![]() “Something that may not sell 80,000 units - it may be 20,000 of a certain car. “I think the future is these ‘limited builds,’ ” he said. Foose’s current and future Ford models: to revise present designs, some of which, like the Mustang, are based on design language of past models, and bring them forward in a modern reinterpretation. The next body form, if we just take that and refine it a little more, it’s no longer retro it’s evolutionary.” But where are we going to take the Volkswagen Beetle? The T-Bird? The Mustang? Or some of these cars that are, you know, referred to as retro. “It’s like I say, the first one may be referred to as retro. “To go back to something that worked really well, and revise it - that’s a good move,” he said. I think it’s cool that the designers today are looking at the rich heritage that they have.”įor him, it’s merely a matter of going back to what worked. ![]() “I know a lot of people have been beat up for doing this retro thing,” he conceded. Foose acknowledged that not everybody likes retro-themed designs. “The American automobile companies have the heritage to play with that the importers don’t,” he explained, because they can summon childhood memories of a fabulous ’50s finned wonder or a ’60s muscle car. Foose tends to work on refashioning American iron - not necessarily because of any overwhelming sense of patriotism, but because there is “more to work with.” “But I was ‘involved with’ the design team in bringing back some of that heritage.” “I can’t publicly say that I ‘worked on’ those cars,” he said. But he is bound by confidentiality agreements from citing specifically what his contribution was. He will admit to participating in the development of Ford’s Legends series cars, like the Thunderbird, the Forty Nine concept car and the Ford GT. Foose has had a sub rosa design role with a variety of automakers. Ford II at an automotive trade show this year.īeyond that, Mr. The Prowler’s fate raises the question: Does the mainstream auto industry really care what he and others in the surging customizing industry are doing?Ĭhip Foose, right, with Carroll Shelby, center, and Edsel B. If they had put a V-8 in that car, it would have been an incredible selling vehicle.” Instead, the Prowler remains something of an automotive novelty. “They just didn’t capture the heart of the enthusiast with a V-6. Foose said of the car, which was sold with only a V-6. He recently announced, in addition to his Ford collaborations, a partnership to produce a limited run of the Hemisfear, a more faithful rendition of his original Prowler design - and this time it will have a Hemi in it. The past couple of years, he’s been the star of “Overhaulin’,” a Learning Channel show on which older cars are picked at random for a full-body makeover. That made him something of a prodigy in the design community, and his ideas have led to some industry-changing models for customizers. Foose’s creation led to the Plymouth (later Chrysler) Prowler. Foose, 43, was still a student in 1989 when a hot rod design he sketched caught the eye of Chrysler’s design staff. “There are a lot of opportunities there, too,” he added. Foose’s contribution has been in design only, but he said future Foose vehicles would be likely to have performance modifications (that retain Ford’s warranty coverage) as well. He was in Detroit last week meeting with the company to discuss developing more products. The Mustang’s initial success seems to have given him the opportunity to do more with Ford. Foose, the rare customizer actually commissioned by a manufacturer to produce a special edition model to sell at its dealerships, likens himself to others who have put their stamp on cars, like the performance maestro Carroll Shelby, who created the new Ford Shelby GT500, and the Eddie Bauer retail company, which put its name on Ford S.U.V.’s. The Mustang, which is being manufactured at a rate of 80 a month, has been sold out at Ford dealerships, he said. This follows the recent debut of a similarly conceived Foose Mustang. Foose will be in Detroit to unveil a special edition Ford F-150 pickup for which he had free rein to reinterpret the design. “But my role has never been publicly announced. Foose, in an interview from Foose Design, his company here in this beachside community. “I’ve been to the show before, many times of course,” said Mr. THE Detroit auto show next month will be a coming-out party, of sorts, for the car customizer Chip Foose.
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