Ever since Chip Foose was a little kid, he was exposed to cool cars thanks to his father, Sam Foose, a self-taught car builder. Imagine being a 4-year-old at your dad’s shop, surrounded by exotic, cool-looking cars, some of which were being built for movies and tv shows like Star Trek and Bewitched. Now imagine your dad driving you home in one of these cars and then having a Hot Wheels version of them to play with. Well, that was the childhood of Chip Foose. I swear I’m not jealous.

Chip Foose is a living legend among millions of car enthusiasts around the globe. Perhaps one of the most recognized names, not just in car design but in the automotive world. And although most of us are familiar with his work and his Overhaulin’ tv show, few people know what cars he keeps in his garage.

Located in Huntington Beach, CA, The Chip Foose Design headquarters is where Chip keeps part of his private car collection. Of course, these cars have gone through some type of modification, both design and performance.

Chip Foose has had everything from hot rods to classics and supercars. Today we're going to look at the dream cars that Chip keeps in his garage.

2006 Ford GT: Chip’s wife knows best

Ford GT 2006 from Chip Foose
Via: Publimetro

Chip Foose’s wife presented him this Ford GT for his 50th birthday, and just as we expected, he couldn’t resist the urge to customize it with his own personal touch.

He refined the design, focusing on the rear end by removing the bumper and cutting back the frame extensions to flush with the body. He then added stripes on the body with an orange accent outline.

The 32-valve, supercharged 5.4L V8 engine was paired with a Magnaflow performance exhaust system, and to finish this car, a set of 1-piece forged GT-F540 wheels designed by Foose and wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tires.

Related: 10 French Cars Everyone Should Drive At Least Once

2015 Ford Mustang GT: One Of Chip’s Personal Rides

2015 Ford GT by Foose
Via: MMMD by Foose

On this occasion, Modern Muscle Design (MMD) joined forces to create the MMD by Foose 2015 Mustang GT, the most powerful preparation to date on the Ford Mustang GT.

The 5.0 V8 "Coyote" in Ford Mustang GT produces 435 hp as standard. But thanks to a 2.9-liter volumetric compressor manufactured by Bama Performance, the power increases to an impressive 810 hp. That’s almost twice the power.

A Magnaflow competition cat-back exhaust contributes in part to the power boost, as do electronic tinkering, but the life of the party is the compressor.

Related: A Detailed Look Back At The Mercedes Benz 500E

1932 P-32 Street Fighter: WWII Nostalgia

Silver P-32 Street Fighter by Foose
Chip Foose

The P-32 was a personal project for Chip that pays tribute to the WWII bomber, the P-51 Mustang, and rat rods.

This car started life as a 1932 Ford and a Brookville body, and now it’s powered by a flathead Lincoln V-12 with exposed exhaust manifold tips inspired by the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter. The interior features seats from an actual B-17 bomber.

Chip came up with the idea of designing a hot rod that a pilot from that era, who upon returning from the war, would miss his plane so much that he would build this car to emulate his old aircraft.

Hemisfear: A Customizable Hot Rod Within Reach (If You Have 300k)

Green Hemisfear Hot Rod by Chip Foose
Via Chip Foose

The Hemisfear, also known as The Foose Coupe, was the car that helped catapult Chip’s career.

Although Chip designed and built most of the car in-house at Metalcrafters, including the curved glass, the suspension was designed and built the suspension Hotchkis Performance, and the engines are from Mopar Performance.

It was first introduced at the DaimlerChrysler stand as part of the presentation of the new HEMI 392 engines back in 2006. It shares the same engine as the Dodge Challenger Super Stock. The price tag on one of these is $298,000. But don't worry, at least you get to choose between a couple of color and engine options. You can get a Mopar Performance 392 Hemi or a Ford 5.4L DOHC engine and choose between a black or green paint job.

2015 Ford Mustang GT Convertible: Chip Is Definitely A Ford Guy

2015 Ford GT Convertible by Foose
Via: Mustang 360

This was the first 2015 Mustang S550 Convertible offered to the public. According to Foose, Ford stopped the assembly line and hand-built the convertible so that he could have it ready for the 2014 SEMA show.

He then teamed up again with MMD for this build to commemorate the Mustang’s 50th anniversary. He designed and prototyped all the parts on this car with MMD’s help.

Modifications include hood and side scoops, a bigger rocker, and custom paint. The 50th-anniversary grille was replaced with a customized grille to give a deeper look to the front end.

The power plant is a 2.3L, four-cylinder EcoBoost engine paired with a larger turbo to make 400-plus horsepower.

1971 De Tomaso Pantera: Italian Refinement With American Punch

Rear quarter view of a red De Tomaso Pantera
Via Foose Design

One of SEMA's showstoppers at the 2015 SEMA was the 1971 De Tomaso Pantera by Chip Foose.

This early version of the Pantera from the Italian sports car manufacturer De Tomaso originally came with a mid-engine design and a steel monocoque chassis. It was powered by a Ford 351 cubic-inch Cleveland V8 engine, which simply wouldn’t cut it for Chip.

Although most of the car remained untouched, Foose added his own custom wheels, two-spoke steering wheel, rebuilt the engine and the ZF transaxle and added Ford performance engine valve covers.

1935 Cadillac-Inspired Madam X: A Posh Trip Back In Time

1935 Cadillac-inspired Madam X By Chip Foose
Chip Foose

The manufacturing of the Madam X started with a 1939 Cadillac Four-Door 60 Special. This car was inspired by an original 1935 concept from GM designer Art Ross.

Chip Foose's Madam X is now a two-door coupe that has been lowered, shortened, and customized into a masterpiece of creation. Foose added his own unmistakable eye for clean design and details on this true one-of-a-kind concept car.

Madam X features a powerful Corvette, Gen V LT-1 engine, paired with an 8-speed automatic gearbox from a Cadillac Escalade, and front and rear suspension from a 6C Corvette.

After three decades of stylistic evolution and refinement of Chip’s art, Madam X represents a new chapter in Foose's 30 years of design and one that left an important impression on the 2016 SEMA Show.

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