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I have to be honest…I may be a car guy, but if it weren’t for the show “American Hot Rod”, I wouldn’t have really appreciated Boyd Coddington’s rides. I knew the name. I knew it mainly for his wheels. But once I saw the show, I really began to realize that his designs were brassy and intrepid (not to be confused with the fugly car), and influenced other builders and manufacturers alike. The Hawaiian shirt, perfectly Flowbee‘d beard, and his testy attitude were always a kick to watch.
Coddington also surrounded himself with talent. Alumni from his shop include Jesse James and Chip Foose, who went on to open their own shops and star in reality TV shows.
Coddington twice won the Daimler-Chrysler Design Excellence Award and he was inducted into the Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame, the National Rod & Custom Museum Hall of Fame and the Route 66 Wall of Fame.
Courtesy — Jeff Wilson, Associated Press
Here are a few of the cars he created and influenced over the years:
1965 Mustang GT Fastback
1936 Delahaye
Porsche Cayenne Turbo
1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air (aka, “Chezoom”)
1946 Cadillac Cadzilla for Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top
See more of Boyd Coddington’s cars at BoydCoddington.com
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February 28th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
As much as Boyd came across as a real prick to work for based on his show, I have to say that he created some unbelievable cars.
February 28th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
As a fellow car enthusiast, I am saddened with his loss. I’ve also caught a few of the episodes of his show, a tough man to work for but he demanded only the best for his clients.
March 3rd, 2008 at 11:39 am
The paint on that 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air is unbelievable. Only another painter can appreciate what it took to get the paint on those cars looking that great. Yeah, he could be irritable but true artists generally are.
March 5th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
I wonder who is going to take over the shop now? He didn’t come across the best but he did good work and built an empire.
February 2nd, 2009 at 7:49 am
DO YOUR HOMEWORK….If you look back at old hotrod and hotrodding magazines you will find that the original custom builders for Cadzilla and Chezoom were Khlassey Khassey (pronouned Classy Chassy as in Classic Chassis…duh). The owners were Loran and Bailey Laxton of Tennessee. Bailey’s son Billy who is now 42 years old aka “Hillbilly Style” ….go ask Jesse James better yet go ask Gibbons HIMSELF well…Billy did suspension and other work for the family business before the business closed. In fact, Billy worked for Boyd Coddington but only for a short period of time because he was tired of Boyd claiming to be a builder when he just gave orders…did you ever really SEE him build anything? LOL….Billy also had some pics of him in VERY OLD hotrod and hotrodding, etc etc magazines for Khlassey Khassey. If anything, Boyd only provided rims for one of two vehicles….Boyd started his business first in custom wheels and how he ended up doing some work in custom wheels with Khassey Khassey. Loran Laxton passed away and Bailley Laxton still lives in Tennesse not too far from THE BARN where they built those custom rods. Billy lives in Hawaii with his wife and 4 children…I should know…I’m married to him…DUH….lol lol lol…It’s just like Boyd to say this before he died…Wait til I tell my husband Billy I just found out he died…a year later? OMG…that’s how important he was to the Laxtons…but I’m setting it straight now….ALOHA!
February 2nd, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Interesting information. While I did say ‘create and influenced’, I have to admit I thought the Cadzilla and Chezoom fell under the ‘created’ designation. I’ll definitely do a little homework. You’ve got my interest piqued. Aloha, Stephanie. And thanks for the info.