The American Hot Rod King
It's no accident that his show on TLC was called American Hot Rod. Boyd Coddington is one of the greats when it comes to hot rod building and these are some of his most beautiful builds—along with the life path he took to reach the top of the hot rod mountain.
From An Early Age
Born in Rupert, Idaho in 1944, Boyd Coddington's love of cars began at an early age—reading every hot rod and automobile magazine he could find. And at 13, he got his first car: a 1931 Chevrolet truck.
U.S. Navy photo, Jeremiah Sholtis, Wikimedia Commons
Continued Education
From magazines to hands-on learning, Coddington went to machinist trade school and completed a three-year apprenticeship in machining—before heading off to California to ply his trade.
Hot Rods and Disneyland
In Cali, Coddington built his hot rod reputation by day while also working as a machinist at Disneyland during the nights.
Pilgrim Films & Television, American Hot Rod (2004-2007)
Hot Rods And Disneyland
The Disneyland by night, building hot rods by day thing couldn't go on forever–and instead of continuing to burn the candle at both ends, Coddington decided to go all in on his automotive dreams.
Boris Dzhingarov, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Hot Rods by Boyd
By 1977, he was ready to run his own shop and that's when Hot Rods by Boyd opened its doors in Stanton, California. And it was there that he developed and became known for the "Boyd Look".
Boyd Coddington's Hot Rod Factory, Men and Motors
The "Boyd Look"
To quote his own website: "The “Boyd Look” was different and innovative, so much that even...over thirty years later it is copied and used as an industry baseline. [The] look is smooth, sleek and fluid...no more amalgamation of parts from various commuter cars, Boyd fabricated his own parts from billet aluminum".
Boyd Coddington's Hot Rod Factory, Men and Motors
The Star Maker
One of his first major customers at the shop was Vern Luce, a name that is very familiar to hot rod fans because of the car that Boyd built for him.
The Vern Luce Coupe
The 1933 Ford Vern Luce Coupe (VLC) was a watershed moment for Coddington's career—putting him firmly on the hot rod map, defining his style and—some have said—resetting the style of the entire hot rod industry at the time. The car won the Al Slonaker Award at the 1981 Oakland Roadster show.
Billet Wheels
One of Coddington's signature innovations was billet wheels—which were custom manufactured from one solid piece of aluminum. Coddington along with John Buttera were industry leaders in this billet wheel look.
Behind the Wheel - Son of Boyd: Retro Wheel Teaser, Auto Revolution
Billet Wheels
This pioneering look became such a big part of Coddington's style that he even founded Boyd's Wheels, Inc in 1988 to make and market his billet wheels.
Behind the Wheel - Son of Boyd: Retro Wheel Teaser, Auto Revolution
CadZZilla
One of the most iconic hot rods associated with Boyd Coddington is the one he built for Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. The uber-customized Cadillac would become forever known as CadZZilla.
Supermac1961, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
CadZZilla
What began as a 1948 Cadillac Series 62 Sedanette turned into something truly spectacular after the initial simple customization ideas were discarded for a much more radical design idea (at the behest of Gibbons himself). The total cost in the end came to about $900,000.
CadZZilla
The top was chopped, the headlights were frenched, the exhaust pipes were made to exit through the rear bumper, and the steering box is from a 1985 Corvette. And those are just a few of the many mods that were made to turn CadZZilla into what Gray Baskerville—in Hot Rod magazine—called "the most incredible transformation" he'd ever seen.
Mentor To Many
Many names that are familiar to the hot rod and car crowd began their careers at Coddington's shop—including the likes of: Larry Erickson, Chip Foose, and Jesse James.
pinguino k, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Aluma Coupe
Designed by Larry Erickson and built by Coddington, this stunning, bright-yellow beauty was fitted with a turbocharged 1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, and the body panels made pretty much entirely out of aluminum (ergo the name: The Aluma Coupe).
TKOIII, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Larry Murray’s Phaeton
This gorgeous 1933 Ford Phaeton roadster that Coddington built for Larry Murray took home the prestigious "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" (AMBR) award in 1985.
And speaking of AMBR wins...
