve never seen him rude or short with anybody. If I had to find a fault, I would say he can sometimes be too good natured and sharing. He was signing autographs one year at Detroit. He as only supposed to be up there for two hours, But the line went back several hundred feet when the time was up. When MHRA security was about to stop the line, He said “I’ll stay here longer, I don’t want to disappoint anybody especially seeing how long they stood in line. So we put a couple guys at the end of the line to let folks know, that was it. Chip was on that stage for another two hours, Meeting people, signing autographs, and putting a lot of big smiles on people’s faces (especially kids) The world of Hot Rodding couldn’t find a better or more humble ambassador to represent it, Than Chip Foose (IMHO) [Harms Way, May 28, 2020]
While best-known for his 10-seasons and 127-episodes of the automotive reality television program Overhaulin’– where he was the co-host, project designer and leader of the ‘A-Team’ who executed the auto makeoversand first aired 3 April 2004 on The Learning Channel (TLC) network – Douglas Sam Foose was literally born-into in the automotive design and build industry on 13 October 1963 at Santa Barbara, California where his life immediately revolved around cars.
He began drawing cars at the age of three – copying his father’s work at first, and then creating his own drawings of the cars he’d see – and by 1970 at the age of seven, he began to work alongside his father, the late Sam Foose, who was an icon in the automotive, hot rod and custom car industry in his own right.
While most anyone with even a mild interest in cars beyond using them for transportation has heard-of or seen Chip Foose on one of many different automotive-related programs, his father the late Sam Foose was a pioneer the car customization style that evolved in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
Sam Foose, [b.1934, d.2018] – Chip Foose’s Father, Mentor, Inspiration, Hero, and Best Friend
Sam Foose was born on 23 March 1934, after his family had relocated from Arizona to the Santa Barbara, California, area where his father also named Sam worked in the soft-drink industry. As related by those who knew him best, Sam had an intense streak of independence from early-on, so much so that at the age of fourteen and when his family moved back to Arizona in 1948 after the soft-drink business fell on hard times, Sam purportedly convinced his father to allow him keep living in Santa Barbara.
Remaining in Santa Barbara, Sam lived in a friend’s family’s garage and worked on cars to support himself, having formally learned basic metal and mechanical skills in junior high school shop classes. Whatever skills he’d not been taught in school – welding, panel beating, painting and auto mechanics– he learned through ‘hands-on, on-the-job work. Again, from those who know him best, his independent streak and self-determination to make it on his own instilled in him a tireless work ethic that drove everything he did for the rest of his life.
During high school in the early 1950’s, Sam built his first hot rod, a customized ’42 Ford coupe that later was recognized with honors at the 1955 Los Angeles Autorama car show.
Sam’s automotive ambitions were sidetracked when he was called-up for military service during the Korean War where, as a mechanic, he gained his superiors authorization to set-up a repair shop to salvage and return-to-service the growing number of broken-down or damaged Jeeps that were beyond normal repair capabilities. Following his return home after the war, he quickly found work in the growing hot rod and custom car business and worked for several different shops.
Working for Others by Day, Building Cars at Home and Starting a Family
In the late 1950’s, Sam was hired by Aluminum Model Toys (AMT), a model company founded in Troy, Michigan in 1948 by attorney West Gallogly, Sr. as a side business that originally produced 1/25 scale pre-assembled promotional car models for the automakers. It was shortly thereafter on 2 December 1960 when he married Terry — his wife of nearly 58-years and also a lifelong auto enthusiast — and together they had four children: Lindi, Chip, Jodi, and Amy.
In 1962, AMT retained hot-rod and automobile customizer Gene Winfield as a consultant style designer for their model kits. In the 1940’s, Winfield had had co-owned a wrecking yard and then used car dealership with his brother in Modesto California, and in the 1950’s started building hot-rod race cars and opened Winfield’s Custom Shop in Modesto. Winfield he is credited with developing an early innovation in custom painting while at that shop, carefully fading two candy colors together called “The Winfield Fade.
Sam began working with Winfield1 producing life-size customs used as a reference for building mass-production in 1:24 scale model kits. Sam moved-on in 1968 to work in nearby Goleta supporting work on the U.S. Government-funded Minicars Research Safety Vehicle Program building “safety car” prototypes that ultimately yielded improved air bags, crumple zones, and pedestrian impact standards. He also worked for a company called Lift, Inc. that was designing and building hovercraft.
Note 1: Building full-scale concept cars, race cars, and creating vehicles of various types for television shows in the latter part of the 1960’s – Get Smart, Bewitched, Star Trek, The Man from U.N.C.L.E (Piranha). – and then in 1971 and the 1980’s for full-length motion pictures – Sleeper, Blade Runner, The Last Starfighter, Trancers,Robcob (SUX 6000)
Winfield’s Modesto ShopThe Man from U.N.C.L.E. PirahaThe SUX 6000s from RoboCop
Sam Opens Project Design & Chip Realizes What He Wants To Do With His Life
In late 1969, when Lift started going bankrupt and hadn’t paid Sam for work he had been doing, Sam loaded his truck with all the equipment in the shop, drove around to the office and told them, “I’ve got all the equipment. When you have my paycheck, I’ll bring the equipment back.” They never called him and that’s when he opened his own shop, Project Design in an industrial park near the Santa Barbara Airport.
Up and until he opened Project Design, on nights and weekends, Sam was busy designing and building hot rods and customs in a home shop. However, he developed his knowledge and skills not only through on-the-job learning, but before jumping in he also pored over a 25-year collection of custom-car building oriented books to find out just how the old pros lowered those lids and yet ended up with the classic flowing lines.
After opening Project Design he did auto body / accident repairs for insurance companies to pay the bills as a lot of the custom car business dried-up during the gas shortages and soaring fuel prices of of the 1970s, in addition to creating hot rod and custom projects that came along. By that time, Sam was recognized as an artist with a pencil, shaping hammer, or airbrush and considered by many to be one of the best metal craftsman in the automotive trade during his era. His most eager helper was his 7-year-old son, Chip, who had already been studying and copying Sam’s drawings for several years. Chip’s first tool at Project Design was a broom for sweeping the floor, but under Sam’s watchful eye, he graduated to hammers and wrenches, as well as pencils and brushes.
A Third Party Perspective of 7-Year Old Chip
A young, mid-20-year-old hot and custom car enthusiast, budding racer and photojournalist named Junji Nakamura who started a photography business that catered to photojournalism after graduating from college who had a few stories that made it into a few car-culture magazines back in the days. Junji recalled his first encounter with Sam Foose in several different on-line articles and comments that I found during my research pertaining to the encounter that I’ve taken the liberty of consolidating into a single narrative:
“‘Big hearted Ken,’ a local Goleta, CA builder and upholstery guy (aka, Ken Perry of Big Hearted Ken’s Nostalgia Center) introduced me and my wife to the whole slew of hot rod/custom shops in the Goleta, CA industrial area. One was Project Designs by Ken’s near the airport. It was owned by legendary, Sam Foose. Later, on one of those photo shoot days, we were taken to Sam Foose’s big house property in Santa Barbara where we saw several hot rods in various stages of builds. We all talked about the California Top [article I was working on]. While we were talking a little, well-behaved 7–8-year-old kid named Chip had been running around the compound and wandered into the conversation. He was as nice as a little kid could be and knew a lot about cars.“
Junji Nakamura, The H.A.M.B., 30 May 2020
1948 Club Coupe by Sam Foose
Sam Foose’s long-held work ethic, drive and commitment to his craft was legendary as he would regularly work 100-hour weeks. In an interview, Chip Foose recalled a time when his father stayed in the shop for four straight days and nights, prompting his wife Terry to bring dinner and the kids to the shop, so they could all eat together, and several other times when his work intervened with the traditional family life they tried to otherwise maintain. Sam Foose was also good friends many of the major players in the industry, including Goodguys Rod & Custom Association founder Gary Meadors, who in the ’80s recruited Sam to update his ’32 Ford Tudor – the Goodguys logomobile – and later had him build a contemporary custom ’56 Continental Mark II with help from Denny Olson and Street Rods by Denny.
Although he designed and modified hot rods his entire adult life, Sam Foose gained worldwide acclaim as a custom car stylist in the 1980s with a series of hi-end custom builds which emerged from Project Design. Along with his heavily modified, yellow 1941 Ford convertible, Sam turned out some industry-changing customs including Jack Barnard’s 1949 Ford and Al Wheeler’s 1940 Ford sedan delivery among many others.
Sam Foose’s career inspired Chip to follow in his footsteps. Chip had been at first imitating his father by drawing car designs at an early age. As his interest in the automotive industry, design and fabrication grew, and as he became older he began helping his father in the shop in any way so he could learn the ‘how to, and how not to’ ways to go about design, modification, repair, fabrication, and painting to hone his skills. Chip has reflected on those early days helping his dad in the shop, but also admits that, on occasion, he created more work for his dad.
As an early example, after graduating from sweeping the floors to also being allowed to help with the customers cars, he recalled a time when he was tasked to put lacquer thinner on a clean rag and wipe down overspray from the rubber weather-stripping and seals of a Lamborghini Miura: Sam had just finished giving the Miura a custom candy root-beer paint job. When Chip was almost finished, he ‘dropped’ what he was doing’ when his mom, Terry, called him for lunch as young boys are want to do.
When Chip returned to the shop to finish, one glance at his dad make him realize something was very wrong. “Where did you leave the lacquer rag when you stopped for lunch?” Sam asked sternly. “I left it somewhere around here,” Chip replied. Sam then had Chip follow him to the the freshly painted Miura and there, wadded up on the roof, was the lacquer soaked rag that had dried while he ate lunch that was now permanently fused to the freshly painted roof of the Lamborghini. He learned two important lessons that day: always be accountable for your actions, and how to repair custom paint.
When he was nine, Chip unexpectedly received another lesson in how to repair body and paint damage when Sam gave him his first ‘solo’ dent and paint repair project on a damaged 1960s VW Beetle’s hood. He spent days massaging, hammering, and shaping the hood back to its original form, and then applied multiple layers of custom pearlescent white paint. He laid out a flame pattern in the inset panel on each half of the hood, masked it off and applied a series of custom candy colors of various hues. After the paint dried he spent two more days color sanding and rubbing the hood to a glorious finish.
He proudly presented the hood to his dad for a final inspection. After Sam carefully examined Chip’s work from various angles and ran a hand over the glass-like surface he suddenly struck the panel dead-center with the planishing hammer he was holding in his other hand and said in a calm and matter-of-fact tone, “Now I can teach you how to fix it.” Chip credits that experience as when he first learned the basics of metal and custom paint repair from his dad.
By 1975 when Chip was 12-years-old, his dad had gained enough confidence in Chip’s skills that he allowed him to paint a client’s Porsche 356, which he did well. However, it was also at the age of 12 when Chip was quickly reminded he had a lot to learn. In fact, ever since then Chip has kept a damaged Rolls-Royce grille on display in his shops to remind him to remain humble. As for the story behind the reminder, Chip shared it in a Facebook post on 16 September 2021.
“One night when I was 12 years old, after working in the shop with my dad, he let me drive his 1956 F100 for the first time. Many of you know this to now be my truck that was done on Overhaulin’. Well back then it was lowered with big tires and no power steering. When I went to park after driving I was using my whole body weight to try to turn the truck. Unfortunately, I lifted my weight off of the brake and slipped onto the accelerator. Now, standing on the throttle, the back tires lit up and the truck lunged forward punching the front of the Rolls-Royce, then shoving it into a Porsche. My father leaned over turned off the truck and said, “Well son, you got all three.” I keep the grille as a reminder that, Things can happen.”
