Chip Foose is a hot rod

Hot rod

Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...

 shop owner, automotive designer and fabricator, and former star of the reality TV series Overhaulin'

Overhaulin'

Overhaulin' is an American automotive reality TV show that ran for five seasons on TLC between 2004–2009. The show remains available via re-runs and syndication.-Hosts:...

on TLC

TLC (TV channel)

TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...

.
Foose began working on automobiles at age seven for his father's company, Project Design, in Santa Barbara, California. Encouraged by Ford and Preston Tucker

Preston Tucker

Preston Thomas Tucker was an American automobile designer and entrepreneur.He is most remembered for his 1948 Tucker Sedan , an automobile which introduced many features that have since become widely used in modern cars...

 designer Alex Tremulis

Alex Tremulis

Alexander Sarantos Tremulis was an industrial designer in the North American automotive industry...

, Foose started to attend the Art Center College of Design

Art Center College of Design

Art Center College of Design is a private college located in Pasadena, California, and was cited by BusinessWeek as one of the 60 best design schools in the world. The college’s industrial design program is consistently ranked number one by both DesignIntelligence and U.S...

 in 1982, however dropped out after two years due to financial difficulties.