When Chip Foose brings out a car to the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show, everybody will show up to check it out. Foose and his cars are a consistent popular feature of the show and as ambassador of the event; his appearances typically get fans lining up hours early in advance of a limited signing appearance. This year he brought out a 1957 Chevy Bel Air convertible to showcase with an interesting back story for the car. (Keep an eye out for a future feature in Truck Round-Up on the "other" vehicle he brought to SEMA this year.)
It seems Foose had actually planned on presenting an older Jaguar for the SEMA Show but he was having difficulty getting parts shipped over from England. Yes folks, even the legendary Chip Foose can have trouble locating the right parts for a car. So reluctantly he switched gears and moved this 1957 project up in the production line to get it done in thirty days.
At a premier on Monday night, (before the show actually opens) he admitted that his crew of ten worked around the clock on Saturday to get the car finished in time for the transporter to bring it to Las Vegas. Not sure if he was totally kidding, but he reasoned that one day represents three eight hour shifts. So with ten people under his tutelage that meant THIRTY working days were available to finish up this convertible.
The convertible was in the BASF Paint display booth, so naturally it was coated in a custom Chip Foose designed BASF color, called Tropical Turquoise Pearl. Purists might recall that Chevrolet offered a Tropical Turquoise for the 1957 Chevy's but this obviously was the Chip Foose touch added to Chevy's coloring.
The convertible rolled on a Roadster Shop chassis that held a LS3 engine and the familiar 4L80 automatic transmission with overdrive. Foose designed the wheels to mimic the spinners from a 1957 Chevy as well and the interior was a custom leather paint job.
You will have to look close to see all the custom Foose touches on this classic Chevy. Nice to see that when his back is against the wall, Foose could pull a rabbit out of his hat and produce such a stunning classic.
© 2019 Mark C. Bach