Sam Continues to Expand Chip’s Skills & Confidence
Sam Foose was good friends many of the major players in the industry and very close to Goodguys Rod & Custom founder Gary Meadors who he first met in the 1970s at a car show. It was in the early 80s when the customized 1932 Ford Tudor Sedan Meadors acquired in 1973 and that he had personally customized again in 1977, needed a refresh. Meadors had deuce specialist Dick Magoo handle the chassis and drivetrain and asked Sam Foose if he’d be willing to rework the body and interior.
Sam Foose — with help from his not-yet-famous, 22-year-old son Chip — removed the fenders making it into a highboy sedan, installed a flush-fitted windshield, ’34-style rain gutters, a sunken antenna, hand-painted woodgrain dash, modern instruments, tilt wheel, and multi-disk Sony CD player. Chip handled the color scheme and graphics package. Therestyled 1932 Ford Tudor Deuce debuted at the 1986 Goodguys West Coast Nationals and proved so popular that Meadors made it the centerpiece of a new Goodguys logo aka, the Logomobile. Soon, Goodguys hats, tees, sweatshirt were emblazoned with the ’32 Deuce coupe. It remains part of several Goodguys’ primary logos today. Sam and Chip later built Meadors a contemporary custom 1956 Continental Mark II with help from Denny Olson and Street Rods by Denny.
Shortly thereafter, Chip Foose quickly became an extraordinary designer and builder himself. Chip has always credited his father, Sam, with being his mentor, inspiration, and above all, his hero. At the age of 19, Chip Foose was accepted to and began to attend classes at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California in 1982. However, after just two years, Chip dropped-out of the Art Center after and returned to doing hands-on work. In 1988 — having been out of school for four years – Chip’s then girlfriend Lynne provided him with the motivation he needed to return to the ArtCenter to complete the requirements needed to obtain his BS degree, and in 1990 he did.
By the early ’90s Chip Foose – schooled informally by his father and formally at ArtCenter College of Design – began his own career in automotive design. Chip and his father would often work together on projects like Christopher Titus’ 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air. Sam also appeared in several episodes of TLC’s Overhaulin’ – the automotive reality show built around his Chip’s reputation and skill as a custom car designer and fabricator – where Sam would readily share some of his maxims like, “you’re only as good as your customer allows you to be,” and, “less is more, but doing more with less is better.” In 2005,Sam was the featured co-host the Season 3, Episode 26 of Overhaulin’ entitled “Overlord” where he led the Overhaulin’ A-Team to secretly rebuild Chip’s personal 1956 Ford F100 pickup over the course of four-months, a family-owned truck he bought from his father Sam as his first car… and still owns and treasures.
Sam Foose, 23 March 1934 – 28 November 2018
Sam Foose lost his battle with cancer at the age of 84 on 28 November 2018, with Chip and the rest of his family at his side.
Chip shared his loss via social media with the following post: “It is with a heavy heart that I announce my Dad, Sam Foose, passed away early today. He was my hero, my best friend. You’ll be missed forever.”
Other insightful remarks:
Sam Foose will always be remembered for his boisterous laugh, good humor, straight talk, and immense talent. In a world where beauty is rare, Sam spent his life building beautiful things. (srm)
“Sam Foose was one of a kind. Gregarious as well as cantankerous, he was always good for a belly laugh. His true genius was in his vision to move metal around and subtly change the proportions of classic American cars. While he wasn’t the first customizer to do this, he was at the forefront of the custom rod movement of the 1990s. In my opinion, Barnard’s ‘49 Ford was Sam’s Mona Lisa. (John Drummond, Goodguys Rod & Customs)
“My father Sam will always be my hero. I grew up thinking that my dad could do anything that he set his mind too, and he proved that he could over and over. He worked on cars until the end. The reason I have all of this is that I really wanted him to be proud of me. I feel that my career is an extension of his. (Chip Foose)
Foose Designs subsequently established the Grand National Roadster Show – Sam Foose Memorial Design Award in 2018, presented by Chip Foose to, “the car I feel my Dad would have most enjoyed.” Chip designed the CNC-machined billet aluminum pencil award — an homage to his father’s preferred drawing tool — that continues to be presented by Chip annually at the GNRS event.
Douglas Sam Foose was born to Sam and Terry Foose on 13 October 1963 in Santa Barbara, California. Chip was clearly gifted with the same genes that gave his father the artistic talent, vision, flare, aptitude and drive to become a great designer and builder in the hot rod and custom auto industry. Chip was the second of four children and only boy, with an older sister, Lindi, and two younger sisters, Jodi and Amy.
Chip’s Artistic Skills Appear Quickly
Chip recalls that from a young age, “My dad used to design cars, boats, and vans… I would sit next to him from the time I was 3 and copy what he was doing. I continued doing that until eventually, it was easier for him to tell me to draw it than to have him draw it.”
The early progression was outlined, above, in the ‘chapter’ on his father Sam. But, in general, Chip grew-up helping his father at the home shop, and later at Sam’s shop Project Design, in any way he could so he could learn the trade the way his father did it and embody his approach in his own builds. Chip Foose has shared many times, “My career, in my mind, is an extension of my father’s.”
Chip’s Formal Education Is Made Possible By Several Fortuitous Encounters
By the time he finished high school, Chip had quickly become an extraordinary designer and building, always crediting his father, Sam, with being his mentor and inspiration. However, 18-year-old Chip was now wrestling with what path to take, thus far feeling he had been successful by following in his Sam’s footsteps and was aware his father — also a gifted artist — had been accepted to the prestigious but also expensive ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, but decided not to attend because at that time in his life, “he would rather build cars than draw them.” His father Sam — well-aware the automotive business world was quite a different place than it was when he was faced with the same decision — encouraged Chip to apply to the ArtCenter to obtain formal training and earn his four-year degree.
However, another powerful influencer in his decision was Alex Tremulis, the renowned designer who worked with Preston Tucker on the 1948 Tucker Torpedo, and then moved on to Ford’s Advanced Styling Department in 1952, where he was involved with the design of Ford’s futuristic show cars of the 1950s.
Some Background on Alex Tremulis
It was in 1953 at Ford when Tremulis first encountered the 16-year-old Jack Telnack, who had been drawing cars throughout his childhood and was given the opportunity to meet designers at both the General Motors and Ford Design Centers. It was at Ford where Tremulis told Telnack his sketches were “okay” but suggested he needed formal training and that there was only one place he could get it: the ArtCenter College of Design. As noted in Telnack’s ArtCenters storyboard, “That was all I needed to hear. I packed my drawing board into my chopped and channeled ’41 Mercury convertible and drove Route 66 all the way to California. It was a grand, romantic undertaking. I suppose, in a way, I really did find my dream at the end of Route 66.” Upon graduating in 1958, Tremulis hired him at Ford and, by 1980 Telnack had risen to become Ford’s Global Vice President of Design, a position he occupied until he retired in 1997.
Following his departure from Ford in 1963, Tremulis formed his own independent design firm. It was in 1968 after undergoing emergency heart surgery for an obstructed artery, he and his wife moved to Ventura, California to recuperate and decided to make it their permanent home. He relocated his design firm there as well and in the 1970’s Tremulis saw the same talent in 7-year-old Chip Foose who, when he saw Tremulis’ artwork decided, “That’s what I want to do”. Tremulis’ came to know Sam and Chip Foose after putting Project Designs on contract to fabricate and paint scale models of his various designs. By the late 1970s, Chip took-over building the scale models for Tremulis, who was further impressed by his work and his desire to pursue a career in automotive design.
Various…
So, as he did with Jack Telnack, he encouraged Chip to pursue formal training at the ArtCenter. Moreover, Tremulis also wrote a letter of recommendation for Chip to accompany his application to the prestigious ArtCenter.
Chip was subsequently accepted to and began to attend classes at the ArtCenter in 1982. However, after the first two-years at the ArtCenter Chip cited financial issues that prevented him from finishing his degree program and left college.
Amy Foose and the PRF’s Amy Award
In December 1985, when Chip was 22-years-old, his then 16-year-old sister Amy was lost to the genetic aging disease, Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome. Chip remembers her fondly and recalls she taught him, “not to judge a book by its cover, and look for something special that everyone has to offer.”
In 2005, Chip’s family established the first Progeria Research Foundation ’(PRF) Chapter in California, with his mother Terry serving as its first Chairman. Chip subsequently assumed that role at one point and remains active in supporting the PRF’s mission.
It was also in 2005 when the Foose’s co-founded the PRF’s “Amy Award,” named for Chip’s sister Amy Foose and presented each year to the PRF supporter(s) who display Amy’s sunny personality and love of life by being,
(a)A role model for how to live a life of joy and optimism;
(b) A good friend, sibling, and daughter/son;
(c) A person with a sense of humor and positive attitude;
(d) Someone who strives to make the most out of every situation and takes on challenges with grace, hope and determination; and
(e) An individual who has applied the above qualities by tirelessly devoting time, talent and energy to advancing PRF’s mission.
In addition to his work on behalf of the PRF, Chip Foose has also taken part in various other children’s charities such as Childhelp — US non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse- — and Victory Junction Gang Camp. Victory Junction was established in 2004 to serve children with serious medical conditions by the Petty family in memory of the late Adam Petty, a fourth generation Petty family racer who routinely visited children in pediatric hospitals and has supported SEMA’s Show N’ Shine public car show whose proceeds go to help both of these two children’s charities
Once back in Santa Barbara, Chip worked with his father at Project Design, but was also doing his own independent design work for different hot rod shops and doing magazine illustrations that began to generate income for a fledgling paper business he named Foose Designs.
It was during this time when Joe Baker of Baker Sportronics gave Chip a commission to design ‘the next generation’ the of the NFL ‘Helmet Carts’ first rolled-out at SuperBowl VII in in January 1973. He first produced a scale model, and later he and his father fabricated a full-size model at Project Design2 Baker had been in Gene Winfield’s shop and saw some of Chip’s artwork on the wall from when Chip and his father had worked with Gene on Sleeper, Blade Runner and Robocop among other motion picture custom vehicle projects.
Note 2: I have yet to find a definitive image of a Foose Design NFL Helmet Cart from the 1980’s other than the examples shown from the early 1980’s that were used as Injury Carts and short-lived for various reasons.
His first, professional paying job with a job title as a designer came-about after Alain Clénet3 — a partner in the Santa Barbara-based, Stehrenberger/Clénet automotive R&D studio (later acquired and renamed Osher corporation) – saw the NFL helmet car model and offered Chip a job, who at first declined. However, on what Chip described as a monthly basis, Alain continued to call and ask, “Hey, you want a job yet?” It was after Chip and is father finished the full-size helmet cart model when Chip went to work for Alain in 1986 as a Staff Designer/Fabricator, eventually becoming director of design. In this role, he was responsible for conceptualizing new proprietary ideas and fabrication of prototypes for their original equipment manufacturer (OEM) clients, e.g., GM, Ford, Chrysler, Subaru, etc. For what it’s worth, it was in 2016 when Chip celebrated what he identified as his 30th Anniversary in Design.
