Impression

All journeys begin with a first step. Such was the case for Chip Foose of Foose Design as his plan evolved on what many believe is his benchmark effort--the 1936 Ford roadster of Ken Reister from Littleton, Colorado. Impression, as it is titled, finds its roots in a Larry Erickson design that yielded the Smoothster more than a decade ago. According to Chip, he was intent on utilizing the Erickson design as a jumping-off point so the Impression would have a European flair and a modern image. While construction of the Impression absorbed seven long and arduous years, both Chip and Ken knew what they wanted and maintained their focus.

The Impression isn't the first but may very well be the finest example of a coachbuilt street rod that utilizes 4,000 one-of-a-kind components. The presence of coachbuilt rods have been with us for years, but it seems most recently design, style, quality, and craftsmanship have come together to rival anything found throughout the automotive world. The Impression will hold its own with any Big Three coachbuilt concept car--and that's saying something!

The sheetmetal is rooted in the 1936 Ford roadster and is the handiwork of Marcel's Custom Metal Shaping (operated by Marcel and his sons, Luc and Mark). The steel body is outfitted with an aluminum hood, decklid, and a custom windshield. The stainless steel grille insert was crafted by the master himself--Dan Fink. A unique body of this caliber doesn't just happen. First there was the 1/4-scale clay model, which evolved into a fullsize wooden buck that Team Marcel used to bend the sheetmetal into the shape you see before you. Did we mention that the paint comes by way of BASF and we have heard the color referred to as "Chipewter"? Nice touch.

The Impression has received, at the time of this writing, every major award it has come in contact with, beginning with rodding's "golden chalice," the Don Ridler Memorial Award, given to the outstanding car from the Detroit Autorama, immediately followed by Best Rod at the Fresno Autorama (Blackie Gejeian), and the Goldmark award at the Boise Roadster Show. (The trophy case is shy the single most significant award a roadster can capture--America's Most Beautiful Roadster, which is emblematic of the finest roadster in the land awarded at the Grand National Roadster Show. The Impression will be kept under wraps until January '06 when Ken and Chip will enter it in competition. Time will tell!)

While there's no denying this rod is all roadster, Chip was intent on accomplishing one specific design element: have the car look complete with or without its top. The top is made from handformed aluminum, wrapped both sides with canvas then resting over chromed top bows. The top is a liftoff-only affair, no folding here. However, to accomplish this complete look with or without the top, a chromed molding rests on the body and wraps around the cockpit, eventually tying into the windshield.

Getting down to the basics, the custom chassis from Foose Design is based on a 118-inch wheelbase that employs independent front and rear suspension utilizing C4 Corvette geometry. To this you will find Bilstein coilover shocks, BAER/PBR rotor and calipers pressed into operation through a Kugel Komponents master cylinder, and an underdash small power booster. Other Corvette components include a Vette centersection with 3.73 gears, a Posi unit, and uprights.

More often than not the focal point of any hot rod is its engine. The Impression doesn't disappoint. While a LS1 GM powerplant is used, there's no mistaking the gentle massaging that transforms this Stovebolt into a "Flatisphere." To put it into language you and I can grasp, it's a modern Flathead! Underneath the one-of-a-kind ram air intake, cloth-wrapped plug wires, hidden electrical system, and the handformed steel block cover (yes, we said block cover), the V-8 is painted in two-tone hues. Possibly the most clever engine appointments are the hidden water and oil fill caps, which cleverly rest beneath what appears to be the Flathead-influenced water necks running from the radiator to the engine. All isn't what it appears to be after all! Other accessories include the billet transmission oil pan with a machined lip that covers the normally exposed gasket edge and the black chrome and stainless steel exhaust system.

To list the 4,000-plus custom pieces would be next to impossible, but we can tell you there are hand-cut and turned bolts, handmade body and interior moldings, an exquisite one-of-a-kind windshield frame with custom-shaped glass, and a stainless steel grille. Look closely at the one-of-a-kind BFGoodrich hand-cut 18s and 20s and you see the matching tread pattern as used on the brake and gas pedal. The wheels are more custom one-of-a-kind pieces that really require you to look closely and appreciate the style, machine work, and final finish. They were designed by Chip to be a blend of old and new--old in the design representing a spoked wheel from the '30s, while new in the use of billet and the 10-spoke execution. Again, look closely and you will see that five spokes start at the hub and radiate outward while the alternating five remaining spokes go to the inside of the wheel. Can you see the V-8 logo on each wheel? This logo appears throughout the car's design.

