Whereas mass production of the 300SL gullwing coupe was not originally contemplated, the race car inspired a road car which was introduced to the world in 1954. The 300SL dashboard, cab-forward design, and beautiful curves make for an impressive combination and the subtle “Repl” text added to the door lettering respectfully disclaims pure originality.Īcross the display area, a pair of gullwing Mercedes juxtaposed the original icon and the modern reimagination.
ORIGINAL CHIP FOOSE DRAWINGS FOR SALE FULL
Leno’s example was hand built by a private individual in Sweden, evidenced by a full photo album documenting the incredible build process. Sadly, the original was discarded and destroyed, but due to strong fan nostalgia Mercedes later built an exact replica which is housed in the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart. The solution was a transporter with enough muscle to quickly shuttle race cars back and forth across miles of European highways. Mercedes preferred to do major repairs during race weekends at home rather than trackside. Interestingly, the transporter was not merely designed to get cars to the race track and back to the shop.
The transporter hearkens back to the days of Mercedes racing in the 1950s when the 300SL competed for checkered flags rather than concours awards. Among the Art Center crowd, however, he’s better known as a car guy than a comedian. Leno still maintains an impressive work ethic as a comedian, logging over 200 shows a year. Honorary alumnus Jay Leno, also one of a kind in his own right, brought his home-built 1950 Mercedes transporter replica. It’s no wonder that designers from manufacturers and studios around the world walk the same halls searching for talent who can help make indelible imprints on their respective projects. Of course, transportation design student work claimed much of the attention as guests inspected models and sketches envisioning potential Bentley, Porsche and Volkswagen future offerings. The student gallery near the main entrance displayed a wide range of student work from across the various Art Center disciplines including graphic design, sculpture, architectural design, and product design. Display niches and classroom shelves throughout the facility exhibited a variety of student efforts. A senior design studio displayed polished drawings and work in process transforming them into three-dimensional clay models. Drawings of futuristic Mercedes Benz concepts from a Design Process class were taped to the walls. The event offers an opportunity to wander the hallways and view student work of various flavors. A fulsome biography of each would fill volumes, but each has materially impacted the world of automotive design in their own way and trace their history directly to Art Center. Art Center alumni Jeff Zwart, Chip Foose, Tom Peters and Freeman Thomas attended as well, each certainly one of a kind. The cars weren’t the only featured guests that were bespoke in nature. The 2019 theme was “One of a Kind” and the turnout didn’t disappoint. Transportation Design Department Chair Stuart Reed and faculty colleagues curate the show by inviting unique and distinctive cars each year for display, spread across the lawn behind the main building. The Car Classic mixes spectators, patrons, alumni, students, neighbors, collectors and anyone with a passing interest in transportation design. The Art Center College of Design hosts its annual Car Classic as an open-house of sorts, showing off its campus incubator that grows and refines design student ambitions. Last of all, a set of Foose-designed wheels were added and painted to match the rest of the car.For several hours each October, the automotive design world pivots to focus on a small school nestled in the hills above the Rose Bowl in Pasadena California. The interior is completely custom as well, with Ferrari leather covering carbon fiber seats.
Under the hood is Mopar's 392ci crate engine that is mated to a Tremec 5-speed transmission and a Ford 9-inch rear end. The front axle has been moved forward three inches to create less of an overhang, and the rear bumper has been cut down and tucked in. The unibody of the original car was removed and replaced with a custom frame designed by Chip and built by Art Carr, and every panel of the car has been changed in some way. The Terracuda is much more than just the paint, however, and is up to the high standard that is common among all Foose vehicles. This was the result, a 1970 Plymouth Barrauda painted in Terracuda Brown with California Gold stripes, both of which are part of Foose's new line of paints developed with BASF.
The story goes that one of his customers brought in a Breitling watch and asked Chip to make his car the same color. Only Chip Foose could make brown look so good. Click above for a high-res gallery of the Foose Terracuda
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