Note 3: Clénet Coachworks, Inc.,started in a garage, with investors in 1975. Originally the company was moved into an airplane hangar where an assembly line style of production was begun, later to be reborn in a “high tech” facility in Goleta, California, where production of the Clénet Series II continued until the company ran into financial difficulties in 1980, ceased production, and Alain Clénet filed for bankruptcy. Alfred J. DiMora purchased the assets of Clénet Coachworks, Inc., revived Clénet and moved the company to a new production factory in Carpinteria, California that opened in 1984.
Lynne Marie Pouliet was born in 1965 and raised in Santa Barbara. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where in 1988 she received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, with a minor in Sociology. Her concentration was in Organizational Psychology, the science side of human resources that looks at better understanding and optimizing the effectiveness, health, and well-being of both individuals and organizations.
After graduation she and her brother — who had worked in restaurants and completed a hotel restaurant management program at Santa Barbara City College — opened a Giovanni‘s Pizza franchise. Neither of them had any experience in running a restaurant, so he ran the kitchen and dining room, Lynne ran the business side operating a franchise restaurant, both gaining a lot of experience through trial and error which Lynne noted in an interview, “would definitely serve me well later in life, when we started Foose Design.” While she was managing the restaurant, she met Chip Foose who by then had not returned to the ArtCenter to complete his degree program and was working for Stehrenberger/Clénet, doing freelance design work and helping his father at Project Design.
Chip Returns to the ArtCenter and Earns his B.S. in Transportation Design
As Chip tells the story of his return to the ArtCenter, ““I had been dating my girlfriend for a year and half. The subject of marriage came up one night, and she said, ““Well I’m not going to marry you”. So I asked, ”Why are we together?” to which she replied, “Well, you have potential.” I then asked, “What does this mean?” She replied, ”I want to marry my intellectual equal. I would like my husband to have a college degree.” I knew I needed to get back to Art Center.“
In Lynne’s version of the story, ““Chip loves to include in many of his public speeches that while we were dating I told him I would not marry him until he received his college degree so that I could marry my equal,” she says fondly. “When I first started dating Chip, he had not finished his degree at Art Center, as he had to leave halfway through when his younger sister passed away from Progeria. So, when he could, I encouraged him to move back to Pasadena in order to finish his college requirements and receive his degree.”“
Either way, Chip knew he needed to return to the ArtCenter and obtain his college degree. At this point in time, Chip was still employed by Stehrenberger/Clénet and working on a project for a client company, Prince Corporation, who developed and produced automotive interior parts and products. Prince had offered Chip a position and given him a very generous offer, one that made him think, “With this offer, I can go back and save my money for three years and get back to Art Center.”
It would mean marriage was a long way off, but worth considering. Chip told Alain Clenet he was leaving based on the offer and explained his rationale. Clenet countered the offer with a proposal, “I’ll send you to school now if you give me three years after you graduate.” A month later, Chip was back at the ArtCenter where they advanced him a few terms and then received his Bachelor of Science (BS) in Transportation Design.
In addition to fulfilling Lynne’s behest, Chip’s senior project was a one-fifth-scale design concept called the Hemisfear, an all-aluminum, two-seat, mid-engine car. The fiberglass and billet aluminum scale model with wooden tires painted in a striking violet and pearl hue that instantly catapulted Chip’s career.
The Hemisfear and Chip were featured in a news item penned by Gray Baskerville in the April 1991 issue of HOT ROD magazine who wrote “Roddin At Random: ArtCenter Performance Cars” opined, “With results like this, we can only hope that somebody in Detroit has his eye on young Chip.”
Perhaps thankfully, it was custom car builder and icon Boyd Coddington – founder of Hot Rods by Boyd, originally on Orange Street in Anaheim, California, and the builder who pioneered billet aluminum wheels — who saw the Hemisfear at the ArtCenter Senior show and reached-out to Chip Foose.
As for Chip Foose’s Chrysler-sponsored Hemisfear project (below, left), the Plymouth Prowler (below, right) shared the general layout of Chip’s design, but had significant differences, as it was a roadster-only, with a front-mounted V-6 engine, etc. But, it’s fair to say, it also incorporated other features from the Hemisfear, such as the front wheel bicycle fenders, rear haunches with wide, off-set tall tires under rear fender flairs and a very similar profile.
The Prowler was approved as a concept in July 1992 and was debuted as a concept car at the North American International Auto Show at Detroit in January 1993. The 1997 production launch models of the Plymouth Prowler were even the same striking violet and pearl hue color as Chip’s 1/5th scale model of the Hemisfear. While Chip Foose has never been officially credited even in part with the Prowler, many still believe there are too many similarities to be just a pure coincidence.
Chip had always wanted to build a full-scale, functional version of the Hemisfear and started on it while running Hot Rods by Boyd in the mid-’90s. He had a chassis mostly done, and Chrysler had their factory-sponsored drag racer and high-performance engine builder, Dick Landy, build a Hemi engine for the Hemisfear, but it stalled and got put on the back burner. The project was resurrected in 2003 as an idea for a die-cast toy car that became the catalyst for Chip to finish building the one-off car, as well as an originally planned limited run of 50 to be produced by Metalcrafters at an estimated $300,000+ per car: only Chip’s full-scale, pre-production lime green Hemisphere and five of the production models were ever built, the first being the black and clear-coated carbon fiber that made the marketing rounds on automotive TV shows and sometimes shown alongside the lime green first Hemisphere. I’ve provided links to on-line articles regarding the car following the Hemisfear vehicle gallery entry, above.
Moving from ‘Industry Jobs’ to A Career Building Hot Rods
After graduating ‘with honors’ in 1990, per their agreement, Chip Foose returned to Stehrenberger/Clénet — now the Osher Corporation — where he worked full-time. Still a workaholic, Chip also took-on a quasi part-time role working for Boyd Coddington4 at his original shop — Hot Rods by Boyd, founded in 1977 — and still did work with his father at Project Design when Sam Foose needed or wanted Chip’s input or assistance.
Note 4: Most people who worked-with or new Boyd Coddington have said time-and-again, the Boyd Coddington portrayed on the made-for-TV American Hot Rod spin-off of American Chopper was not like the real Boyd Coddington. His character was scripted to be the unlikable, never-smiles, always harsh and gruff business owner to add Drama and create fictional story-lines, but was nearly the opposite off-camera. In fact, many have described the him as light-hearted, always entertaining and often time pulling pranks and having fun; per one quote in the New York Times on 27 February 2008, ” In private, he projected a mischievous sense of fun and excitement that was irresistibly infectious. His followers generally went willingly where he decided to lead.” Moreover, Boyd’s shop created some of the most amazing, break-through hot rods and customs, such as ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons Larry Erickson-designed, Hot Rods by Boyd-built 1989 CadZZilla.
Interestingly, Chip put-in thirty to fifty hours a week at Hot Rods by Boyd, more-or-less as a hobby for two and a half years, never submitting his hours for reimbursement. Instead, if Chip needed a set of wheels for a project, he would be provided with the set of wheels in lieu of pay, all while pursuing his passion for design work, building cars and having fun… just not getting paid.
Chip & Lynne Are Married As Chip Spends 6-Years Collecting 1099’s Working for Others
It was in 1991 when Chip proposed to Lynne by showing her a framed pencil sketch of the two of them in wedding garb. However, Lynne shared in an interview how, “…my parents struggled a little bit with my acceptance of Chip’s marriage proposal, because they thought he was an auto mechanic. I had to keep explaining to my parents that Chip was an automotive designer, who had graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.”
Chip and Lynne were married on 9 August 1992 in a small, private ceremony with just family and close friends present.
Three months later, Osher Corporation had shifted from being a design house to an engineering firm and Chip’s workload was very light, to the point where Alain Clénet encouraged Chip to start billing Hot Rods by Boyd for his time and working there during the day. Chip shared with Alain that his evening hours work for Boyd was really just a hobby and he never billed him for his time. Alain then encouraged Chip to find some other work he could do for the next six months when a large project from a Chinese client was due to begin at Osher. Chip reached out to a former client at the Ford Truck studio whom he’d done work for in the past, Andy Jacobson, who offered to put him a project during that time.
It was at about the same time when Chip received a phone call from J. Mays – a 1980 ArtCenter graduate — who was the chief designer at the Volkswagen of America Design Center in Simi Valley, California. J. May said, “Hey, I heard you might be going to Ford… I have a project I want to put you on.” The project was the re-introduction of the Volkswagen Beetle.
Chip Accepts Full-Time Position at Hot Rods by Boyd
When Chip called Boyd Coddington to let him know that he would likely no longer be able to spend his evenings at Hot Rods by Boyd as he was trying to decide if he wanted to pursue the work at Ford for Andy Jacobson in Michigan, or be working at Volkswagen for J.Mays in the Simi Valley. Coddington – who once said he saw something special in Foose, “He was eager and one of the few to catch on right away.” — solved his dilemma by making Chip a better offer than Osher, Ford or Volkswagen: come to work for me at Hot Rods by Boyd, full-time.
Chip recalled during the 2016 interview with Ted Gershue, “I had done both hot rod work and some OE work at this point. I always thought that I would be working in the design firms, and that hot rods would just be my hobby. I never thought that hot rods would end up being my career. What I love about the hot rod industry is that it is a lifestyle, not just a career.”
Chip accepted Boyd’s offer and went to work full-time at Hot Rods by Boyd in 1993. It was during his time at Hot Rods by Boyd when his wife Lynne – having moved to Orange County where she rarely saw Chip given his workaholic habits, and was no longer close to family and friends — decided to apply and was admitted to Western State College of Law in Irvine, California. After graduating from law school, passing the California Bar Exam and being admitted to The State Bar of California on 9 June 1997, Lynne briefly opened her own family law practice. However, life quickly changed for Lynne and Chip Foose that compelled her to close her legal practice in 1999 when she co-founded Foose Design as Chip’s partner, and gave birth to their first child, Brock Foose, on 1 September 1999.
During Chip Foose’s time on the Hot Rods by Boyd’s payroll he helped to create what Steve Greninger, one of its members, coined the “Magic Machine” team of auto body and mechanic craftsmen that developed what became known as the signature “Boyd look.”
Chip describes the look as, “…very, very clean, with simple lines: the body is the essence of the car, not the details.” The Boyd Look was embodied in Boyd Coddington’s acclaimed Roadstar, Sportstar, Boydster I and Boydster II, and Boyd Air customs. With the resources of a world-class hot rod shop at his disposal, Chips influence and design vision were pivotal in the Boydster and Boydster II winning the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR, aka, ‘Amber’) awards and putting Chip into the limelight with Boyd.
At Boyd’s, Chip was usually allowed to build exactly what he designed, unless he was pushing Boyd out of is comfort zone. If Boyd disagreed with Chip on paint color or the extent of detailing, he put his foot down as many time it was the smallest details and changes that translated into thousands of unbudgeted expenses that someone had to cover: either the client or Boyd, not Chip. Later-on at Foose Design, Chip’s co-founder, CFO and wife Lynne who was responsible for managing the bottom line at Foose Design one time said in a 2020 interview that likely spoke to some underlying tension that always existed between the artist/designer/fabricator in Chip and the Type A business-minded Lynne , “Perfectionism and profitability don’t work and play well together,” she winks. “One of my biggest goals would be to make the car building side of our business as profitable as the licensing and spokesperson side of our business.”
