CHIP FOOSE, JUDGE Automobiles have always been in Chip Foose's blood. Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Calif., the future Ultimate Car Build-Off judge got his first job working for his father's company, Project Design. By age 12, he already had five years of automotive-design experience under his belt and had also painted his first car, a Porsche 356. Early on, a chance meeting with Alex Tremulis, designer of the 1948 Tucker sedan, inspired Chip to attend the Art Center College of Design, where he majored in automotive product design and graduated in 1990 with honors. Over the course of his impressive career, Chip has worked for the ASHA Corporation, Stehrenberger Design, Baker Sportronics and of course his father's company, Project Design, designing and building street rods, customs, electric and studio vehicles, and show cars for films such as Blade Runner, Robo Cop and Gone in 60 Seconds, which featured "Elinor." In 1990, Chip began collaborating with the late Boyd Coddington and eventually became president of Hot Rods by Boyd. Chip, who is widely acclaimed for his "Boyd Look" design and creative skills, was responsible for many internationally known vehicles, such as the Roadster, Sportstar, Boydster I and II, and Boyd Air, to name a few. His venture with Boyd, however, ended in 1998, when Chip and his wife, Lynne, started their Huntington Beach, Calif.-based company, Foose Design. The company specializes in illustration, graphics, ideation model making, surfacing, and complete construction of automobiles and automotive-related products. In November 1997, at age 31, Chip became the youngest member ever inducted into the Hot Rod Hall of Fame. The following year, he was honored at the Super Modified Racing Association banquet as the first recipient of the Good Guys Trendsetter Award, once again creating another historic moment in the hot rod industry. In 1999, Chip won the prestigious AMBR (America's Most Beautiful Roadster) Award at the 50th Anniversary of the Grand National Roadster Show with Fred Warren's "Shock Wave." Similarly, in 2000, Chip won the AMBR again with Chuck Svatos' "0032." Overall, Chip has been involved with six different AMBR winners, including 1995's "Smoothster", 1996's "Boydster", 2001's "Impact" (designed by Chip and finished by Barry White), and 2003's "Boydster II"(designed by Chip and finished by Bobby Alloway). |
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