Sport Truck: How old is your son, and is he influenced by you in the same way you were by your father?
Foose: My son Brock is 6 years old and is extremely into cars and likes to draw. I don't take him to my shop, and I haven't put him to work either, but eventually I can see him being influenced by me, like I was by my father.
Sport Truck: What vehicle would you build if given unlimited money?
Foose: At the time when I was working for Boyd, I tried to build something with a European flavor. I would build something with a Mercedes or Bugatti influence. A design like that would be like my "Hemisphere" design that I came up with in 1990, when I was at Art Center. It was a rendition of the modern early '30s coupe with a fast-back, and when you looked through the back glass, you would see a 426 Hemi with a Pantera trans axle. When I drew it at Art Center, one of its renderings went to Chrysler and was developed into the Prowler. But, I always wanted to build my coupe version of it. Now, RC2 (Racing Champions/Ertl) is now helping me fund the build of the car as a cross-promotional vehicle. It should be done and debuted at the '06 SEMA Show along with RC2's die-cast version of it.
Sport Truck: How are things with you and Boyd?
Foose: Boyd has chosen to not have any relations with me, since I stopped working at his shop.
Sport Truck: Why did you stop working for Boyd?
Foose: Everyone always asks me why I quit working for him. That is not true. The truth is that I simply lost my job there. Back then, Boyd's company was publicly held, it went bankrupt, and I was forced out of there. After that, it took me 3-1/2 years to recover and gain a good crew again. I enjoyed what I was doing there and thank him for my experience that I have gained from his shop.
Sport Truck: How did you get involved with Bud, the producer of Overhaulin'?
Foose: I met Bud a year before Overhaulin'. He came to me as he wanted to do a show on cars but had nothing to come up with. I pitched him the idea of a show based on building cars for the SEMA Show. He sold the video to the TLC network, which became Rides, a show that is basically a video magazine for the automotive enthusiast. With his success with that, I went to him with the idea of a Monster Garage-style of show with real cars built for real people. In the end of the show, I wanted the cars to be appreciated and not just stored away. In a sense, they would really serve their purpose, and it was Bud's idea to steal the cars, which just added to the realism and drama.
Sport Truck: In what aspects has the show benefited you?
Foose: Meeting different people and developing their talents in a project. During the time with the show, we have created a system to fully restore a car in seven days. We have a list, and we break up the several stages and assign everyone to do a part. In the first few shows, it was a different crew every week and going through these times we saw people on the crew that we liked and asked them to stay and they have become full-time regulars.
Sport Truck: Where do you end up spending most of your time?
Foose: If I'm not at Overhaulin' or at my shop, I'm at home with my wife and kids. I don't get to spend hardly enough time with my family as I would like to.
Sport Truck: How often do you do the show? What is your scheduling like at that time?
Foose: In our third season, we are doing three episodes in a month. It is very tiring because after the shows I am beat and want to take time off, but then I have to go back and play catch-up at my shop.
Sport Truck: Has this affected how you run your shop?
Foose: It has definitely affected how I run the shop. It means that I am out for a long period of time, and I have to make people accountable when I am not there.
Sport Truck: What is it like when you finish a vehicle for someone on Overhaulin'?
Foose: In the end there is nothing better than the feeling of making these people's dreams come true on the show.
Sport Truck: Thanks for talking with us, Chip.
Foose: Thank you.
There you have it. Twenty minutes with the one and only Chip Foose. He is a very busy man and it was difficult to catch him for an interview, but our staff would like to personally thank him for his contributions to this issue.