In 1988 Coddington founded Boyd’s Wheels, Inc., with Hot Rods by Boyd moved under it as a subsidiary. He took Boyd’s Wheels public in 1995 and used the capital to greatly expand his domestic, billet wheels and parts manufacturing company based on the analysts and experts predicted surge in the U.S. automotive industry that began in 1990 to continue to expand for the foreseeable future (it ultimately peaked in 2000). The Boyd’s Wheels venture peaked in early 1996 with annual sales of $28-million and the stock trading above $16.50 per share.
Boyd Coddington Get’s Caught in the Late 1990’s Automotive Industry Slump
However, in 1997, their annual sales plunged to $16 million, and the company posted substantial losses, following the multi-million expansion of the company’s manufacturing facilities when the predicted surge in auto industry growth not only failed to materialize in 1997, it fell well below the long-time baseline average for three consecutive years.
A ten-month slump coincided with a $464,700 loss that was incurred when a major customer filed for bankruptcy in October 1997, ultimately pushing Coddington’s businesses into insolvency. In August 1997, had Coddington stepped down as President & CEO of Boyd’s Wheels, Inc., due to the continued deteriorating financial performance and pressure from his board of directors.
In a case of bad timing given the on-going economic plight of Boyd’s Wheels, Inc., it was on 3 November 1997 when Boyd Coddington as well as Chip Foose were both inducted into the Hot Rod Hall of Fame as part of the Peterson Publishing’s 50th anniversary celebration. Chip Foose also had the added distinction of becoming the youngest inductee, having just turned 34-years-of-age on 13 October 1997 sometimes erroneously cited as 31 or 33.
As part of the reorganization of Boyds Wheels Inc., on 25 November 1997 it was announced that Chip Foose was promoted to managing director of the failing enterprise.
On 30 January 1998, Boyd’s Wheels, Inc., and Hot Rods by Boyd which had been pulled-down by Boyd’s Wheels both filed for Chapter 11 protection when its credit line was frozen by its banker after a year of financial turmoil, and ran out of cash, listing total outstanding debts of $15 million.
The Hot Rods by Boyd shop closed temporarily, and the tight-knit “Magic Machine” and rest of the crew at the shop was forced to disband.
In March 1997, Boyds Wheels was shut-down, it’s 130 employees were dismissed as it requested permission to auction-off its assets from the federal Bankruptcy Court. It’s still profitable Hot Rods by Boyd, continued to remain in operation while they looked for a buyer who could keep the business intact.
A reorganization plan was released on 22 July 1998 that shuttered his ‘made-in-America’ wheel production operations and moved them off-shore to Asia. Ultimately, American Republic Wheels Acquired The Boyd Coddington Wheel Brands in August 2012.
It was the end of 1998 when Chip parted ways with Boyd and was cleaning out his desk when Lynne called to share the news she was pregnant with their first child.
Boyd Coddington Passed in 2008; Foose Design & Chip Clear the Air on the Controversies
When 63-year-old and long-time diabetic Boyd Coddington died from complications (ultimately sepsis) brought on by a recent surgery on 27 February 2008, it was reported on 27 February, “Mr. Foose, who became a fiery rival of Mr. Coddington’s the last decade, was not available for comment. But his wife, Lynne, told me that “people didn’t understand the true nature of their relationship” and that “Chip was on good terms with Boyd when he died.” In an interview with Mr. Foose last year, it was suggested that friction had developed over whether proper credit was given for certain Foose designs that came out of the Coddington shop in the 1990s; also, some property that Mr. Foose believed to be rightfully his became entangled in the financial collapse of one of Mr. Coddington’s companies in the late 1990s.”
Update: Shortly thereafter, Foose Design & Chip Foose issued the following statement:
Chip Foose and everyone at Foose Design are saddened to hear of the untimely passing of legendary hot rod builder Boyd Coddington. Chip and Boyd spent many hours together in the early years of Hot Rods by Boyd, becoming so close that Chip considered Boyd almost as a second father. Boyd allowed Chip and all his employees the freedom to design and fabricate the ultimate in custom vehicles and provided the necessary customers to grow. Boyd formalized the Hot Rod business and thereby legitimized it — the result was the creation of an industry. Boyd’s contribution to the Hot Rod and Aftermarket are significant and unparalleled. “I appreciate all of the opportunities Boyd offered me while I worked with him and I owe a large part of my career and success to the great working relationship we had. I pass on my deep sympathy and respect to everyone at Boyd’s and the Boyd Coddington Family. He will be greatly missed”
With Lynne as Chip’s Partner, They Co-Found Foose Design in Orange County, California
Boyd Coddington’s business failures were for the most part, a combination of overreach and bad timing while trying to do something noble: expand U.S. based manufacturing instead of outsourcing good jobs and GDP-producing aftermarket auto parts to Asia, which is eventually what Boyd Coddington ended-up doing to save his business. That Chip Foose had been the managing director, aka President of Boyd’s Wheels, Inc. and Hot Rods by Boyd when it filed for Chapter 11 on January 1988 was no fault of his own. Recalling Chip had only been placed in that role on 25 November 1997, in many ways it was fate interceding as it had already done several times in his life, as it was the catalyst for Chip and his wife Lynne to make the best out of bad situation when they became partners and re-focused their energies on taking Foose Design from being a virtual entity into a brick & motor business.
While deep-pocket financial backers didn’t rally behind the quickly rising custom car maestro, his stellar reputation and the network of industry business contacts he and his father Sam had established over their careers in the business, as well as the network of clients coupled with the feisty, no-nonsense business acumen of his now business partner and wife, Lynne, would take Chip Foose, Foose Design and its future business endeavors to new heights and an unprecedented string of awards and recognition. Make no mistake about it, as it had been with Giovanni’s Pizza, while Chip was taking care of running the shop and working with clients out in front, Lynne was always behind the scenes running the business.
Woe to those who often-times assumed Chip’s attractive business partner Lynne was merely an attractive trophy-wife and failed to appreciate she had without-a-doubt a classic Type-A personality: a seasoned entrepreneur with a UCSB degree who had already established a successful business in the rough and tumble, sink-or-swim restaurant / hospitality industry and went on to attain her Juris Doctors degree and become a member of the State Bar of California.
Moreover, Lynne’s influence on Chip’s life, their family and Foose Design is something he would often acknowledge during the many interviews and speaking engagements he gave over the years, routinely citing his decision to marry Lynne as the best decision he’d ever made since early-on and didn’t hesitate to credit her providing the motivation that sent him back to the ArtCollege, running the business-side of Foose Design and steering it through various new opportunities that Chip’s talent attracted.
After first establishing Foose Design after leaving Boyd, Chip worked out of a garage/shop in Orange, California with Steve Greninger early-on who came over from Boyd’s. Early-on, Greninger and Chip were committed to doing their best to put what Greninger nicknamed “the Magic Machine” team from Hot Rods by Boyd back together. They successfully regrouped the team over the next several years; however, the reunion further expanded the existing rift regarding designer credit and rights between Foose and Coddington as the technicians who left Boyd’s in 1998 for other shops, sooner or later came to work at Foose Design, including Charlie Hutton which Coddington did not take well. However, Foose and Boyd eventually came to terms with their differences and were on good terms, Boyd having noted later, “…some things happen for the better.”
Some of the early projects to come out of Foose Designs included the Gone-In-60-Seconds 1967 Ford Mustang GT 500 prototype designed by St. Louis native and freelance designer Steve Stanford who worked out of an old trailer behind Pete Santini’s paint and body shop in Westminster, California, that Chip Foose fabricated from a 1967 Mustang fastback donor car. The ‘original protype’ for Eleanor fabricated by Chip was used to create the molds to replicate parts and panels for the 14 Eleanors used in the filming of the movie, of which only three survived.
There was also a restyling of the Boydster II designed and built by Chip Foose while he was at Hot Rods by Boyd: it was the car that defined ‘the Boyd Look. foose client Chuck Svatos bought it from Boyd during the asset auction, and then brought it to Chip and asked him to restyle it the way he’d originally wanted the car. When it was completed it was renamed 0032. Svatos’ entered it in the 2000 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster competition at the 2020 Grand National Roadster Show in San Francisco on 26 January and it won.
Marcels: As an interesting side-note, many of the hot rod and custom designs as well as restoration and reproduction projects have had their bodies fabricated by Marcel’s Custom Metal, in Corona, California. The business was founded, owned and operated by Marcel De Lay and his son’s Marc & Luc who began working in other body repair shops fabricating hard-to-find sheet metal body panels for high-end classics and exotic cars. They went on to build one-off and short production runs of hot rod bodies — such as the 20 Muroc Roadsters produced by Jerry Kugel and Chip Foose — for most of top US builders for many years, including Boyd Coddington, Chip Foose, Rick Dore, Roy Brizio, and Jerry Kugel. The Boydster bodies were fabricated by Marcels.
While Chip and Chuck were having a late night / early morning breakfast at a Denny’s during the show, they got to talking about cars and Chip mentioned he had a ’32 3-window in the shop he was working-on. Svatos decided he’d rather have the coupe instead of the roadster, and a few days later sent the title for 0032 to Chip to cover the cost to build the ’32 Lil’l Foose Coupe. Foose, in turn, immediately sold 0032 at an RM Sothebys auction, giving him the cash he needed for a down-payment to buy the building in Huntington Beach they’d just moved into. Foose had been leasing half of the building and learned the lease-holder was about to sell the building, so the timing was serendipitous. The shop became the headquarters for Foose Design. The 3-window coupe Chip finished 5-years later for Chuck Svatos was eventually acquired from Chuck by the Peterson Museum, where it remains in the museum’s collection.
The Magic Machine team finished Wes Rydell’s ‘Grand Master ‘ 1935 Chevrolet Master roadster project in 2002 that went on to be chosen as first of three Don Ridler Memorial Award winners produced by Foose Design in just four years, with a fourth Ridler in 2015. When asked about Chip’s work on projects produced for clients with a goal of competing for the ‘Ridler Award’ at the Detroit Autorama each year, Lynne Foose noted when asked, “Foose Design is different. It has nothing to do with money.” Going further, “If Chip isn’t passionate about a car, it may as well not be in the shop,” said Lynne who has also noted that as the partner running the business side of Foose Design, “I had to make sure that the client cars that were being built in our own shop kept moving forward” while also staying within agreed-to budgets as the chief financial officer (CFO) of Foose Design. “There are the small projects, which consist of body modifications and graphic design. Then there are the guys willing to wait out a two-to-three-year backlog and cough up a million dollars for a Foose-made Ridler contender.”
Chip one time shared that except for the engine, transmission, and suspension, the 2005 Ridler winner, Impression, was created almost completely from raw sheet metal with a team of fabricators, welders, painters, upholsterers and electricians spending 12,000 hours gingerly shaping 20,000 pieces where every piece has a purpose and every part needs to ‘pop’ and they build-upon each other as the car moves through the design and fabrication process. In addition to the four Ridler Awards, Chip has been involved with eight Goodguys Street Rod of the Year Awards, and nine America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) winners.
