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Overhaulin’: The Best Cars Created By Star Designer Chip Foose

Cameron Eittreim May 15, 2023

MarCel Roadster

If there’s one thing that Chip Foose does often, it’s to show off his newest creations at the SEMA auto show. SEMA is the show that has been around for decades and it’s the place where all kinds of world-renowned fabricators show off their works of art. And the MarCel Roadster is certainly a work of art because it’s made entirely of aluminum. Before aluminum cars became all the rage due to the current generation of the Ford F-150, no one built aluminum cars. Always the innovator, Foose decided to put a custom roadster together for the world to see (via Autoweek).

The first and most notable thing about the MarCel Roadster is its similarities to early 1960s Ferrari models. The metal is sculpted with a beautiful design and is further enhanced as a result of its sculpted nose. If you’re a fan of Foose then you know that the car also has some serious power due to its engine choice. You’ll find a General Motors small-block LS3 V8 mated to a six-speed manual transmission. The undeniable styling makes the MarCel Roadster one of the most visually pleasing Foose pieces ever built due to all these factors.

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Impression

Overall, Foose has one main specialty and it’s the modern roadster. If you look back through history at every vehicle Foose has designed, the majority of them are roadsters. He has a passion for building fun, beautiful hot rods. The Impression is one of his oldest hot rod models and hit the scene in 2005. Naturally, there’s a big emphasis on sheet metal and custom fabrication. The paint job is about as bland as you can get but that’s okay because Foose designed it that way. Foose said that he originally came up with the design for the Impression on a napkin (via Chip Foose).

There are over 4,000 handcrafted parts used in the car, including a beautiful set of original Foose wheels. The front end and headlights are very reminiscent of a Ford Coupe because these are the types of hot rods that Foose specializes in. When it comes to rare hot rods combined with styling, the Impression is by far one of the most beautiful. Anything that Foose designs stand out from the crowd. The Impression has been leaving a lasting impression on enthusiasts for almost two decades now.

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P-32

Whenever a Chip Foose creation comes to mind it’s usually about design and performance. Well, that’s not always the case, and the P-32. proves that This quirky creation was designed by Chip Foose as a personal project with an emphasis on WWII-era warplanes. Keeping that in mind, one look at the design of the car will send you back to early war-era designs. The P-32 is every bit of a warplane merged into a modern hot rod design. There has been nothing else like it on the auto show circuit since Foose released it (via Chip Foose).

The core of it is built on a ’32 Ford and a Brookville body. Foose made modifications to it to achieve the lowered stance that’s visible in all of his designs. The elongated nose gave the car the look of a shark or even a B-52 bomber. The classic rat rod style wheels make sure that the rest of the car stays in line with its character. Under the hood is a modern V8 engine that gave the car a serious amount of performance to horse around with. There are very few Foose creations that had the impact of the P-32.

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Custom 1948 Cadillac “Eldorod”

Foose isn’t usually a designer who spends his time rehabbing classic Cadillac models. So when the Eldorod hit the car show scene it was a bit of a surprise. The Custom 1948 Cadillac “Eldorod” originally began its life as a vehicle that was built by legendary hot rod builder Boyd Coddington in the 1990s. Foose simply took the original car and the design and turned it up a few notches with a modern twist. The most notable thing about the car is the brilliant blue paint job, which was redone by Foose. The leather interior only adds to the beauty of the car and brings a signature Foose touch (via Motor Trend).

The modern Eldorod got the complete Foose treatment with brand-new bumpers, flush wheels, and a sleek grill. This car doesn’t look like any other classic Cadillac model on the road. Foose wanted it to be unique and it is unique in every way. There was a certain sense of style that Coddington put into a hot rod and Foose has managed to carry it on successfully. Out of all of the recent classics Foose has built, the Custom 1948 Cadillac “Eldorod” is perhaps the most unique.

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Custom 1967 Dodge Charger

Foose has spent his career designing classic hot rods and concept cars, but he also has a thing for muscle cars. If you’ve ever watched Foose on his popular show “Overhaulin,” then you know he’s built more than his fair share of muscle cars. The Custom 1967 Dodge Charger was built for the 2018 SEMA car show. But the most interesting thing about the car was that it was built on a 2005 episode of the show. Foose is one of those people who loves to go back and visit some of his oldest creations (via Hagerty).

The year 2018 was a lot different than 2005, so there were quite a few modern upgrades done to the car. It got a brand new pair of Foose wheels with a modern design and some work was done under the hood as well. The paint and the overall aesthetic of the car were also brought into the modern era. The two-tone paint job and Pirelli tires finished things off and gave the car a complete one-of-a-kind look and feel. The original Dodge Charger was a special car and Foose treated it as such.

