Boyd Coddington has passed away

Postby 71 pacecar » 29 Feb 2008 0:13

Boyd coddington passed away on wednesday the 27 he was 62 .RIP
71 pacecar
Frequent Poster
 
Posts: 162
Joined: 22 Mar 2004 23:55
Location: ontario,canada

Postby Jimiboy » 29 Feb 2008 0:20

No Way?!

I use to see the shows at Discovery every time i get the chance, i really love watching those! A Great Hot Rod profile have left the stage then! Too Bad man! (Did'nt know he was in bad condition?)



R.I.P
User avatar
Jimiboy
Frequent Poster
 
Posts: 708
Joined: 22 Dec 2005 10:20
Location: Sweden

Postby David » 29 Feb 2008 3:12

I found this article. Very sad.

LOS ANGELES — Car-building legend Boyd Coddington, whose testosterone-injected cable TV reality show "American Hot Rod" introduced the nation to the West Coast hot rod guru, has died. He was 63.

Coddington died at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in suburban Whittier at 6:20 a.m. Wednesday. His La Habra office spokeswoman Amanda Curry wouldn't disclose the cause of death.

Coddington, who started building cars when he was 13 and once operated a gas station in Utah, set a standard for his workmanship and creativity, with his popular "Cadzilla" creation considered a design masterpiece. The customized car based on a 1950s Cadillac was built for rocker Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.

"That was a groundbreaking car. Very cool," said Dick Messer, executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

"This was your modern era George Barris," Messer said. "He did things to hot rods and customs that weren't being done by anyone else. But the main thing is he designed cars that were drivable."

Coddington was a machinist by trade, working at Disneyland during the day and tinkering with cars in his home garage at night and on weekends. His rolling creations captured the imagination of car-crazy Southern Californians and soon he was building custom cars and making money.

Most often, he customized 1932 Ford "little deuce coupes."

"It was one of those things when a hobby turned into business," Messer said, noting Coddington was also "one of the first guys to get into the custom wheel business."

Wheels by Boyd were fetching $2,000 apiece, which was unheard of two decades ago.

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.

Always dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, Coddington said he loved his "American Hot Rod" Discovery Channel show, which featured ground-up construction of $500,000 hot rods.

"The viewers are ... people who lived in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s and loved these cars. Now, they have money," Coddington told The Associated Press in a 2004 interview.
User avatar
David
Frequent Poster
 
Posts: 129
Joined: 29 Sep 2005 18:22
Location: Tallmadge, Ohio

Postby patrick » 29 Feb 2008 6:03

R.I.P. Boyd. :V8: :thumbsup: :tears:
User avatar
patrick
Frequent Poster
 
Posts: 1323
Joined: 09 Jul 2007 0:56
Location: Washington State, U.S.A.

Postby mopar steve » 29 Feb 2008 7:12

A real shame that, always liked his programmes, and he really helped promote the hobby/sport. :disbelief:
mopar steve
Frequent Poster
 
Posts: 147
Joined: 08 Mar 2004 20:54
Location: a village in Hampshire, UK.

Postby christer » 29 Feb 2008 10:25

It is hard to believe. And very sad.
christer
Ghost 48
 
Posts: 2133
Joined: 13 Oct 2006 19:52
Location: Sweden

Postby bananaskin » 10 Mar 2008 18:40

A great loss to the automotive world :(
User avatar
bananaskin
Frequent Poster
 
Posts: 170
Joined: 13 Sep 2007 20:38
Location: UK

Postby fal308 » 11 Mar 2008 12:19

bananaskin, very cool avatar :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
fal308
Frequent Poster
 
Posts: 981
Joined: 01 Jan 2004 13:57
Location: Pacific MO

Postby bananaskin » 11 Mar 2008 21:05

fal308 wrote:bananaskin, very cool avatar :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:


:lol: Just this second changed it, have got a "better" one but might be a bit too rude??
User avatar
bananaskin
Frequent Poster
 
Posts: 170
Joined: 13 Sep 2007 20:38
Location: UK