Again, while Chip Foose was doing the design work, fabricating cars, running the shop and working with clients in those early years, Lynne Foose was working behind the scenes running the business as well as going through two pregnancies and being a mom raising a family. As shared with Tara Findly in an interview published in the December 2020 Irvine Weekly, “I had to hit the ground running, learning everything I could about running an automotive design and fabrication firm. I understood how to get all the licenses and permits that we needed to operate, but I quickly had to learn how to use QuickBooks, and to learn all I could about intellectual property rights,” she tells us. “In the beginning, we had no money to hire any clerical staff, so I was the receptionist, bookkeeper, CFO, secretary, and in-house counsel. I remember many occasions where I had to forward the phone calls to my house, so I could take care of my infant son, while running the business,” she continues. “I will never forget having to change poopy diapers while on a phone call with a wealthy client. One of those wealthy clients was Dick Marriott, of Marriott Hotels, who was complaining about his bill. Dealing with a crying infant left me with very little patience for the complaints of a client who could easily pay their bill. Needless to say, Dick paid his bill in full…” In retrospect, Lynne has said, “I’m very happy to say that returning to law school was one of the best decisions I ever made… There was no way I could help build a worldwide brand, without my law degree.”
Not surprisingly, once Chip became a known commodity in Hollywood with his work in 1999/2000 on the 1967 Mustang Eleanor Project for Gone-In-60 Seconds, and as a consultant for Christopher Titus on his self-titled sitcom, it was quickly followed by the made-for-TV Chip Foose biography-feature on the pilot episode of Rides. That, in turn, was quickly followed by Overhaulin’, and the business side of Foose Design was becoming too complex for Lynne & Chip Foose to manage by themselves, or rather Lynne: Chip’s scarce waking-hours were filled to overflowing.
As a personal aside and intro to the extracts of the article, having now gleaned a lot about their personal histories from my research, it also seem as though Chip and Lynne were also struggling with the grey areas between their personalities as well as certain business roles, where Chip was the creative source of energy in their partnership, while Lynne was the more structured business mindset. The first part of the article captures it in the content and word count where Chip’s key message comes last, whereas the second part begins with the key message first — likely since business-minded Carson Lev was also in the interview — and then provides a laundry list of examples to reinforce the point. The rest of the article doesn’t really provide much in the way of new information, it’s mostly color commentary about the business, TV programs, life-in-general and the authors observations in Foose Designs shop. However, in one of the two references to Lynne by name in the article, one thing becomes very clear: “Lynne Foose, an attorney, handles the books for the company. Foose said he stays out of the finances.”
Describing the creative side of Foose Design: “Using a plain blue pen, Chip Foose makes swift, sweeping strokes, outlining the body of what will be a drawing of a modified 1932 Ford Roadster. The drawing is set to yield a car that will be used to raise money for Cruisin’ For a Cure. “If I’m not building, I’m sketching something,” says Foose, one of Southern California’s most popular hot rod designers. Foose is founder [co-founder, I believe] of Foose Design in Huntington Beach, which designs and builds million-dollar hot rods, mostly for rich executives. He also plays himself on TLC’s “Overhaulin’”,a car enthusiast’s mix of “Pimp My Ride” and “Punk’d.” Car lovers herald Foose because he has artistic and mechanical skills. Some of his original designs include “Grand Master,” a tricked out 1935 Chevrolet Master Sedan, “Impression,” a 1936 Ford Roadster, and “Stallion,” a 1934 Ford Coupe. “The way Chip Foose puts the parts together transcends mere mechanics,” said Leslie Kendall, curator at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. An exhibit of Foose’s work, “From Pen to Pavement,” is on display there later this month. Foose, who’s done this for 35 years, said he sees his work as hobby and passion. “I call it a lifestyle,” he said. “Not a career.””
Describing the business side of Foose Design:Money in Licensing. There isn’t much profit building hot rods. The money is in the Foose name, which he has [they have] been able to leverage to sell all kinds of products, from wheels and snowboards to TV shows and Hot Wheels. A line of tools for Stanley Works’ Mac Tools and a line of books are in the works.
Making Hot Wheels into Real Cars: The aforementioned laundry list of licensing deals follows, along with, “Carson Lev, Foose’s licensing agent, is working on a dozen licensing deals for Foose, who collects royalties.” And, based on the quoted comments, it appears Carson was sitting-in on the interview: “I get a small percent of what he does,” Lev said. The two are business partners and longtime friends, bonded by their love of cars. “It’s fun to work with your buddy,” Lev said. The pair built two hot rods together, a full-size Twin Mill and Deora II for Mattel Inc.’s Hot Wheels. Lev worked for Mattel. It wraps up with the biggest licensing project to date, the Overhaulin’ automotive realty with five TLC-produced seasons and 71 episodes before going on hiatus and being revived in 2012 for seasons six through nine and 44 additional episodes, and revived again in 2019 for season 10 and the final 12 episodes.
The following bio pulled from Carson Liv’s RedPhin Productions website is not only a wealth of information about Carson, it provides some key background on the business-based friendship that exists between he and Chip Foose.
Despite Carson being 10-years older than Chip, in addition to sharing Bachelor of Science degrees in mechanical design fields — Chip’s in Transportation and Carson’s Industrial — at the heart of it all were their respective childhood immersions in the hot rod culture, passion for the lifestyle and network of contacts. It was the hot road world and contacts that found them working together shortly after Chip moved to Hot Rods by Boyd full time in 1993.
What appears to have brought them together was Carson’s founding of Compression Engineering in 1994, that introduced CNC-machined wheels to Boyd Coddington and Chip Foose. That was followed by Carson’s time at Mattel, which led to future, mutually beneficial business engagements between the two friends. However, Carson also brought to the table the same Type A business-mind that Lynne Foose could relate to. Lynne likely embraced that when Carson became Foose Design’s licensing consultant, even before he founded Redphin Productions and brought his son, Aaron on board with Redphin to help manage the Foose Design account.
Rather than trying to do justice to this well-written bio using my scissor, paste, integrate and revise approach, I’m going to simply make this another sidebar, as its quite telling and provides a thread that explains the symbiotic relationship that exists between Chip Foose, Lynne Foose and Carson Liv, as their paths and personalities have a lot of touch points that [spoiler alert] preceded his installation as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Foose Design in 2006.
The rare photo of Chip and Lynne at right was taken in 2018, by which time Carson may have stepped-down from the VP & COO role at Foose Design so he could spend more time in his role as the CEO of Redfin while still supporting Foose Design’s licensing and marketing needs. I say that as I heard him say, “…one of the greatest customers when I was working with chip we ever dealt with” during an a round table discussion during a 2019 podcast alongside Chip, but they were clearly still close friends and had some type of business relationship.
Born on 24 Dec 1952 and growing up in Southern California, Carson Lev was immersed in hot rod car culture at an early age. His friends and schoolmates were the children of race car owners, builders and drivers. His early teenage years were spent hanging out at Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s customizing shop and the studio of automotive artist Kenny Youngblood. Through the early influence of “Big Daddy” and “Blood”, a passion for hot rods, car design, illustration, pin-striping and lettering was nurtured and encouraged.
As his automotive passion grew, so did Carson’s foundation of friends and contacts in the Hot Rod Community, resulting in many life-long friendships. Through High School and College he continued to build hot rods, letter race cars, attend car shows and races of some kind nearly every weekend.
Graduating in 1977 from California State University at Long Beach (CSULB), with a degree in Industrial Design, Carson pursued a career in Biomedical Product Development but still managed to stay active in the automotive field. His strong interest in car culture and Automotive Design resulted in his taking a break from the Medical Product Development field to work for Dick Cepek Off Road, as the Director of Product Development, Marketing and Advertising. He also began consulting on numerous automotive aftermarket projects.
Carson combined his interest in computer technology and design by founding Compression Engineering, an Advanced Product Development and Design Firm in 1994. Located in Orange County, California, projects were completed for Medical Product Manufacturers, and Automotive Design and Manufacturing clients utilizing state-of-the-art computer technologies. Suddenly, all the old friends in the Hot Rod community were becoming customers.
An experimental project with Boyd’s Wheels and noted designer Chip Foose, led to a new computer-based machining process to produce custom billet wheels. It also resulted in Chip and Carson becoming close friends. Through Compression Engineering Carson also began his first association with Mattel Inc., successfully completing projects for the Hot Wheels division. A deal was struck to bring Carson to Mattel, where he successfully served as Director of Engineering, Director of Design and ultimately Director of Hot Wheels Licensing, where he achieved first-year milestone sales in excess $4 million.
As Director of Design – Hot Wheels, Carson was responsible for the successful growth of the Hot Wheels Racing and Collector product lines, the creation of the Hot Wheels Licensed Automotive Program, the Hot Wheels Exhibit at the legendary Petersen Automotive Museum and the 35th Annual Hot Wheels Hall of Fame Event hosted by Jay Leno. Additionally, Carson managed the construction of the full-scale Twin Mill and the Deora II, the only Hot Wheels toys to be turned into fully functioning full-scale vehicles.
In April 2005, Carson left Mattel after ten years of service to work with licensing giant Equity Management, Inc. (EMI) as Senior Vice President / General Manager. He was responsible for the company’s General Motors Licensing programs, including Service Parts Organization and Accessories. He also directed EMI’s expanding die-cast program, chairing a new committee to provide strategic planning and vision for the company’s die-cast operations.
However, with the rapid rise of Chip Foose, now starring weekly on TLC’s hit show “Overhaulin’,” Carson felt the time had come to start his own licensing agency. Redphin Productions, LLC was created as the exclusive Licensing Firm for Foose Design, Inc. and has since added Discovery Channel’s Overhaulin” Brand, Ivan “Ironman” Stewart, Troy Sumitomo of Five Axis and Mike Lavalle of Killer Paint, and has completed projects for companies such as Ford, John Deere, Pirelli, MAC, BASF, Magnaflow, WD40, 3M, Lincoln Electric, Motor City Casino, NBC/Universal and Disney Pixar/Cars, to their expanding roster of clients.
Lev’s unique combination of management experience and extensive real world, practical knowledge of the car hobby give him a unique perspective on the current state of the licensing industry. Carson has hosted and been a featured guest on numerous hot rod and automotive related television and radio programs. He was inducted into the Inaugural Die-cast Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2011 Carson was celebrated as the CSULB Distinguished Alumni and delivered the commencement address for the College of the Arts.
MPL Added: Because it’s quite telling about Carson, the name of his firm is also the name of his customized, 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air, 2-door Sedan whose license plate is also RED PHIN.
The Mattel Twin Mill and Deora II Story, Too Good to Pass Up
As noted in his bio, Carson Lev was Mattel’s Director of Design – Hot Wheels and in 1998 was handling one of their early marketing ventures with Boyd Coddington at Hot Rods by Boyd. Chip Foose in charge of the full-scale design and build of the 1:1 scale version of the 1:64 scale Hot Wheels 1969 Twin Mill car. Carson’s objective for the project was, “… to take the toy brand and make it relevant to men,” . His approach was to build a full-size, fully-functional version of the 1:64 scale 1969 Hot Wheels ‘Mainline’ launch model — the ‘Twin Mill’ designed by Ira Gilford — to mark the 30th anniversary of the highly successful series. In addition to being outrageous, over 12-million of the 1:64 scale ‘collectable’ car models had been produced, with mint-condition, still-in-the-box examples on ebay still selling as of 2024 for over $500, and used examples in ‘good’ condition for $80, noting they would have sold for under $1.00 $8.20 adjusted for inflation back in 1969.
