A few months ago we reported on a title-fraud scheme that hot rod builder Boyd Coddington was implicated in. Now he has copped a plea to a misdemeanor charge for submitting counterfeit vehicle titles to the California state DMV. He was forced to pay $3,000 restitution and must perform 160 hours of community service. Fake titles were used to id cars as older or less expensive than they really are so owners could pay less in registration fees and sales tax and to escape air pollution regulations. If the pompousness he displays on his TV show or screwed debtors in his last bankruptcy wasn't enough to make us not care about Boyd, this certainly will help.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Craig @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
Rumor has it Blue Bear turned his ass in. :-)
rob rudorf @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
This guy should have never opened up his shop to the Discovery channel. After seeing those idiots in the shop I'd never consider one of his cars.
Axle @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
I totally agree with rob! Coddington appears to be the biggest ass on his television show. He dresses like a moron, and after what he said to Charlie he deserves this!
Does anyone know where I can get a sticker of Calvin peeing on Boyd Coddington's face?
J Zeke @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
Thank God for Chip Foose.
a94cruiser @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
they hit him where it hurts
he's got the money but not the time and that's what they want
olderty @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
I'm with Zeke. Chip > Boyd.
And dammit, I missed the episode of Charlie jumping ship to work for Foose. What'd he say??
Brandon @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
The whole Blue Bear framed rails incident was so damn funny.
Big daddy cool @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
Much like Rocco from "The Restaurant",
Boyd 'Just-for-Men-Beard-Treatment' Coddington's TV fame will ruin him by showing what a pompous ass he is.
Can you imagine what the inside of that hat smells like?
Nigel Pond @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
Aside from this problem, am I the only one who thinks that Coddington's project and people management skills are zero? He doesn't seem to have a clue how to schedule his projects to avoid ridiculous deadlines, nor how to motivate his employees. And why does he still have a bug up his a** about Chip Foose? He isn't the only employer who has had an employee leave to set up in competition...
Angry Engineer @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
I'm with Rob (comment #2) - after watching just a few episodes of that show, there's no way I'd ever buy one of his cars if I were in that market. Boyd's a no-talent assclown.
JimJa43 @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
We all have our opinion of Coddington's program and what goes on. That's fine. My own is the whole thing is staged. There are a host of these programs and they all have the same theme; personal conflict within the shop compounded by dead lines and parts isssues. The networks won't buy them by just building something, they have to have some sort of issue. Coddington has been around for years. He didn't get to that point by being a jerk to everyone that ever worked for him. That attitude only goes so far, and he isn' a real good actor. Ever notice that every once in awhile someone shows up briefly on these programs and you find yourself saying, "Who is that?" And then the guy is gone. They refer to him as the Shop Manager or something. He's the behind the senes guy that really runs things. My take is each program issue is worked out before hand and because of it I don't like any of them very much. It's so obvious. Personally I find it a big detractor.
douglas @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
having had a personal experience with the coddington clan, i can say that boyd is generally a decent guy with an enormous ego.
he is clearly NOT in chip foose's league, and i think his machismo is just telling of his own insecurity. people who always assumed they were 'the best' often spend the rest of their days in denial when a bigger talent comes along...
it doesn't help that boyd jr is a total assclown, and there won't be much of a coddington legacy when daddy dies.
Karn Utz @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
Foose's show is 100% more annoying, and his cars are derivative of Boyd’s superior groundbreaking work.
That skinny chick and the actor wannabe on Foose's show - are you kidding me? While I might actually enjoy seeing the cars torn down and built up, those two make me want to puke. But I guess the teenyboppers who tune in every week love 'em. It's like "Trading Spaces" for motorhead wannabees. OMG.....OMG........that My car?.....O...M...G!
Finally, every freaking Overhaulin' car ends up the same - pimp stereo, flowmaster pipes, and two-tone paint. Yawn.
Boyd = Little Richard.
Foose = Pat Boone.
Same songs, but the originals are still the greatest.
bigmike @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
Karn Utz
You are way off. Chip IS the Man. Chip made Boyd who he is. Chip was the designer on most of Boyd's most famous cars. Chip got tired of Boyd's shit and left to start his own show and took a few fellow employees too.
I saw the episode when Charlie left. He left to go join Chip on a project.
As for you comments about Overhaulin'. Yes, those two hosts get on my nerves, but all hosts nowadays are just really eye candy. Overhaulin' is not all that Chip does. You should check out his website to get a look at what his day job produces. He just won his third consequtive Riddler Award. http://www.chipfoose.com
FEZIG @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
I smell another bankruptcy for Boyd after all those owners start suing him for the extra expense of re-titling and making their cars legal in California which may be huge $$$ if it is at all possible.
Bigel @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
I'm with Jim(#10) on this one. All that drama is staged. If you caught the early episodes of American Chopper or the like, everything was all touchy-feely. People would hug and cry, talk about family values, their insecurities and regrets, etc. There was never any foul language, no visible tattoos, no throwing fits or rushed deadlines. It seemed so sterile and saccharine. Dr. Phil would have been proud. Only later did the drama slowly start creeping in, until it became what you see today.
Mac @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
Karn Utz is obviously uninformed. The best award winning Boddington cars, were built by Foose when he worked for him. Boyd's latest roadster designs are all derivative of those Chip built for him. Foose continues to lead, and Coddington just follows.
Chip is also very hands on. He draws out every design himself, and is known for working long hours to insure the end result matches his original vision. Boyd has others do all of the work, and then takes all of the credit.
charlie @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
could someone explain to me the appeal of these "hot rods"? Maybe because I'm of the younger generation I just dont understand it... they're not luxurious, they're not high-tech, they're not fast or well-engineered... they're just queer-looking... something.
laserwizard @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
Dear Boyd,
We are currently conducting a talent search for a new incompetent to lead GM design and product development. Applicants need not have any talent and should have enormous egos. Applicants are encouraged to insult the press and to throw tantrums. We value our industry leading recall record of calling back more cars than we sell in a year. You'll find an entire engineering staff full of Blue Bears which will howl over boxed frame rails and non-independent rear suspensions on vehicles. You will be encouraged to blow your own horn and you'll even get to take over a big-headed propoganda blog.
If you are interested, call 1-800-IM FUBAR to apply for the job.
GM Personnel Department
Sam @ Dec 18th 2005 10:31PM
Charlie, the build quality and engineering on the good hot rods is very, very high level. If you ever get a chance to see some of the better ones up close, I think you will be amazed. Some of them are also very fast. As far as the appeal, I guess it's a work of art that you can drive, and that nobody else has.