Chip Foose is a magician. And not the David Blaine, look-at-me-while-I-live-underwater-for-a-month kind of magician. He's the kind we like. He's a wizard with metal. Famous for turning muscle cars into resto-mods or all-out customs that manage to grab their fair share of awards over the year, he also does one-offs as just plain labors of love.
Today he showed his P-32 Lincoln Zephyr V-12-powered homage to the returning flyboys who got back from WWII and decided to build themselves something that would capture the thrills of the fighters and bombers they left behind when they came marching home.
More of a classic rod than Foose's more artistic redoings of muscle cars that have put Overhaulin' on the map, the P-32 Street Fighter has the look of something that would have been made in the '40s or '50s. P-40 Warbird-style exhaust, riveted windscreen trim, a machined nosecone and a stripped out interior all lend a period feel. Very, very cool. Every pic is clickable for a desktop size wallpaper.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Pfunky @ Oct 31st 2006 9:04PM
I'm sorry, but it seems to gimmicky too me.
laserwizard @ Oct 31st 2006 9:21PM
What a piece of crap. If this weren't Chip Foose's work, it would have been mistaken for a high school shop class reject. Foose has let some turds go these days - his new mustang remake is one of the worst ever that improves on nothing. Perhaps Foose should just stick to improving rust buckets on his show and leave building dream cars to someone with talent.
Tiago do Vale @ Oct 31st 2006 10:00PM
hehehehehe
Somethings are hard to understand... Smoked glass windshield? Can I really see a bit of green ink in the front shutline of the drivers door? Are there stains on the "shoulder" of the car? The frame of the windshield looks odd to.
But it's a really fun car! I believe the polish aluminium looks better live than on the pictures.
Fletcher @ Oct 31st 2006 10:02PM
This appeals to both my love of stripped down classic rods and WW2 warbirds. Not the prettiest, classiest amalgamation, but I can appreciate it for what it evokes alone.
chuck goolsbee @ Oct 31st 2006 10:27PM
Of all engines, especially the wide selection of double-sixes, why the Zephyr? I know the idea was to build a "hot-rod Lincoln" but the Zephyr was probably the most anemic V-12 ever built.
For those that have never seen one of these flat-headed, side-valved machines, I have a pic of one in a Lincoln limo on my website here:
http://chuck.goolsbee.org/archives/72
--chuck
Carlos @ Oct 31st 2006 11:41PM
There is a lot going on in this car that doesnt become apparent unless you know what your looking at. Unfortunetly it seems like the details have gone right over the head of a few poeple here.
super pooper @ Oct 31st 2006 11:44PM
It was the P-51 Mustang, not P-52. I'm sure that was pointed out 100 times as people read the sign!
Turbofrog @ Nov 1st 2006 12:25AM
I really dig the warbird aesthetic in general, but the proportions on this are really poor, and don't evoke either a fast car or a WWII plane.
It's too stubby, flat, and cliched. If they'd gone all out instead of grafting superficial details onto a boring basic hot rod shape, they could have made something really beautiful and distinctive. More curves!
Seriously disappointing.
hmmm @ Nov 1st 2006 12:52AM
Ive had his drawing on my desktop for close to a year and was surprised to see in in the flesh , it looks better as a drawing !
...........
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/9117/chip4gc4.jpg
sorry for the small pic....
Anthony @ Nov 1st 2006 1:11AM
Chip is a subtle artist, but what is brilliant about this car may not by translated in the photographs. He has done incredible, subtle, intelligent work in the past and I am sure if you saw this car in the metal you'd be amazed. If you familiar with the "rat rod" trend and follow "Car Kulture" you can see brilliance in how he's taken the form to another level. I wish I could see it in the metal.
chris @ Nov 1st 2006 2:35AM
Note in the 6th image down there is a view of the car from the rear with Chris Bangle looking at this car.
66coronet @ Nov 1st 2006 5:35AM
http://www.streetrodderweb.com/features/0511sr_foose_car_design/
http://www.jalopnik.com/cars/custom-cars%252fhot-rods/the-foose-p32-what-couldve-been-158973.php
Steve C. @ Nov 1st 2006 7:28AM
#1 & 2, how old are you guys? If you aren't old enough to remember when street rods were common and very basic (cheap, backyard specials), you have no frickin clue what Foose has captured with this one.
mike jolicoeur @ Nov 7th 2006 6:04PM
its deff cool
Jeremy Miller @ Nov 21st 2006 11:53PM
In my opinion Chip nailed it again, minus the nose cone. The rest of the car is a perfect example of a traditional hot rod.
s jonutis @ Jan 12th 2007 4:13PM
Hell! I was just day-dreaming of what kind of rod I would like to build & here it is!! As an aiport kid I use to play fighter pilot in a damaged NAA P-51 & never forgot it. The nose cone & radiator are more P-40, though. Nothing wrong with P-40 - the famous Flying Tigers did good with them in early WWII & it is probably more famous with the public than the P-51 (see the movies "Pearl Harbor" & "Sky Captain"). Now how about someone stuffing a P&W R-2800 or Wright R-3350 turbo-compound into a rod?!!
Shane @ Feb 14th 2007 8:25AM
Hey there, you HAVE to see this car to appreciate it. I saw it at the Barrett-Jackson in Phoenix last month. The car really does a great job of giving many impressions. I saw it three times and each time I looked more and more into the details and each time more and more came out. there is a very aircraft feel to it, although not exactly FAA quality, it is a bit more rough, and that lends to its' bad-boy street feel. the zinc chromate paint in the interior are nice and the enginew is a perfect fit... ok, maybt it isn't the hottest motor in the world but the allison just would not be practical..;) I think you have to look at this project as a project.. it seemed a bit unfinished to me.. as are 95% of the rats ya run into... they are ALWAYS a work in progress.
I liked it and would love to see it again.
charlie @ Mar 7th 2008 7:56AM
Geniuses are rarely understood in their time.
This car is flawed in some ways.. but there are many elements of it that are genius.. and it is sure a lot better than just doing another boring modern hotrod. I really just think this concept needs to be refined a bit more.
If you want to see a cool video describing it a bit more got to Jay Leno's garage site.