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Chip Foose

Chasing Perfection

The 75th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Grand National Roadster Show, presented by Meguiar’s, once again proved why it’s the crown jewel of indoor car shows. From January 31 to February 2, the Pomona Fairplex was loaded with the meanest, cleanest roadsters in the country, all gunning for the top prize: the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) Award. This wasn’t just some polished-up car show—this was a throwdown of craftsmanship, power, and pure hot rod passion.

IMPRESSION

In terms of historic automotive achievements (and there have been many, to be sure), this stylized ’36 Ford roadster will long be remembered for its most human elements. Through them, a vehicle of unparalleled execution—at least to date—regardless of type, style or vintage, has come of age. Only slightly reminiscent of the car it is based upon, the lines expressed through the flowing body and adjoining components, and all of the well-placed details, give one the impression of speed, style and a hint of great classics of the past. And while it may take on a hint of flavor of classics past, the overall concept is entirely its own—a coach-built car done for these modern times.

Turn About is Fair Play

Long before the automotive world was familiar with the name Chip Foose, he had already honed his skills working with his father, custom car builder Sam Foose, at Sam’s Goleta, California, shop since he was a mere seven years old. Armed with this hands-on knowledge of the mechanics of hot rods, Chip enrolled at the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

THE RIDLER LOVE AFFAIR

It’s been said that in a perfect world creativity would flourish without criticism. Most attempts to reach a certain artistic understanding are generally met by some degree of judgment, and sometimes offhanded ridicule. Call it a misunderstanding, envy even, but the bottom line comes down to outrageous personal expression, whether some understand the need for it or not.

Golden Anniversary Special

Just about any gearhead would be thrilled by the opportunity to work with legendary automotive collector and all-around funny guy Jay Leno. Dave Killackey, owner of Performance Transmissions in Azusa, California, not only had the opportunity to work on a number of Leno’s projects, but along the way he’s developed a friendship with the late-night TV host. It’s a close enough friendship that Leno teamed with automotive designer Chip Foose and his “Overhaulin’” TV show to completely transform his rusted-out ’56 Chevrolet Nomad. So yes, you did read this correctly; Dave Killackey is indeed one of the luckiest car guys on the planet—he’s friends with Jay Leno, and he owns a ’56 Nomad that has been overhauled by Chip Foose and the rest of his team.

HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR

Looking at the Stallion shows the influence of Unique Performance on Foose’s design. Actually, once you really sit down and look at the car, it appears to be a collage of design features from classic Mustangs, all herded together on the same car. The new front fascia replaces the stock headlight buckets with a large round light and smaller driving light, and this arrangement looks very similar to that found on the Unique G.T.500E. Horizontal billet bars replace the stock honeycomb mesh in the upper grille, shaped very much like the original ’65 grille, down to the offset Foose badge in place of the stock Mustang emblem. The lower grille contains another pair of round lights and more billet bars.

MUSCLE PERFORMANCE ’69 CAMARO

we learned that three important players in the hot rod industry—Chip Foose, Unique Performance and Year One—were coming together for a unique collaboration. Their combined goal was to build a limited-production-built car. Unique Performance already has just such a business, as it builds and sells its continuation Shelby Mustangs.

CANADIAN R’EVOLUTION

If you don’t know the name J.F. Launier, you soon will, as this young craftsman has made a big impression on the hot rodding world in recent years, and from the looks of this, his latest project, he’ll be well represented in the decades to come.

The Triple Crown of Rodding 2023

In both the world of sports and the realm of automotive enthusiasts, there are events that stand out as symbols of excellence. Think of baseball’s All-Star game, golf’s prestigious Masters Tournament, and the excitement of wrestling’s Summer Slam. And now, there’s a new star on the rise in the world of automobiles – The Triple Crown of Rodding (TCOR). This extraordinary event made its debut on September 8-9, in Lebanon, Tennessee, at the Nashville Superspeedway.

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