Since he was seven years old, Chip Foose has taken a keen interest in designing the hottest custom rides in the world. Graduating from Art Center College of Design in 1990, Foose split time between Sternberger Design and Hot Rod builder Boyd Coddington. Two years later, Foose went to work for Coddington full-time. After resigning as president of Coddington's company in 1998, Foose starting his own company, Foose Design. First located in Orange, California, he moved the company to their permanent home in Huntington Beach.
Since that time, Chip Foose has become a household name in the automotive world. He's taken home many awards for his creations. His show, Overhaulin', is known worldwide among gearheads. Foose's artistry has helped re-define custom cars for years to come. Below is a list of the 10 Sickest Cars Modified By Chip Foose Of 'Overhaulin'.
10 Cadillac Eldorado
This magnificent Cadillac is a rather bittersweet affair. It was the first car designed by Foose for Boyd Coddington, and the last delivered to his garage before it closed in 1998. The color is a one-of-a-kind blue courtesy of BASF. The front bumpers come from a '56 Chevy Nomad with grille coming from a period Cadillac.
The interior is a fine leather with an expanded chrome dash. The white aluminum top is hand-shaped, with the wheels a one-off construction from Mike Curtis Design. According to Hot Rod Magazine, "The tops of the doors and rear quarter-panels were sectioned and blended into a sectioned rear decklid. The rear tailfins were reshaped and custom taillight lenses were fabricated to match handmade Vs and chrome work."
9 FOOSE Eleanor Mustang
There she is; there's Eleanor. The gorgeous Mustang GT500 made famous in the 2000 blockbuster Gone In 60 Seconds, was built and prepared by Chip Foose and his team. From our contributor Allen Moore, "The art director from the film called Chip and told him they had seven weeks to get the cars done. He provided Chip with a drawing from Steve Stanford, and Foose asked if he could take a few liberties with the design."
Amongst the custom bits on the car includes rocker panels with side exhausts, fender flares, and additional driving lights. Powering Eleanor is a 351-cubic-inch small-block V-8 with a five-speed manual. Of the eleven "Eleanor's" built for the film, only three survive to this day.
8 Chevy "Imposter" Impala
Why "Imposter?" Well, underneath the custom body lies a 2009 Corvette C6. To make sure all panels fit properly, the imported 1965 Impala body had 14 inches removed, including 8 inches from the roof. The Corvette chassis also need modification. 8 inches were added back to it to fit the Impala's wheelbase. To keep the car modern but maintain its classic feel, most of the Corvette's electronics and were carried over.
Under the hood, the Imposter retains the 6.2-Liter V-8 from the Corvette, but not everything is stock. The engine comes with a new supercharger, performance exhaust, and cold-air intake system. Instead of calling the 'Imposter', they should call this car, 'The Sleeper'.
7 Ford P-32 Roadster
This love letter to World War II fighter planes was a personal project car for Chip. From Foose's website, he wondered aloud, "If a fighter pilot returned from the war, he missed his plane so much that he decides to build a hot rod emulating it." Between filming seasons of Overhaulin', Foose and his team took a 1932 Ford chassis and shave 2 inches off the quarter panels. The airplane-style nose is aluminum, taking inspiration from planes like the P-40 Warhawk and P-38 Lightning.
Powering this fighter for the road is a flathead V12 from a 1939 Lincoln with the exhaust manifold tips exposed. One more little design nugget; the seats come from a B-17 bomber. TALLY-O!!
6 Ford Mustang Mach Foose
Originally a 2010 Ford Mustang GT, Chip, and his team took the body of a 1971 Mustang Mach 1 and fused it by extending the wheelbase by three inches. The whole front end of the car was hand-crafted to create an aggressive facia. While the headlights do come from a Mustang, the lower driving lights are taken from a 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda. The wheels are a one-off design built from Billet aluminum. The grille trim and taillights (not shown), comes a 60's Chevy Camaro. One tidbit that may go unnoticed is the side mirrors. Instead of using the mirrors from the GT and Mach 1, Chip had them custom made.
The 5-liter V8 from the Mustang GT stays pretty much the same, but the whole of the engine bay is detailed, with an exhaust system courtesy of Magnaflow.
5 1957 Mercedes 300SL
At a distance, this Gullwing 300SL looks like pretty standard fare. But when you look closer, it's not standard at all. Both front and rear bumpers are custom-fabricated to offer more elegant lines. The bulges above the front and rear wheels are custom molded to become symmetrical. Most of the major body panels have also gone through minor customization. This includes a new side trim that was machined, milled, and polished before being chrome plated.
As per usual with most Foose cars, the wheels are one of a kind designed by Chip himself. According to GTSpirit, the paintwork is finished in BASF's Glasurit Waterborne material. To put it simply; this SL won't lose its shine for a very long time.
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4 Plymouth Terracuda
From subtle to sublime, this awesome modified 'Cuda brings the style in spades. First comes the golden brown paint job; that is no accident. The owner of the car was quite struck by his Brietling timepiece and thus asked Chip to paint the Terracuda the same way. The end result is affectionally titled, "Terracuda Brown." To give it a more aggressive stance, the whole front end was modified to give the front wheels more clearance under the wheel wells.
Other modifications included a custom floor made from high gauge steel, welded rocker panels to strengthen the frame, front suspension for a Corvette, and a high-performance brake package. To top it off, the Terracuda is powered by a 6.4-liter Hemi Crate engine. It may look sleek, but it will still pound the road.
3 Jaguar E-Type Roadster
Taking nearly two and a half years to complete, this one-of-a-kind Jaguar E-Type boasts a plethora of cosmetic customizations. The headlights, for instance, were redesigned to include brass bezels (rings) around the assembly. As far as the bodywork grille, bumpers, and hood scoop go, they've all been modified to give the E-Type a more brazen silhouette.
Under the hood lies the craziest bit to this classic. A General Motors LS3 V8 has replaced the standard 5.3-liter V12. The V8 bolts to a four-speed automatic transmission. To sustain the muscular V8 heart, the suspension was modified for strength with an uprated brake package.
2 Chip Foose's Ford F-100
This classic custom F-100 has been a part of the Foose family for over five decades. Chip bought the truck from his Dad at the tender age of 13. After using the truck as his daily driver through his years in school, it went into storage. Years later, Chip had an eye for customizing his truck, but couldn't find the time to do so. Knowing how much the truck meant to Chip, his Dad "stole" the truck to complete the work using Chip's concept designs as a base.
Nearly every panel of the truck was redesigned and reformed with the cowl sectioned and the hood getting a minor modification. If that wasn't enough, under the hood lies a fully-fledged NASCAR V8, supplied by Roush Racing. Suffice to say, Chip was very happy with the end result.
1 The Madam X
Designer Art Ross first conceptualized the 'Madam X' in the mid-1930s under the direction of GM styling Chief Harley Earl. Unfortunately, the car never saw the light the day. Chip and the car's owner took to the design and determined to build one of their own. Doing so required not just the owner's 1940 Cadillac 60 Sedan, but a classic 1939 Cadillac Sedan as well.
From the ground up, this Madam is a true masterclass of design. The chassis from the 1939 Caddy serves as the backbone, as production parts from both donor cars were re-proportioned to fit the new body. Underneath, suspension pieces from a Corvette C6, along with a 2015 Chevy Camaro differential, and Corvette LT1 engine. One more design note; the white walls are actually a part of the wheel assembly.
Sources: HotRodMagazine.com, Hemmings.com, Hagertys.com, ChipFoose.com