However, after Boyd’s Wheels and Hot Rods by Boyd filed for bankruptcy in January 1998, later that year the still unfinished ‘Twin Mill’ was nowhere to be found when they inventoried the assets for auction: I’m left to assume Chip & Carson somehow squirreled-away the unfinished project car when Hot Rods by Boyd was shut-down temporarily in January 1998. The project car reappeared when Carson Lev revived the Twin Mill project and shipped it to Barry Lobeck in Ohio to complete. Lobeck was another iconic builder who rose to prominence for his ‘Ohio Look’ in the 1970s. The ‘Twin Mill’ with its twin 502 big block engines making an estimated 1,400 total horsepower made its debut at SEMA 2001 in Las Vegas.
Chip Foose described the 1:1 scale Deora II that he built for Carson and Mattel — the second of the two toys re-imaged and built as real cars — in a ‘Throwback Thursday’ Facebook Page post as, “A fun project to work on and a dream come true for me. When I was a kid my dad worked with Gene Winfield Rod & Custom to build full scale replicas for AMT model kit vehicles, so I was ecstatic when Hot Wheels gave me the chance to do the same.”
As already mentioned, Foose Design has established licensing agreements to produce a wide range of Foose-branded products, from high-end CNC-machined aluminum billet wheels, to die-cast small-scale model cars by several different firms, other toy car products, and even DuPont and BASF paint colors, 3M products and WD-40.
There have also been some more ambitious efforts by third parties who had an interest in building and selling replicas or special editions of cars based on his award-winning designs,or that were featured on episodes of Overhaulin’. Some of the cars have included the 2005 Hemisfear production model first shown at SEMA 2006 in Las Vegas, the 2005 Ford Mustang Stallion first shown at the 2005 Woodward Dream Cruise, and a Ford F-150 FX2 Sport model-based 2008 Foose Edition F-150 announced at SEMA 2006 and first shown at the 2007 New York Auto Show.
However, Foose will admit that when they’ve licensed others to use the Foose brand name on a product, he sometimes has lost control of what happens when other people have more control than he does, which has caused damage to his reputation and his brand.
As an example, and reported by Autoweek on 5 October 2007:
Trouble At The Mustang Ranch: Problems Surface At Unique Performance
Looks like Unique Performance, the Texas company producing a host of classic and modern musclecars with Carroll Shelby and Chip Foose badges, is in trouble.
When we wrote about the company a year ago (AW 11/20/2006), things looked golden for Unique. There was a mini assembly line at company headquarters cranking out a number of classic musclecars at what looked like a good clip. We drove many of the cars and enjoyed them all.
But since then things have gone south. Today (Oct. 5) Shelby’s licensing branch announced it has taken steps to sever the relationship with Unique Performance after numerous complaints and several lawsuits filed by customers who had paid money for “Continuation” Shelby GT-350SRs and GT-500Es (Eleanors )but not received cars. Those cars are refurbished original models brought up to more modern standards of safety and performance. Prices range from $100,000 to $200,000.
But Shelby customers weren’t the only ones. Unique Performance also produced refurbished 1969 Camaros and 1970 Challengers designed by Chip Foose and sold under the Foose name.
“We’ve been working with unique to resolve concerns that we’ve brought forth,” said Carson Lev, head of Foose licensing. “Chip is dedicated to the fact that he doesn’t want to leave customers at risk.”
“We don’t want to say, ‘See ya’, that’s your problem,” said Foose of customers who have made deposits on cars. “We’re trying to resolve those issues.”
Unique Performance also produced the Foose Stallion, a Chip Foose-designed tuner car based on the 2007 Ford Mustang, through a network of Ford dealers across the country. The Foose Stallions were manufactured at another Texas company called Unique Performance Concepts, a partnership between Unique Performance and a Fort Worth company called Tecstar. It’s possible that Tecstar could continue to make Foose Stallions without Unique Performance.
The Foose Hemisfear will continue production uninterrupted, since it is manufactured by MetalCrafters in Southern California.AutoWeek was unable to reach Unique Performance’s CEO Doug Hasty.
To fully appreciate the impact Carson Lev and RedPhin had at Foose Design, in an interview published in the 23 December 2020 Irvine Weekly Lynne Foose recalled, “In the early years, we [Chip & Lynne) had no idea how big the Foose brand was becoming. We were simply so focused on survival… It was at that point that I realized how popular Overhaulin’ had become, and that of our family name even more so. This was the point at which our agent, Redphin Productions, became such a key player in our success,” says Lynne. “They [Carson & Aaron] are an absolutely amazing father and son team who have helped build the Foose name into a worldwide brand,” she continues. “I met regularly with Carson and Aaron to discuss potential licensing and sponsorship deals from major Fortune 500 companies. Together we worked to negotiate the best deal possible, that allowed both parties to experience a win-win relationship.”
The following press-release was issued by Foose Design on 11 October 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CARSON LEV APPOINTED VICE PRESIDENT/COO FOR FOOSE DESIGN
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., (September 19, 2006) – Foose Design, the premier automotive and industrial design company conceived by legendary auto designer Chip Foose, is pleased to announce the appointment of Carson Lev as its new Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. Lev brings a wealth of automotive licensing and marketing expertise to the Huntington Beach-headquartered design firm, headed by legendary designer and fabricator Chip Foose.
Lev will be responsible for the company’s entire range of day-to-day operations, including overall management of design projects, scheduling, and manpower allocations. In addition, Lev will coordinate Foose Design’s licensing programs and agreements, including Chip Foose’s role on the popular Overhaulin’ and Rides television shows.
“I’ve known Carson for 15 years,” says Foose, “and he is truly passionate about our business with a strong sense of personal integrity. Over the years we have developed the highest level of trust and respect for each other As Foose Design continues to expand, we would like to enhance both the creative design and the corporate side of our business. Carson brings a unique structure of management experience and real-world automotive knowledge to Foose Design.”
Prior to joining Foose Design, Lev served as Senior Vice President and General Manager at Equity Management, Inc. (EMI), a leader in corporate trademark licensing. While there he oversaw all of the company’s General Motors’ licensing programs and directed EMI’s expanding die-cast program.
Lev has also managed his own licensing firm, RedPhin Productions, which handled and continues to handle trademark licensing agreements for a number of high-visibility clients including Mac Tools, Sims Snowboards, RC2 toys and MHT Wheels on behalf of Chip Foose. Before founding RedPhin productions, Lev spent more than a decade at Mattel, Inc., serving in roles ranging from Director of Design and Product Development Engineering, to Licensing and New Business Development.
Founded in 1998, Foose Design is an automotive and product development company directed by legendary designer and fabricator Chip Foose. Headquartered in Huntington Beach, Calif., the company specializes in illustration, graphics, ideation model making, surfacing and the complete construction of automobiles and automobile-related products, including its unique line of Foose Design wheels. Its products and creative services are available to private individuals, television and film companies and automotive manufacturers. Chip Foose and his Foose Design team can be seen on the popular new Discovery Channel series Overhaulin’ that airs weekly on TLC, or visit the company web site at www.foosedesign.com <http://www.foosedesign.com/> for more information.
Some of the more ambitious licensing programs and horizontal promotional endeavors that Foose Designs had pursued before Carson Lev become more actively involved in– initially as a consultant, and then establishing RedPhin Productions in 2006 to exclusively manage Foose Designs licensing — have been greatly expanded given the surge in popularity of the ‘car hobby’ during the past 20-years, paralleled by automotive and car hobby based programming by the TLC Network and DiscoverHD/Velocity/MotorTrend TV and other networks.
A Sampling of Foose Design Licensingand Promotions since Lev Joined
The 4th of the 5 Hemisfear-based, Foose Coupes
In 2005, Chip finally realized his goal of producing a full-size, functional Hemisphere through a partnership that was unveiled at the SEMA 2006 trade show in November.
Hemisfear was commissioned by the JL Full Throttle, die cast model car company who partnered with Foose to build both the scale and 1:1 Hemisfear
In 2006, Foose went on to launch 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, including scale model copies of many of Foose’s famous, award-winning designs, including Grand Master and Impression.
In 2007, Foose Design and Metalcrafters began limited production of Hemisfear originally designed by Chip in 1990 as his senior project at the ArtCenter College of Design. However, due to the inability to resolve indemnification and insurance needs to allow for registration of the cars, the original plan to build a limited-edition run of 50 Hemisfear -based cars was abandoned, with only five cars produced before the project was cancelled, well short of the 20-car break-even-point.
In March 2007, the first of five production-model Foose Coupe’s was sold along with a design consultation with Foose at the Barrett-Jackson car auction in Palm Beach for $340,000 to Atlanta vintage car dealer and avid car collector Roger Burgess.
In 2006, Foose was retained as a design consultant to provide architects with unique styling elements for the exterior and interior of the $275 million expansion of Detroit’s MotorCity Casino and Hotel, finished in November 2007.
Foose’s influence is reflected strongly in the sweeping hotel roof design, a 181-ton, 304-foot-long stainless steel undulating ribbon inspired by the door molding on a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
The interior of the casino is notable for Foose’s “Future Retro” giant auto grille design of the ceiling, with large, extruded aluminum-like beams, and thousands of multi-color LEDs that can display video with more than 256,000 colors.
In 2007, Foose helped to launch Ridemakerz customizable toy cars business.
In 2005 and 2011, director John Lasseter of Disney’s PixarFilmsinvited Chip to contributepaint schemes and graphic treatments to certain characters from the hit movie “Cars” and then again for” Cars 2”.
In 2011, Chip commissioned by Disney to produce original artwork inspired by the movie Cars, as well as Vinylmation pieces as part of the Cars 2 movie promotional roll-out and opening of the Car Land theme park expansions anchored by the Radiator Springs venue mentioned above.
In 2011, as part of a partnership with John Deere, Chip designed and modified a John Deere tractor that was used to create a 1:64 scale ‘collectable’ model.
In 2012, Chip Foose and Foose Design became the exclusive endorsers of 3M Corp. abrasives/sanding applications, paint spray equipment, masking systems and paint finishing systems in the Latin America and South America region.
Throughout his career, Foose continued to provide design consultations to the Big Three automakers, but nearly all of his work with them is closely guarded and not promoted.
Note that the five subsequent cars were – renamed the Foose Coupe when Chrysler — in short, as it’s a long and convoluted story you can hear in this Podcast discussion, noting Foose had and still does ownership of the name ‘Hemisfear’ — claimed the ownership rights to the word ‘Hemi used in an automotive context’ Foose Design dropped the use of Chrysler Hemi engines for the project and, instead, spec’d Ford engines for the cars and renamed it the Foose Coupe.
While most of the general public have probably gained awareness of, and possibly become customers or at least fans of Chip Foose through his public exposure since 2003 on the made-for-TV revenue-generating automotive programs like Rides’ and Overhaulin,’ there has been a downside: it is difficult for Chip — as well as his family, friends coworkers and clients when they are with Chip — to go anywhere in public without being recognized and having fans crowd his personal space.
It also put an increasing demand on Chip’s time, taking away from the time he could spend doing work at Foose Design, time to be engaged in the management of Foose Designs with Lynne and Carson, and perhaps most importantly, the amount of time the admitted workaholic could carve-out for family time with Lynne, Brock and Katie.
Movie Cars begets Titus, begets Rides, begets Overhaulin’?