1933 Ford Hot Rod – 3 Window Coupe Built By Outlaw Performance!, Classic Car ChitChat
The "Boydster I"
Boyd Coddington's 1932 Ford Roadster "Boydster I" took home the AMBR win at the 1996 Grand National Roadster Show. And just like how movie studios tend to make a sequel if the first movie is a hit—Coddington did the same. Although, unlike many movie part 2s, Coddington's was another triumph.
Behind the Wheel - Son of Boyd Teaser, Auto Revolution
The "Boydster II"
The Boydster II '32 Ford is, as Motor Trend magazine called it in a 1997 article, "a Subtle Study in 'Coddinuity'". And, in case you were wondering, that's a good thing.
AMBRs+
Coddington's car creations have won the Grand National Roadster Show's "America's Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR)" award seven times and he also twice took home the Daimler-Chrysler Design Excellence award.
Multiple Halls of Fame
Coddington's legacy and talents earned him a spot in five different halls of fame: the Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame, the SEMA Hall of Fame, the Route 66 Hall of Fame, the National Rod & Custom Museum Hall of Fame, and the Hot Rod Hall of Fame.
Egge Speed Shop, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
CheZoom
Another masterpiece to come out of Coddington's shop was the CheZoom—which may have entered the world as a standard '57 Chevy two-door hardtop—but what emerged from Coddington's shop still takes hot rod lovers' breath away.
Classic 'CarShow' Wild 57 Chevy, CarShow
"American Hot Rod"
While car folks had known about Coddington for years, he became a more household name in 2004 when he got his own reality show on TLC—American Hot Rod.
Pilgrim Films & Television, American Hot Rod (2004-2007)
"American Hot Rod"
The show featured Coddington and his crew building custom cars and hot rods at his shop—along with all the tension and stress, and the many...let's call them rows amongst the staff and Coddington. But while it might not have been the best work environment, the work they did was spectacular as always...
Pilgrim Films & Television, American Hot Rod (2004-2007)
The “Alumatub”
The “Alumatub” was a Ford Model A-style, all-aluminum two-door highboy phaeton hot rod built by Coddington in 2003 with the entire process documented over the course of five episodes of American Hot Rod.
Boyd Coddington Alumatub Roadster Hot Rod Creation, The Capitalist
'61 Impala Bubbletop
Coddington's shop meticulously restored, designed, and customized this awesome Chevrolet muscle car over the course of four episodes in season 4.
1957 Pink Cadillac
Another great build from the show was the modified 1957 pink Cadillac, sponsored by Reese's and commissioned as a tribute to Elvis Presley.
Exploring a Rare 1957 Cadillac Series 62 (Elvis tribute car) by Boyd Coddington !!, Throdle
'63 Chevy Corvette Stingray
Another fan favorite from the reality show was the 1963 Split window Corvette with an all-aluminum 434 twin-turbo engine producing 2,000 steerable horsepower.
Art You Can Drive - S01 E01 - 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, Art You Can Drive
Bud Light Street Rod
This one-of-a-kind 1936 Ford custom that Coddington and the gang built for Bud Light turned out great (as always). The Bud Light customer focus groups chose the roadster concept drawings as their favorite and off they went. Starting with a 1936 Ford Coupe, the customization process was featured in episodes 26-28 of season 2.
The End Of The Show
The series ran for five seasons, with the final episode airing in September of 2007. Unfortunately, the show ended because Coddington passed away.
Pilgrim Films & Television, American Hot Rod (2004-2007)
Hospital
On December 31st, 2007, Coddington was admitted to hospital but was discharged shortly afterwards—only to be readmitted a few days later. Although, at this point everything seemed ok. Coddington had surgery and was released with expectations of making a full recovery.
Pilgrim Films & Television, American Hot Rod (2004-2007)
Complications
On February 27th, 2008, Coddington passed away from—according to his publicist—complications brought on from the recent surgery for a perforated colon as well as sepsis and kidney complications.
Pilgrim Films & Television, American Hot Rod (2004-2007)
Influence
One of the most influential guys the hot rod world has ever known—Boyd Coddington's name is forever etched in automotive history for his designs, his builds, and his wheels.
The Only One...
Fun Fact: Coddington is the only builder to have a hot rod featured on the cover of Smithsonian Magazine.
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