Boyd Coddington and Lil' John Buttera Tribute - Unmatched Pair

"In 2006, John and I decided to do a cross-country trip like the old days and drive to Goodguys Indy and back to finish at the L.A. Roadsters Show on Father's Day. We talked and laughed and regained our old friendship, which you never lose-you just have to charge it up again.

"Thanks, John, for that last trip."

Builder and manufacturer Barry Lobeck on Lil' John and Boyd
"Lil' John was the billet aluminum master. He had more talent in his little finger than most people have in their whole bodies. Getting along with other people was not one of his stronger points but building cars was. He was one of the first builders around who would have the customer's car drawn up first for him/her to look at. He was also the first to get different companies to donate tires, paint, and parts for hot rod projects.

"I met Boyd back in the 1980s, and I stayed with him for a while at his house. At that time, his shop was located at his residential property. His neighbor would stand on a ladder to look over an 8-foot wall that separated the properties and would take pictures of what Boyd was doing and tell him he was going to call the authorities to get him in trouble for having a business on residential property. Boyd had to move.

"He was better with people than most, and he could bring the best out of anyone.

"Lil' John and Boyd will surely be missed. They both did a lot for the hot rod business."

Entrepreneur and racing safety expert Bill Simpson on Lil' John
"I first met Lil' John Buttera back in the 1960s. Given our professional paths crossed frequently, it didn't take long before we became both professional friends and, more importantly, close personal friends.

"I could go on and on with stories about John but so could many others. He truly was a unique individual, with abilities that far surpassed all others. I still sit at the desk he milled out of billet on his CNC machine (aka Guido) as a wedding present, along with a billet lamp, but that's another story. John once told me that the CNC program was 900 pages to 'whittle' that desk.

"I do have one story about John that sums up what a friend, talent, and unique individual he was. It wasn't that long ago I was building an airplane at my ranch in Wyoming. We had wrestled with a linkage problem for what seemed like days on end. With no apparent solution in sight, I threw in the towel and gave Lil' John a call. I told him the problem we were having and asked if he could help.

"Lil' John asked that I arrange for a private airplane to deliver him to my place in Wyoming, where there would be a pot of coffee ready when he arrived, and he could leave when he was done. That seemed reasonable enough. The day arrived, and Lil' John walked into the hanger, drank his coffee, smoked his cigarettes, and began to look at my problem. In 15 minutes, he accomplished what I couldn't in days of mind-teasing effort. He had neatly solved my insurmountable linkage problem in minutes. A few more minutes passed, and then Lil' John asked to go home. Just like that, he arrived, drank his coffee, solved my problem, and was back on his private flight home.

"That was Lil' John, my friend, someone who was immensely talented, and ready for life's next challenge."