With Foose behind the wheel...
With Foose behind the wheel of the Buz Di Vosta-owned Sportstar, the Lexus V-8-powered roadster continued the envelope-pushing design of street rods.
"Vogele took a liking to the monster 250R ATC and came blazing through our pit area, hit a rut, flipped the bike, and landed butt first and left with the most amazing look on his face. Someone said, 'If you are OK, that is the funniest thing I have ever seen.' He survived, and it still remains the funniest thing I have ever seen.
"Memories from the late 1970s to mid-1980s are the best for me with John and Boyd. It was a simpler time, the time before it all got crazy and our lives got pulled in so many different directions. Our collective hot rod families were an extraordinary group that worked hard and really knew how to have fun. I can't believe John and Boyd are gone, but I still hear them laughing-that's what endeared me to them and what I will miss most."
Car builder Cole Foster on Lil' John
"I believe John came to California when I was 4 years old, so my memories of him have two parts: my admiration of him as a kid and then my friendship with him as a man.
"My father, Pat, was head of Mickey Thompson's Ford LSR car, so I have heard great stories of John's California beginnings. My dad and John have both told the story of John's first week at Mickey's. The guys working there were an all-star group of SoCal's finest race car fabricators-Nye Frank, Tom Jobe, Bob Skinner, and many more greats.
"Dad gives John his first assignment: Make the steering wheel. Dad tells him, 'It needs to be this big, with a place for three switches,' so John takes the info and runs with it. He works a few days on it on his own with no one really saying much. So, John tells Dad, 'Here it is,' and Dad said it was just a beautiful piece of jewelry, unmatched craftsmanship, but had sharp corners and would have been a real cockpit hazard.
"Dad looks at it and says, 'Wow, John, what a beauty!' and drops it in the trash can, and says, 'Now make one that won't kill Mickey.' That was John's initiation into the SoCal scene; he took it and went on to not only make another wheel but to become close friends with all the guys, as well as be a chassis, hot rod, and motorcycle legend.
"We stood in the winner's circle together many times with my dad driving Barry Setzer's Vega F/C in the 1970s. Years later, I'd see John in Pleasanton at a Goodguys show as an aspiring car builder myself. I was beginning to not just be 'Pat Foster's kid' but Lil' John's friend, Cole. He gave me a call when he saw my first serious V-twin and gave me a couple of pats on the back after he'd seen a few cars and a few more bikes I'd built.
"John really supported my work with praise that I feel so lucky to have been given by my childhood hero, and I'm even more lucky, as a man, to call him my friend. Praise from 'Uncle John' was something that really encouraged me through the years.
"We had fun together on our friend Jesse James' TV show, Monster Garage, and shared the cover of Street Rodder with the Salinas Boy's '36 Ford and his aluminum roadster. After that issue came out, he called me and said, 'Your car should have been the bigger picture, kid, it's beautiful. They just gave it to me because I'm old!' During the same call, he told me stories and gave advice so humble and honest, it could have only come from a true artist-it left me in tears. It was a real meaningful conversation in my life, and he made sense of many questions I have asked myself. Soon after that talk, John became ill.
"We discussed different future projects together, and his words and ideas were as strong as ever. One line in particular comes to mind: 'Remember, son, that there are some kids out there who will want to grow up to be like you-you will influence many.' Well, John not only influenced this boy but a whole generation of motorheads. John, the man, is gone, but his influence and contributions to our craft will be with us forever."