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Chip Foose, star of TV’s “Overhaulin’”, designs first factory product – the 2008 Ford F-150 Foose Edition that interprets his hot-rod style through America’s favorite pickup. The Hot Rod Hall of Fame’s youngest inductee and Hollywood regular, on TV and as a custom vehicle builder for hit movies such as Gone in 60 Seconds.
The Ford truck team sat down with hot rod celebrity Chip Foose last year at the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) convention in Las Vegas – the heart of the red-hot $34 billion auto aftermarket industry – and issued a daunting challenge: “We asked Chip Foose to design a tough,
muscular street rod based on the Ford F-150 FX2 Sport pickup that
will knock the socks off even the most hard-core boulevard cruiser
fan,” says Ben Poore, Ford Truck group marketing manager. |
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Less than five months later, Ford and Foose are revealing the low-slung, production-intent Ford F-150 Foose Edition show truck, a precursor to the truck that will bow in the fall of 2007 as the most powerful and fastest half-ton production truck on the planet. But right at that table, the seven-time winner of “America’s Most Beautiful Roadster Award” waved his wand – in his case a No. 2 pencil – and sketched out a conceptual offshoot of America’s favorite pick-up that looked like a true boulevard cruiser with design elements that visually lower the truck. Hot rod magic It started where the Ford F-150 Foose Edition meets the road, the big 22-inch original wheels that fill the wheel wells with larger flares, causing the pickup to look lower. Foose also designed and fabricated a custom rocker panel that enhances the lowered look even though the truck was only slightly lowered.
Ford F-150 leads huge customization industry The Ford F-150 was named the “most accessory friendly pick-up” by SEMA, the trade group that keeps tabs on the aftermarket – an industry that has grown eight to 10 percent the past 10 years. Customers also prefer the Ford F-150 for personalization as they currently spend nearly $1,700 each to customize it – more than double the rate in 2004 and more than any other competitive truck. “The Ford F-150 lends itself to accenting because it’s so recognizable as America’s favorite pickup. It’s already widely accepted because it comes in the most varieties and customers spend more on it than any other truck to personalize it even further,” says Foose. “And it’s clean, too. That’s why I drive an F-150 – it’s great looking, powerful and yet very minimalist in its design.” Ford’s overall customization business grew 50 percent in 2006, far outpacing all other automakers, and is expected to double by 2008. This growth has been driven by full factory-customized vehicles – such as the Harley-Davidson™ and FX2 Sport F-150 model – versus individual parts sales. “This is really a fashion industry,” says SEMA’s Peter MacGillivray. “Consumers want to put their personal stamps on everything they buy – from personalized rings to build-a-teddy-bear – and everybody knows that ‘you are what you drive.’ The Foose Edition is a fantastic collaboration between Chip Foose and Ford. “It’s a vehicle that will be embraced by all kinds of buyers – not just the hard-core enthusiast who really knows the Ford F-150’s heritage and Chip’s track record, but also people who are just into cool cars and trucks. Couple that with Chip’s celebrity and broad appeal – there are millions of excited consumers from his TV show – and I think Ford’s got a real winner here.” The Ford F-150 already offers the most models and configurations – five series and 60 major variations – of any half-ton truck. Ford also continues its long-time truck heritage of building specialized models to appeal to the growing number of niche customers. Poore says the F-150 has led the trend of pickups going mainstream. “Chip Foose is similarly reaching beyond traditional automotive audiences and will help Ford trucks reach an even broader audience with the 2008 Ford F-150 Foose Edition,” says Poore. The 2008 Ford F-150 Foose Edition will begin life as an FX2 Sport model from the Kansas City Assembly Plant. The unique Foose elements will be customized at a modification center before being shipped to Ford dealers. The truck will go on sale by early 2008. Foose’s quick ascent Ask his fellow auto designers and fans – from J Mays to Jay Leno – about Chip Foose’s artistic style and you’ll hear the words “clean” and “minimal styling” a lot. “It’s sweet and juicy, pared down and minimal, but it pops with that quintessential Southern California hot-rod flavor,” says Mays, Ford Motor Company Group Vice President, Design, and Chief Creative Officer. Chip Foose, the driving force behind Foose Design, based in Huntington Beach, California. His legacy began at the age of seven when Chip began helping out his father, Sam Foose, himself a hot rod legend, at his project design firm. By age 12, Chip had painted his first car. But it was a chance meeting with famed Tucker and former Ford Motor Company designer Alex Tremulus that inspired Chip to attend the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, from which he graduated with honors in 1990. Working for several designers and fabricators in the 1990s, Foose was instrumental in designing and building signature street rods, customs, studio vehicles and show cars for such films as Blade Runner, Robo Cop and Gone in 60 Seconds. April 08, 2007
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