As noted earlier, Foose’s exposure to film and television work began very early with his father, Sam Foose, who was working with Gene Winfield designing and building cars for television shows and movies in the 1960’s and 1970s. While Chip was working in his father’s shop he also began to work on TV and movie cars, first with his father on projects for Blade Runner and RoboCop, and later building the prototype for Eleanor for Gone in 60 Seconds.
While I’m unsure of how they were initially introduced, in 2000 the comedian-turned-actor Christopher Titus retained Chip as a consultant for his TV show ‘Titus’ – a sitcom based on the dysfunction family life of custom car shop owner and – and produced the 1956 Chevrolet Nomad‘show‘ vehicle featured as his TV character’s personal car that ‘he had built’ and tinkers with on the Titus sitcom, and subsequently commissioned Chip to restyle his 1956 Chevrolet sedan that ultimately became a three-year, $300,000+ project.
The pilot episode of RIDES’ – a made-for-TV documentary produced by the TLC Network and hosted by Jason Priestley — became the catalyst for TLC Network’s automotive reality show Overhaulin’, built around Chip Foose’s design and fabrication talents and those of many of the best craftsmen working in the trade.
Consultant on Titus“The Jester”, Titus’ ’56 Bel AirIntro to Rides’ Pilot with Chip
As already mentioned in the summary, during Chip’s appearance at the Savoy Automobile Museum5 as the features speaker at one of the Lecture Series events the Saturday after an exhibit featuring his personal vehicles opened, he shared how he was first approached and asked if he’d like to co-host the series “Monster Garage” with former co-worker Jesse James from Hot Rods by Boyd. However, after the concept and first two build projects were shared with him, he politely declined the role: something he characterized as the one of his best decisions.
Note 5: There were a few things I learned as Chip shared his personal story at the Savoy that filled-in some gaps or provided new insights I’d not previously heard or read during my research. That led to some recent edits that were not my best work. As I re-read my narrative and find them, I’ll continue to do my best to fix them. Sorry about that.
When asked by the producer for his ideas on what type of a program he felt would be a better fit, and shared the concept for the documentary/biography series that became the series RIDES‘ where the producers moved between builders in the greater Los Angeles hot-bed of hot-rod shops and custom car builders over the course of a year to develop the series and first ten episodes. It wasn’t long-after when Chip was featured in The Learning Channel (TLC) network’s 2003 pilot for RIDES’. Chris Titus began the program with featuring Chip’s work on ‘The Jester’ — Titus’ nearly completed 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air — with several of Chips other award-winning vehicles featured in the biography that first aired on 19 March 2003.
The pilot episode of Rides’ featured Chris Titus’ 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air project, the Foose Ford Speedbird project and several other important, early Foose Design projects, focusing on Foose’s approach to design and his hands-on engagement in the building process.
In 2002, when Chip Foose won his first Don Ridler Memorial, aka, Ridler Award with Wes Rydell’s ’35 Chevy Grand Master, painted by Charlie Hutton, unsurprisingly the “Speedbird” built in just six-weeks received the “Best of Show” award from Ford Motor Company. In the background, and unrelated to the Overhaulin’ program back in Chip’s Huntington Beach Foose Design shop, the “Magic Machine” team had been working to finish building Ron Whiteside’s 2003 Ridler-winning 1934 Ford 3-window “Stallion” coupe, his second winner in a row, noting he’d go on to win a record-tying third Ridler in 2005 and a record-setting fourth in 2015.
On 27 April 2004, the TLC program Overhaulin’ debuted, co-hosted by entertainer Chris Jacobs and Chip Foose who the program followed as they ‘pranked’ the target by stealing their car and then performing a secret car ‘overhaul’ by the ‘Overhaulin’” A-team. Chip would have a design meeting with the target’s spouse or friend who submitted the story that won them the chance to have their car ‘overhauled,’ and then Chip would lead the A-team through the modification project over eight days, often working long, tireless and sleepless nights working on the project during the week-long filming of the episode.
Overhaulin’ was produced for five seasons by the TLC network with 71 episodes before being cancelled. The Velocity by Discovery Channel picked up series given the strong ratings reruns of the first five seasons were receiving and produced it for six more seasons beginning in 2012 with 44 additional episodes, and revived it and produced for one last season 10 in 2019 and the last 12 episodes.
The female co-hosts during the 10-seasons included Courtney Hansen in 2004 & 2005, Adreienne Janic in 2005-2008, then again in 2014 & 2015 and 2019, Arianny Celeste in 2013-2015, the late Jessi Combs – also a professional racer and metal fabricator — in 2012-2013 who sadly died while attempting to set another land-speed record on 27 August 2019.
For the first five years of production, Chip Foose would work one Overhaulin’ project car a week on average, and admits having had very little sleep became a problem. He had a bout of burn-out by the end of season three, but it isn’t obvious from the episode release schedule which – at least to me – looked brutal given what they were attempting to do almost every week. Season one aired for 7 weeks in a row.
Season two aired for 14 weeks in a row, beginning a week after Season one.
Season three aired for 37 weeks beginning a month after Season two, with a 6-week break in Jun/Jul ‘05, one on 9 Aug, 4 weeks in Sep, 5 weeks in Nov, 4 weeks in Dec/Jan ’06, one on 14 Feb, and 3 weeks in May.
Season four aired for 19 weeks beginning the week after season three, with a 3-week break in Jun, 1 week in Jul, 1 week break in Sep, a 5 week break in Oct, 1 week in Nov, 1 week in Dec
Season five aired for 8 episodes with a 16-week break from season four in Jan-April ‘07, with 2 non-consecutive weeks off in May and the series was cancelled by TLC with the airing of episode 8 on 26 June.
The On-Again, Off-Again Years
2006 CNN HumVee “Warrior 1” Build for Charity
After the first five seasons of the show it was cancelled. During interviews, Chip stated he looked back on his time at Overhaulin’ as a positive experience and would absolutely do the show again IF he were allowed to take up to three weeks to finish each car… which they subsequently did.
He also shared that he enjoyed letting followers of the show see “how it’s done” who only dreamed of having that kind of an experience. It was his belief, people by that time no longer wanted to cut into old cars because they didn’t have the skills, funds or couldn’t or wouldn’t want to invest the time. And, unlike in years-gone-by when parts were the limiting factor instead of labor, both had increased significant to where labor had become the most expensive, given mass production and offshore sourcing of replacement parts helped to keep the cost of parts more reasonable. As a result, Then and as recently at the 4:15 point in a ‘Round Six’ podcast in 2020, he feel’s there less creativity in the automotive industry, and people in more recent times would rather buy something instead of building it, never-mind reshaping metal — with even show-winning cars — which was the appeal for Overhaulin’ and other shows like it.
While the show is no longer in production, prior seasons and episodes are re-aired by MotorTrend TV and can be streamed from their website by subscribers. However, as mentioned in the introduction to this ‘chapter,’ Chip – who is has often shared he is a very private person when it comes to his personal life — has also shared that his public exposure from Overhaulin’ and other TV programs and appearances has meant he can’t go anywhere in without being recognized and approached by individuals and groups of people who want to share a word, ask a question, take a selfie or pose for a photo which can be disruptive or unwanted at times, as much as he cares about his fans. I so get that and try to catch myself if I start to behave like a spaniel when around automotive luminaries.
Lynne Foose’s Retrospective on the Overhaulin’ Era at Foose Design
Remembering that Foose Design was co-founded as a partnership by Chip with his wife Lynne, who took on the role of Chief Financial Officer, and to a certain extent, the pseudo Chief Operations Officer (CFO/COO) as an outsider looking in, I felt it was important to seek out what was written about her experience during this watershed period of time that eventually caused them to bring in Carson Lev, first with Refphin as their licensing agent on retainer, and then as Foose Design’s COO on 11 October 2006.
From an interview by the Irvine Weekly for a 23 December 2020 article, Lynne recalled, “In 2003, when I was pregnant with my second child Katie, we were approached by a producer to create a reality TV show, where a car would get stolen, redesigned and fixed up in one week,” she recounts. “The show was called Overhaulin’ and got picked up by The Discovery Channel and aired on TLC. This is when things got really crazy, because the network wanted three episodes per month, with each episode lasting eight days. In order for my husband to film that many episodes, I had to run the shop, as well as raise the kids by myself.” “I had to make sure that the client cars that were being built in our own shop kept moving forward, while being the only parent available for my kids. Looking back, I’m not sure how I survived this time frame, but I do recall wanting to run away from home many times, because I was overwhelmed and exhausted. I got very little support from my husband, because he was equally overwhelmed and exhausted.” “But with the advent of reality TV came a lot of very successful licensing and sponsorship programs. This became the bread-and butter of our business.”
In doing my research and what I found, as far back as 2003 the Foose Design world was quickly increasing in complexity and that began to become a source of stress between Chip and his wife Lynne.
On one hand, you had Chip totally immersed in Foose Design projects doing design and, fabrication in their own shop, as well spending an inordinate amount of time doing the same thing surrounded by film crews and directors disrupting the flow of those activities on the Overhaulin’ projects in a nearby, but separate shop, never mind travelling to make appearances all around the country and exhibiting customer builds.
On the other, you had Lynne trying run the very complex business aspects of Foose Design, managing the shop work-flow, resolving issues with vendors, customers, licensees while also trying to attend-to the needs of raising two very young children and maintain a household.
Life is Filled With Tough Choices
As an example, in May 2006 there was an article published in the Orange County Register entitled, ‘Driven to be the best’ that started off with a recollection by Chip from two-years ago when he, … “knew it was going to happen sooner or later. He just didn’t know that it would happen on Father’s Day in 2004. His wife, Lynne, asked him to choose. Choose to be a father and a husband or choose to leave.”
The story goes on to share what’s happened after that day, as Chip agreed he would find family time. His dad, Sam, who spent years giving Chip the knowledge and skill needed to create cars no one else dreams of, stepped-in and tried to inspire a different set of values, “I told him to slow down, spend more time with your family.”
Trying to Make it all Work
Progress and additional time with Lynne, Brock and Katie came in increments. He described making a point to leave work in the afternoon to join the family at home for dinners, taking the kids to Disneyland, attending weekend T-ball games and the newfound relationship with his family, all of which made Chip understand what he was missing when he was always working and away from home.
At the 2005 Detroit Autorama in January, it was reported by those present that when he accepted his third Ridler award for the Impression, he cried. When asked later, he was quoted as saying he, “…cried for himself and he cried for all the people who sacrificed time away from their own families to finish the car.”
Fast forward to May 2006, Chip was still leaving work ‘most evenings’ to be home for dinner. He spent time with Lynne. He played with the kids, Brock by then six-years-old, and Katie, two. By the time the kids drifted off to sleep, he’d kiss Lynn goodbye and head back to work. The author goes on to opine, “Foose is a work in progress. Things at home didn’t change overnight. But things have gotten better.”
Around the same time you’ll recall from the previous Foose Era ‘chapter,’ Foose Design retained Chip’s friend Carson Lev to manage several aspects of the business side of Foose Design, initially becoming their licensing agent. As Lynne noted much later as was quoted in the aforementioned 23 Dec 2020 Irvine Week article, “we had no idea how big the Foose brand was becoming. We were simply so focused on survival… This was the point at which our agent, Redphin Productions, became such a key player in our success.” And, it was later that year when Foose Design announced Carson Lev had accepted the position as its new vice president and chief operating officer (COO), taking a great deal of the business management and marketing workload off of Lynne, as well as Chip.
