Most automotive designers don’t become pop-culture icons. Maybe you have to settle for three or four hours of sleep a night to accomplish what Chip Foose has at 42. He plays with the kids, Brock, 6, and Katie, 2.īy the time the children drift off to sleep, he’s kissing his wife goodbye. Now Foose leaves work most evenings to be home for dinner. So the couple made a deal on that Father’s Day almost two years ago: He would find family time. His pursuit to perfect each ride has kept him away from home for days. So it’s normal for him to work through the day, into night, into morning. The timeless visions he translates from paper to pavement influence the direction of both street rods and factory-churned vehicles.Īs far as Foose is concerned, the possibilities are endless. If praise from some of the country’s leading vehicle manufacturers is any way to measure, then Chip Foose is one of the most significant automotive designers. Choose to be a father and a husband or choose to leave. He just didn’t know that it would happen on Father’s Day. Our Goodguys family extends our condolences to Sam’s wife Terry, Chip and the entire Foose family.Chip Foose knew it was going to happen sooner or later. I feel that my career is an extension of his.” The reason I have all of this is that I really wanted him to be proud of me. I grew up thinking that my dad could do anything that he set his mind too, and he proved that he could over and over. Here’s the truth: I wasn’t introduced to car culture-I was born into it,” he said. “Sometimes people ask me how I got my start building cars. In an interview last year, Chip shared some thoughts on his late father. When Chip Foose gained worldwide fame in the 1990s and 2000s, he continuously praised his father Sam with teaching him and inspiring him to build the best. The car was a joint effort with fabrication and design by both Sam Foose and Denny Olson of Street Rods by Denny. Meadors called on Foose again for another build design in the early 90s – a 1956 Continental Mark II.
Sam performed his metal magic while his son Chip (relatively unknown at the time) handled the color scheme and graphics package. They met in the 1970s at where else – a car show! In the early 80s when Gary’s deuce tudor was in dire need of a makeover, he called on Sam to make it a smoothie style, fenderless hot rod. Sam was very close to our late founder Gary “Goodguy” Meadors. After AMT, Sam moved over to Minicars to build government-funded safety car prototypes and learned to do body and paint work before branching out on his own to open Project Design. He worked at AMT building their show cars along with Gene Winfield. Throughout his fast-paced life, Sam Foose specialized in metal work, and supreme body and paint work – skills he learned the old fashioned way. Along with his radically modified yellow 1941 Ford convertible, he turned out some revolutionary customs highlighted by Jack Barnard’s 1949 Ford as well as Al Wheeler’s 1940 Ford sedan delivery among many others.
#CHIP FOOSE FAMILY SERIES#
December 2nd would have been their 58th wedding anniversary.įoose gained worldwide acclaim as a custom car stylist in the 1980s although he designed and modified hot rods his entire life, he gained substantial fame in the 80s with a series of hi-end custom builds which emerged from his shop named Project Design located in Santa Barbara, California. He and his wife Terry were avid car enthusiasts throughout their marriage. He was 83 years old and enjoyed a life of cool cars and the friends he made along the way. Custom Car Icon Sam Foose Has Passed AwayĬustom car icon Sam Foose passed away this morning.