1/9/2024 0 Comments Sketch chip foose drawingsFoose started small and has kept it that way today he employs just seven people. Going it alone: So he decided to go independent. Lynne was pregnant with their first child and he hadn’t been paid in months, Foose said. Foose said the firm ran into financial trouble in the late ‘90s and shuttered the hot-rod portion of the business, putting him out of a job. “I thought, wow, this is my dream job,” Foose said. Foose eventually was hired full time, rising to president. “So I knew I had to figure out how to get back to Art Center, and it’s the best thing I ever did in my life.”Ī short-lived dream: While Foose worked off his tuition during the day, he spent nights and weekends working for famed hot-rod builder Boyd Coddington. “She wanted to marry her equal,” Foose said. Foose jumped at the chance: anything to get the girl. An auto engineering firm offered to foot the bill if he’d commit to work for the company for three years after graduation. Foose had dropped out of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, unable to afford tuition. 1 life lesson was, don’t judge a book by its cover - there’s something really special behind everybody.”Īnother love of his life, his girlfriend Lynne, refused to marry him until he finished college. “She was 3 feet, 2 inches tall and, like, 26 pounds, but she’d melt your heart when you met her,” he said. In 1985, his younger sister Amy died at age 16 of progeria, a rare genetic disorder that causes accelerated aging. Golden girls: Hot rodding is a male-dominated pastime, but some special women shaped Foose’s life. My career, in my mind, is an extension of my father’s.” “When I was 7 years old, I’d like to say I was helping him, but I destroyed so many things. “When I was 3 years old, I would sit next to him and I would mimic what he was drawing,” Foose said of his dad. His father’s tenderness and encouragement gave the child confidence Foose painted his first car - a Porsche 356 - when he was 12 years old. In his blood: Foose credits his ferocious work ethic and passion for cars to his dad, Sam, now 76, who ran an auto body shop to pay the bills but spent nights and weekends building hot rods. On screen: Foose has hosted two reality TV shows for the TLC network - “Overhaulin’ ” and “Rides” - and is currently a judge on the Discovery Channel series “Ultimate Car Build-Off.” His work has also appeared in the movies “Blade Runner,” “RoboCop,” “Gone in 60 Seconds” and “Cars.” Foose, 46, also has designed sunglasses and footwear for Oakley Inc. Last year the privately owned firm posted more than $4 million in revenue. A hand-built creation can take up to six years and cost more than $1 million. His Huntington Beach company, Foose Design, modifies collector cars and builds custom cars. The gig: Chip Foose is considered by many to be the world’s top hot-rod designer.
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