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Custom 1970 Plymouth Barracuda “Terracuda”

Another interesting muscle car that came out of Chip Foose’s garage is the Custom 1970 Plymouth Barracuda “Terracuda”. The Barracuda was one of the most iconic muscle cars of all time. The “Terracuda” was a blend of everything that Foose likes to put into a design. The sleek beltline and lowered stance ensure that the Terracuda doesn’t look like anything else on the road. The oversized chrome rims were tucked into the fender wells to give the car a dropped look (via Mens Gear).

Under the hood is the excellent Hemi V8 engine complete with a variety of upgrades that Foose himself picked out for the car. The Terracuda utilized a 392-Hemi with a 9″ Ford rear end, creating a Plymouth like no other. The interior was redone from top to bottom with custom Foose leather and engraving. There isn’t an inch of this car that’s stock in any shape or form which is what Foose was going for.

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Speedbird

When Ford decided to release a modern version of the Thunderbird in 2002, it hit the market to much fanfare. Unfortunately, the stock design of the car was a bit on the bland side and its performance was lackluster at best. Ford needed to generate some interest in the car so they brought Foose in. The first thing that he did was sit down with the original design and see how to improve it (via Chip Foose).

The first thing that Foose did was chop the roof down and built it into a two-seat roadster. The other thing that he did was smooth the exterior lines out. The style of the Speedbird gave the Thunderbird a much more modern and sporty look to it. Under the hood, there wasn’t much done in the way of performance but there was a set of larger rims placed on the car.

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Grandmaster

The Grandmaster was another unique car that Foose imagined and brought into reality for the auto show circuit. The hot rod won best of the show at the Annual Detroit AutoRama in 2002. A lot of time has passed and the Grandmaster is still one of the most popular Foose creations around. The Grandmaster was every bit the modern hot rod that Foose intended it to be, but then you had other unique attributes as well (via Chip Foose).

The wide-wheel wells gave the car a much broader look than you’d expect. The interesting thing about the car was the insane amount of performance under the hood. Coupled with the beautiful silver paint job the Grandmaster was one of the most unique Chip Foose creations. The car has won multiple awards for its unique design and one-of-a-kind touches.

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Stallion

The Stallion was another hot rod Foose designed, but instead of being only for looks this one had some speed behind it. The red paint job looks like something that came right out of a ZZ Top vehicle. The car is based on a 1934 Ford coupe that the original owner kept for decades before he decided to do something with it. His dream for the car was to have a street-legal drag racer, and Foose made that dream a reality (via Chip Foose).

The vehicle was finished in 2003 and won the Ridler Award at Detroit Autorama. There aren’t a lot of these original Hot Rods that can also double as a race car. Foose did a lot of his signature touches to this car including the cut roofline. The four-wheel independent suspension finished things off and allows the car a measurable amount of driving comfort. He’s designed a lot of great hot rods but the Stallion is one of the fastest.

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32 5 Window

In case you haven’t figured it out by now, Foose loves short-wheelbase hot rods. The design this time was a dark green 5-window coupe, complete with the usual Foose touches. He left the original beltline but the fender flares have been stretched to give the car a wider look. The interior was completely redone in the usual Foose fashion with top-of-the-line leathers and appointments (via Chip Foose).

Under the hood, there are equal-length 180-degree headers and a new exhaust system. Foose is no stranger to increasing the performance of a project and this project was no different. But aside from the performance you have a beautiful design that looks like it rolled out of an automotive design book. Foose never disappoints when it comes to his designs and this one is quite special indeed.

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1967 Chevy “C/28”

The 1967 Chevy “C/28” was a special truck that took one of the most popular GM body styles around and made it even better. This truck is special in the sense that Foose does not build a lot of sport trucks. This particular truck used a beautiful white paint job coupled with a clean factory-looking design. What made it pop in, even more, is the red vinyl interior that stands out from the rest of the truck. The chrome accents are few and far between but they did the truck a tremendous amount of justice (via Chip Foose).

The Foose wheels fit the truck perfectly. Most of the truck bed and the rest of the design are as close to stock as you can get. Of course that doesn’t discount the chromed-out LS motor that’s under the hood. Every inch of the 1967 Chevy “C/28” will look great for years to come. Foose has stated that the main idea behind the truck was to build a pickup truck version of a Camaro Z/28. You’ll seldom see a C/K sport truck any longer, so this one is a real treat for enthusiasts.

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