Up to that point Detroit Speed, Troy Trepanier, Ringbrothers, Bobby Alloway, and Steve Strope garnered most of the headlines for the burgeoning modern street machine movement. Just as we were about to enter the second decade of the new Millennium, Barry Blomquist’s C1RS floored everyone at the Goodguys 2009 PPG Nationals in Columbus.
With a late-model Corvette LT4 Grand Sport V8, one-off wheels and a stance to die for, the Grand Master shaped the next decade of high-end street rods. He’s one of the best-kept secrets in hot rodding and he laid down the BASF Millennium Jade and Chip Silver with orange and pearl accents. Since the mid-’80s, Rydell’s own “Toy Shop” has employed painter Tommy Marcotte. Fastener holes were blind-drilled and tapped so that no nuts dirtied up the backside of a part. The frame was sanded, painted, and polished as smooth as the exterior.
A precise 1/8-inch body gap can be found between every body panel, including the underbody details. Only parts of the fenders and small portions of the roof remained from the original car. The body was completely tailored and hand crafted from steel. A-pillars, B-pillars, wheel openings, and more were altered and massaged to turn a mundane and bulbous prewar production sedan into rolling art. Rydell Toy Shop stalwart Doug Peterson did the lion’s share of the metalwork (an estimated 22,000 man hours over five years) under the watchful eye of Foose, who managed the project from afar. Never has a ’30s Chevy ever taken on a profile quite like this brilliant bowtie.ĭesigned and assembled by Foose Design, the ’35 Chevy Master sedan underwent a masterful transformation. Grand MasterĪ decade after Chezoom came Wes Rydell’s Grand Master – the 2002 Ridler Award winner which also collected the 2002 Goodguys Street Rod d’Elegance and our Street Rod of the Year title. Chezoom sold at auction in 2015 for $352,000. It was elegant but with its nimble suspension and late model drivetrain, it had the essentials of today’s track beasts.
#CHIP FOOSE GRANDMASTER PRO#
The car was certainly unique, and you could argue it was a precursor to the pro touring movement. All show and all go, just like it should be. They drove it hard, too, and it performed like a champ. They must have been comfortable because true to form, Boyd and his son Chris hopped in it and drove it from Boyd’s shop all the way to the Goodguys Indy Hot Rod Nationals. The seats were the most unique feature, with radically designed seat backs in a triple halo pattern. The interior was so out there it looked like a combination of Ferrari meets the Jetsons. Once the fab and finally assembly were complete, the car was blown apart and painted what Boyd called “Peacock Teal.” The team at Coddington’s shop chopped the lid, reshaped all the panels, and exaggerated the iconic ’57 Chevy lines to create a killer, boundary-pushing custom. Just 10-percent of the original sheet metal was used as a starting point. Add in Corvette suspension and a custom tubular frame and it had the underpinnings of a corner-carver. The car featured a LT1 Vette motor at a time when modern engine swaps weren’t nearly as prevalent as they are now. The clean-sheet concept came from the pen of Thom Taylor. Gasket founder Joe Hrudka, Chezoom set a new standard for Tri-fives. Prior to its debut at the 1992 SEMA Show, nobody had modified a ’57 Chevy quite like this. On the heels of CadZZilla, Boyd Coddington’s Chezoom upped the ante for modern street customs. These three really shifted the scene, though.
Truth is, there are way more than three vehicles that have set benchmarks in recent decades. These benchmark cars tend to seamlessly blend technology with innovation, craftsmanship, design, and performance. We’re cruising along with incredibly cool machines then BAM – somebody builds a piece of rolling art the likes of which we’ve never seen, a car that makes us all see things a little differently. These are vehicles that took hot rodding to the next level. Over the last three decades, three cars stand out that pushed the envelope of style and substance.
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