One cannot help but stare at the interior. Let's start with the obvious. Chip blended into the automotive cockpit influences from above. Look at the dash; can you see the airplane influence? Well, look at the center gauge (speedometer) and note how the outer gauges appear to be the engines with props turning. From here note the two dash-mounted switches, do they resemble "wheels down"? And how about the spear running across the dash and through each gauge--could this represent the wingspan? We believe the answer is yes to the above questions. Did we mention that the gauges are from a '35 Chevy with '34 Chevy graphics and are mounted from behind the custom steel dashboard?

The aircraft theme continues through the steering wheel and more subtly with the use of airplane carpeting on the floor and aircraft-type canvas as inserts on the twin buckets. Speaking of the seats, they are Cobra buckets both narrowed and shortened as part of the rework process and then covered with leather (pebble) and aircraft canvas by Jim Griffin Interiors. Oh yes, each is outfitted with a seat warmer. (Hey, it gets cold in Cobo Hall in March!)

Another pair of attention-grabbing focal points are the headlights and taillights. Up front we find a pair of PIAA H.I.D. projector beams and driving lamps used in conjunction to make each individual headlamp. To this a custom lens and metalwork creates the illusion of the Ford V-8 logo behind each lens. Mechanically the taillights are based on '37 Ford buckets, again, with custom, one-of-a-kind (technically two-of-a-kind) lenses, each with 13 LED bulbs to create the individual taillight. Aesthetically the taillights are a wonder to behold as they appear to be floating. They are attached to the rear bumper and not the body, and there are no visible wires to be seen. In fact, there are no visible wires anywhere on the car and you will also note that the hinges and latches have their mounting points concealed as well.

And for the coup de grace, Chip designed each hinge, strut, suspension component, carpeting runners, and even the bars behind the headlamp lenses, to be soft-sided triangles. There are no flat sides; a slight radius is visible on each leg of each triangle designed into and throughout the entire car. Wow! Now that's what we call a coachbuilt street rod. No wonder people stand next to this street rod in sheer amazement.

It's a "Flatisphere," or what...        read full caption It's a "Flatisphere," or what an LS1 would have looked like under the influence of Henry Ford, and the Flathead powerplant of its day. The Flathead-appearing water inlets are really the hidden way to pour oil into the engine and check radiator fluid.

Jim Griffin Interiors raised...        read full caption Jim Griffin Interiors raised the bar for a street rod interior featuring leather (pebble) over a pair of buckets resting on airplane-quality carpet. The carbon-fiber door panels are wrapped in leather and canvas. Look closely at the instrumentation-- Chip's intent was to have the gauge cluster resemble an airplane theme--can you see it?! (If you don't see it send me an e-mail and I will give you a clue. B.B.)

The custom-built steering...        read full caption The custom-built steering wheel with the airplane prop theme as well as the three-sided design element built in throughout the car is both elegant and makes a statement.

The independent rear suspension...        read full caption The independent rear suspension is a hallmark of a Foose-designed car. It features Corvette C4 geometry while utilizing a Vette centersection and uprights.

The Cobra buckets were narrowed...        read full caption The Cobra buckets were narrowed and shortened then covered with leather (pebble) and stitched with canvas inserts.

Look closely at the individual...        read full caption Look closely at the individual suspension components and you will note each continues to feature the three-sided design element. The Bilstein coilover shocks are one-of-a-kind for this project.

The Foose-designed 10-spoke...        read full caption The Foose-designed 10-spoke wheels have five spokes emanating from the hub to the front of the wheel and five from the hub to the back of the wheel, giving the impression of an early spoke wheel. You can also see the BAER/PBR brake combination.

Select your adjective for...        read full caption Select your adjective for the trunk, but efficient in design and execution comes to mind. Note how the trunk hinge attachment mechanisms are hidden as are all of the attachment points used on the doors and hood of the car.

The "floating" taillights...        read full caption The "floating" taillights (they do not touch the body, but rather are attached to the rear bumper) are '37 Ford buckets with handmade panels housing 13 LED bulbs and one-off lenses. Note there are no visible wires.

The headlamp is made from...        read full caption The headlamp is made from a pair of different-size PIAA H.I.D. lamps that are stacked, giving the appearance of the number 8. From here note the metal bars inside the custom-made lens that make up the "V," completing the time-honored V-8 logo engrained into a rodder's mind.