Overhaulin’ is a reality TV show that first ran from 2004 till 2008 on TLC, and then after a four-year-break, showed up on the Discovery Channel. It has been on since 2012 and currently is in its tenth season. The premise is simple, the protagonist of the show is automobile designer Chip Foose, plus whoever is chosen to get a car makeover. The cast “steals” the car from the “victim” with an elaborate ruse, and then they have the time of one week. This is when they restore the old and classic car of the mark into something so beautiful, it could make grown men cry.
While all cars that are overhauled by Chip Foose are beautiful, some of them are truly exceptional. And though he did and still does great stuff in Overhaulin', the cars that he worked on independently are also stunning and worth mentioning. Here are 15 of the cars restored by Chip Foose and the Overhaulin' crew that we just can't get out of our minds:
15 Custom P-32 Hot Rod
The P-32 wasn’t part of the Overhaulin’ TV series but is a personal project of Chip Foose’. The idea was to make a car that would help a homesick pilot feel more at home, in his favorite seat in the cockpit. The car’s body was a ’32 Ford and a Brookville, powered by a Lincoln flathead V-12, with actual bomber B-17 seats inside the car. The hood is tapered to resemble the nose of a bomber.
14 Ford F-100
The Ford F-100 was a car that Chip Foose bought from his dad’s shop when he was 13, and it was his daily driver all through college. He always planned to restore it, so his dad made him the mark and “stole” the truck to restore it. It’s so beautiful, that Foose got emotional about it during its SEMA launch, and it has become his daily driver once again.
13 1933 Ford Coupe
A classic ’33 Ford coupe, Foose received this car with some restoration already done on it. Even so, Foose reworked it completely, first via Marcel’s Custom Metal to make fenders and running boards, and then by adding a new hood and a roofline. A custom-made LS3 Corvette powered it beautifully and made Ron Brown one happy dude.
12 1939 Cadillac 60
While this was originally a four-door car, it was re-bodied by Marcel’s Custom Metal into a two-door coupe with a removable hardtop. With a beautifully stylized grille, and the glossiest maroon paint around, the car looks like an absolute beauty, especially with its shiny chrome alloys. Surely, this will have all eyes on it when goes down a road.
11 Chip's Custom Hemisfear
It took 16 years for Chip Foose’s dream to come true in the form of a total of five Hemisfears built. And this was the car Plymouth based the Prowler on, though the Prowler was a fail from the get-go. The Hemisfear is part hot-rod, part supercar, and part custom – and is completely Chip Foose, from start to end.
10 Breitling-Inspired 'Cuda
Darren Metropolous came to Foose with his Breitling watch, upon which he wanted Foose to model a car. Challenged and intrigued, Foose did just that, starting with a stock 1970 Barracuda, that he built up in the brown and golden colors of the Breitling, and a 6.4-liter Hemi engine to power it up big.
9 Jaguar E-Type
When a customer walked in and wanted his Jaguar E-Type to be something far out of the ordinary, Foose spent some 2.5 years in building it to perfection. Despite the Brit base, the engine was an all-American, a 525-horsepower 6.2-liter LS3 Chevy V8 to power up this beautiful roadster, with wooden accents in place.
8 The Magnatude ('32 Muroc Roadster)
The Magnatude began its life as a ’32 Muroc Roadster, so acquired by Jerry Magnuson to test his Magnacharger supercharger. He added in some stuff but got in touch with Chip Foose to refine his car to perfection, thus getting custom wheels and a beautiful champagne and butterscotch theme as well. The car is so gorgeous, it won the 2010 Goodguys Street Rod d’Elegance title.
7 Custom 1971 Ford Mustang
Take a 1971 Mustang body, and then drop it on the chassis of a 2010 Mustang GT, adjusting the three-inch wheelbase difference to match. Shelby Racing wheels, paired with Pirelli tires, make this a gorgeous car to have, as does that signature metallic paint. This beauty vrooms with a Ford Coyote engine and looks one-of-a-kind because it is.
6 Custom Cadillac Eldorado ('The Eldorod')
In the ‘90s, when Chip Foose was the chief designer at Hot Rods by Boyds, this was one of his first builds. A great car for the beginning of an illustrious career, it was the last car made at Boyd’s before it went bankrupt. Chris Andrews, the owner of the Eldorod, contacted Foose to make the Eldorado more in line with his idea, and the resulting car is a marvel.
5 1932 Ford Coupe
A three-window 1932 Ford Coupe, the Li’l Foose was bought by Chuck Svatos, after trading in his 0032, also a 1932 Ford Coupe. While the midnight black car has some Foose’ refinements, it maintains its original hot rod appearance and did a Great 8 finish at the 2006 Detroit Autorama.
4 1932 Ford Coupe '0032'
So this is the 0032, a 1932 Ford five-window coupe that chuck Svatos traded in for the Li’l Foose. And this car has been customized twice by Foose, once in a yellow form, and then again in black for Svatos. When Svatos traded this in, Foose was able to sell it to the Petersen Museum in LA, enough to buy a building in Huntington Beach, where his HQ lies.
3 First-Generation Dodge Challenger
This half-black, half-yellow beauty was one of 75 Dodge Challengers that Chip Foose redid on very modern lines that still managed to retain their ‘70s allure. The very first of these 75 cars Dodge Challengers sold for almost $350,000 at a Barrett-Jackson auction in 2007, and even the others have not gone down cheaply.
2 1956 Chevy Bel Air
Christopher Titus is a modestly known celebrity, known for his Fox Network show Titus, as well as a smattering of other roles, along with being a stand-up comedian. Along with being a funny man, he has a genuine love for hot rods, as is obvious with his Chip Foose ’56 Chevrolet Bel Air in custom silver and grey.
1 1972 Lotus Europa
An enthusiast named John owned a Lotus Europa and delivered sodas to Jay Leno’s Big Dog Garage every weekend. His kids' college tuition was such that he dreamed of fixing up his 1972 Lotus Europa but couldn’t, till Jay Leno nominated him to Overhaulin’, and off the car went to be fixed up. Today, with the A-team having worked their wonders, it looks stunning and made John one very happy soda guy.