Carson Lev Provides Stability and Growth to the Business Side of Foose Design
Again, based on my research, Carson is something of a renaissance man who was trained as an industrial designer, he was a hot rod enthusiast and worked on his own cars, and was also a successful an entrepreneur and seasoned businessman who was brought on-board to take a tremendous burden off of Lynne and enhance the ‘business development’ side of Foose Design.
But, he also seemed to provided both Lynne and Chip with someone whom they individually shared many personality traits. Once again, as an outsider looking-in after spending the past 10-days doing a lot of reading and watching video interviews, based on timing he seemed to quickly become the keystone that kept the Foose Design business from collapsing on itself going forward, while also opening up new business opportunities.
Chip Received His Fourth, Record-Setting Ridler Award in 2015
As reported in MotorTrend, Chip won his fourth Don Ridler Memorial Award at the 2015 Detroit Autorama with the 1965 Chevy Impala SS “Imposter” built for Don Voth of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. Designed and built by Chip and his team at Foose Design, it was impressive product of creativity and ingenuity that combined the shell of a ’65 Impala with the chassis, running gear and interior of a 2008 C6 Corvette, hence the name The Impostor because it was neither. What looks at first glance to be a 2-door 1965 Chevy Impala coupe is not, and it extends far beyond merely fitting a different car body to another car’s chassis.
The Imposter’s C6 Corvette donor chassis was stretched 7-5/8 inches and fitted with a highly-modified 1965 Impala body that, among other things, was shortened by 14-inches. The roof was also lowered 1-1/4 inches and shortened by 8 inches, while the top of the windshield was laidback 2-1/2 inches and the decklid was shortened by 7 inches. The rear wheel wells were raised 2 inches and pulled forward 7 inches using handmade steel quarter panel extensions welded in place of the original pot metal pieces. The factory decklid was also extended down an additional 2 inches to butt-up to the bumper, eliminating the stock trim above the bumper. The bumpers were modified to reflect a more mid-year 1960’s Corvette styling. The lower rear body extends under the bumper all the way to the wheel arches for a continued bellypan across the bottom of the car. While they are called waste gates, a pair of openings — are sometimes simply called ducts — were added to the front fenders to pick up Corvette styling cues.
It’s a mixed bag where it is hoped, as Boyd Coddington once said, “…some things happen for the better.”
I ran across a myriad of different things on my internet-based searches, including legal proceedings that were a matter of public record. One of those pertained to a civil case and it would appear the Chip and Lynne legally separated a while back and were recently granted a divorce. However, from all indications, both Brock and Katie are doing well, noting Brock has appeared in a few episodes of Overhaulin’ over the years, up to an including the the final Season 10 in 2019.
And, more recently — as mentioned in my summary — it appears Chip met artist and designer Kathleen Jewell while house-hunting and are now in a committed relationship. In fact, we were pleased to see Kathleen joined Chip for his trip to Georgia and the Savoy Lecture Series event featuring Chip on 10 February 2024. Also an artist, she has clearly become a beloved partner who share their interests and are looking forward to a future together.
Chip has maintained his busy lifestyle and still is actively involved with designing and building cars in the west coast shops, making appearances based on social media postings and the like as recently at the time of this writing and is actively working on future programs that will take a look-back at the post-Overhaulin’ lives of the people and cars that were introduced during the 18-year production run.
Oh, and yes… Chip did hit a major milestone last year when he completed his 60th trip around the Sun on 13 October 2023.
Interestingly enough, Chip shares the same birthdate as another esteemed member of the automotive industry; Master restorer, collector, owner of F40 Motorsports in Portland, Connecticut and television personality Wayne Carini, who was also born into the automotive industry, just a dozen-or-so years ahead of Chip Foose.
Perhaps most widely known as the creator and host of ‘Chasing Classic Cars’ for 17 seasons and 204 episodes from June 2008 through August 2021 Wayne Carini appeared in Season 6, Episode 5 of Overhaulin’ featuring the “SEMA Special Chrysler 300” that aired back on 4 December 2012.
Chip’s 60th Birthday, 13 October 2023Chris Jacobs, Jessi Combs, Wayne Carini & Chip
We had a chance recently to spend a few minutes with Foose, who was serving as a judge for the semifinal round of this year’s SEMA Launch Pad, which was held at the SEMA Garage in Diamond Bar, California. What follows is edited for clarity and length.
SEMA News: The Las Vegas Convention Center is a pretty big canvas to work with. What challenges has this presented, and how have you approached the work?
Chip Foose: The biggest challenge for me has been finding the time to work on the table since I’m trying to run a business—and I’ve got cars that I’m trying to get finished in time for the SEMA trade show.
SN: You’ve won so many industry honors and awards. What keeps you motivated, and what keeps you passionate about the industry these days?
CF: It’s not the cars, it’s the people. I love making people smile and showing them something they’ve never seen before. I don’t want people to look at a car and know exactly what we’ve done the minute they see it. If we’re modifying a car, I like to say we’re ‘tailoring’ it. I’ll look at the car and ask, ‘What was the original designer trying to do?’ and use that to build a show car out of that production car.
SN: Describe your very first SEMA trade show. What do you remember the most about it?
CF: Early in my career as a car builder, I would look at car magazines, and that’s where I would find the products to build the cars. When I went to the SEMA trade show for the first time in 1985, I saw everybody! You know, some companies don’t have the money to advertise in a magazine—but at SEMA, you can find anything. It’s a huge help. It was a life-changing experience for me.
SN: What’s your take on the current state of OE car design? Are there any marques or models that you really like?
CF: It’s funny you ask because I don’t really follow current manufacturers’ design work as much as I used to. I really used to be eager to find out what was happening, but I have not been so inspired for many years.
SN: What’s the most difficult project you ever took on, and how did you manage to complete it?
CF: I never looked at any projects as difficult—I just look at them as opportunities, and I’ve been lucky and blessed to have had so many great opportunities.
SN: What has surprised you the most about the industry during your time in it?
CF: Maybe it’s not a ‘surprise,’ but I’ve been amazed at how helpful people in the industry have been. I’ve had questions for people who I thought would never give me the time of day, but I’ve never had a door slammed in my face, and I just hope to be able to do the same for anyone else who has a question or needs help.
SN: Who do you follow on social media? Are there any fellow builders and designers out there whose work you admire?
CF: I have people in my office who handle our social accounts, but I personally don’t spend time on social media. As far as other builders in the industry are concerned, I consider every one of them to be a potential best friend. They have the same passion I have!
SN: What’s your daily driver these days, and what do you like best about it?
CF: My daily driver nowadays is a ’20 Ford F-150 Limited, and what I like best about it is keyless entry.
SN: If you went back to school, what would you study?
CF: I would want to learn about computer-aided design (CAD). I don’t use a computer at all, and I don’t even use email. I’m completely old school, but when I see some of the drawings that are done on a computer, they’re so beautiful, they blow me away. So I’d like to learn more about CAD sometime in my life.
SN: When you’re not working, where can we find you, and what will you be doing?
CF: If I’m not working, I’m with my girlfriend or my children—and enjoying life!
Insightful Videos Featuring Chip Foose or his Work
For any readers who prefer to get their information in a more entertaining, video format, let me offer the following links to six very-good documentary pieces and interviews that capture the life and work of Chip Foose in different formats; just click on the thumbnail photo to link to the video:
The first is a 12-minute-long audio/video biography that begins with some background on legendary custom car designer and builder Sam Foose, Chip’s father. It goes through his early years, his time with Boyd Coddington, the start-up of Foose Design, his Hollywood years with mostly still images from the show Overhaulin’ running as a visual slideshow in parallel with the audio narration, but not in sync with it, e.g., while they reference Foose’s Hemisfear custom it’s not show at the same time. So, click here for: Chip Foose’s Father Was His Biggest Inspiration:
The second is the 2003, 53-minute-long, 2003 made-for-TV Foose Designs Documentary, and the pilot episode for the TLC Network automotive reality show ‘RIDES’ hosted by Canadian-born auto enthusiast, amateur racer and actor Jason Priestley. The episode first aired in January 2004 and was followed by 53 subsequent episodes, becoming one of the TLC’s most successful series. The story begins with an introduction by comedian and actor Christopher Titus who retained Chip Foose as a consultant in 2000 for his TV show ‘Titus’ – a sitcom based on the dysfunction family life of custom car shop owner – and subsequently commissioned Chip to restyle his 1956 Chevrolet sedan that ultimately became a three-year, $300,000+ project. It’s likely his work with Titus may have lead to the pilot episode of RIDES’ that became the catalyst for TLC Network’s automotive reality show Overhaulin’, built around Chip Foose. The pilot episode features Titus’ ’56 Chevrolet, the Foose Ford Speedbird and several other important, early Foose Design projects, focusing on Foose’s approach to design and his hands-on engagement in the building process.
The third is the 2010, 8-minute-long “walk around” Chris Titus’ ’56 Chevrolet Bel Air 2-door ‘shoebox’ sedan with Adam Corolla, the American radio personality, comedian, actor, podcaster, automotive enthusiast and vintage race car driver who co-hosted ‘The Man Show’ with Jimmy Kimmel from 1999 2003 that catapulted both of their careers in the entertainment industry. What’s worthwhile about this short video is that you have a client and passionate owner of a Foose-designed and built custom describing how it went from a box-stock 2-door, hardtop sedan into a jaw-dropping, one-off custom that was designed by Chip Foose, and built by both Chip and his father Sam, who did all of the extensive metalwork on the amazing car. It sold at auction for $165,000 in down-market 2012, a lot for a ’56 Bel Air, but less than half of what it cost to build a decade earlier.
The fourth is the 8 February 2019, 65-minute-long round-table chat by Chip and Carson Lev with the crew from the Round Six Experience I mentioned and linked to in my Epilogue chapter. It was held during the 70th Grand National Roadster Show when Chip was being honored as “Builder of the Decade” and had a display with a dozen of his most significant cars from the past decade set-up right across the aisle from where the podcast was being held and recorded on video. The discussion covered topics such as the judging and building cars to compete for the title of America’s Most Beautiful Roadster, the early days at Foose Design, amazing details of various the significant builds on exhibit shared by Chip as well as licensing, indemnity and marketing, Disney and Cars Land.
The fifth is the 22 May 2020, 30-minute video-conference during the Covid pandemic by co-hosts Justin Bell — a British race car driver turned journalist and son of Derek Bell — and Tommy Kendall — an American race car driver and television broadcaster — from the livestreamed Torque Show, featuring designer Chip Foose for the first half of the program, and musician & automotive enthusiast/collector John Oates afterwards. During the discussion they probe Chris Foose’s background, design philosophy and how his designs have changed over the years, especially since establishing Foose Design in Huntington Beach with its more sophisticated, elegant and expensive creations vs. the ultra-smooth, classic hot rods he designed while working at Hot Rods by Boyd. They also explore the cars he has built for his wife, Lynne, what he’d do with a British marque if he was designing a car for Justin Bell, what his bucket list project car would be – the Foosenberg – and his design approach to a project for a client, e.g., “You take them one day at a time. I’ll do any car… if it’s the right look and goal.
The sixth was from SEMA 2021 in November 2021, where nearly a quarter of the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center was used for the “Chip Foose Experience,” with twenty Chip Foose designed vehicles on exhibit — the largest ever in one place — including all four of his Ridler Award winning cars.
Current & Past Exhibits at the Savoy Museum 