John's '87 Indy effort with...
John's '87 Indy effort with this March chassis was his last, and the car was bumped from the field with 34 minutes to go. Other noted hot rodders in the photo include Andy Brizio (far right) and Cub Barnett (left) with John's son, Chris (third from right). The driver was Sammy Swindell.
"Several years ago, when I was the director of the Petersen Automotive Museum, Boyd and a couple of TV guys in expensive suits came to see me. They wanted to use the museum for a new television program about a hot rod shop. The Petersen would provide a backdrop for the show, and the content would focus on the drama of building great cars, with all the drama associated with big shows, troublesome clients, and challenging workers. The terms weren't very advantageous for the museum, meaning it was going to cost us plenty for the privilege of having the show on the premises. And, while I thought the national publicity would be valuable, I was having trouble justifying the great fees.
"Trying to evaluate the potential success of the show, I asked the normally taciturn Mr. Coddington who the host was going to be. 'Me' was the one-word answer.
"My vision of Boyd in those days was that, while he turned out fabulous cars like the CadZZilla, the Chezoom, the Aluma Coupe, and the Boydster, to name just a few, he was a pretty laconic and, you could say, very quiet guy-hardly the sort of TV host who gets high ratings.
"So, I said, 'You're going to be the host?'
"His answer was, 'Yup.'
Lil' John never drove in competition...
Lil' John never drove in competition at Indy, but you could see the smile on his face from the farthest grandstand the day he drove his roadster around the track. "Carbon" Kenny Koldsbeck, John's longtime friend, rides shotgun.
"With that abbreviated response, I impulsively decided the Petersen would not be a partner. I was convinced that, as great as Boyd was as a car builder, he couldn't possibly be a success on a TV show with his gift for words ... and that the entire premise for the show was doomed to failure. The rest, as they say, is history. The TV show was a big hit, adding to the luster of Boyd's already great reputation.
"That just shows you what I know about TV. More importantly, it demonstrated, once again, the many-faceted talents of a remarkable creative genius.
"Aloha, Boyd. You were, without doubt, truly one of a kind."
Car builder and former STREET RODDER editor Tom Vogele on Boyd and Lil' John
"News about the passing of family and friends is never easy to accept, especially considering two legends in our rodding world's 'extended' family recently dying within four days of each other. Although similar in talent, creativity, and ingenuity, Lil' John Buttera and Boyd Coddington applied their gifts in very different ways, but both ended up at the same place-creating the finest automobiles and parts the rodding industry has ever known. Not that there haven't been others who had major influence in earlier years, but these two pushed craftsmanship to unprecedented levels that may possibly never be duplicated.
"There is so much information on specific dates, cars, and awards in magazines and on the Web detailing their accomplishments, so to repeat them would be redundant. But, Lil' John's success building race cars and hot rods, introducing billet aluminum and CNC machines, creating innovative motorcycle parts, and his home-garage Indy car effort in a multimillion dollar arena, and, finally, still making parts and building up to his final days are part of what made this man. His 'no-bull' approach to people is also what made this man. No employees or mega shops, he simply poured out huge amounts of ingenuity and skill.
"I was lucky enough to have worked side by side with Boyd for a number of years in the little shop where he started his climb to the top. In the early 1980s, we were constantly doing things that had never been done before, and that's where Boyd taught me TIG welding, mill and lathe work, extreme fabrication skills, and the art of carefully assembling 100 percent-perfect automobiles. In my days with Boyd, he was hands-on, but eventually his limitless ideas led to managing the flow of his empire through dozens of employees and projects, mega shops, and even a television show. As what happens to many stars, American Hot Rod did not portray the Boyd I knew.