Posted on 02/27/2008 9:53:00 AM PST by RangerM
World-renowned tuner and hot rod king Boyd Coddington died at 6:20 am this morning. The cause of death is still unknown.
(Excerpt) Read more at jalopnik.com ...
Human cock fight.
Yup, you are correct.
Sounds like the guy who buys bananas because he can’t afford a skateboard.
Employees were free to leave and find other work, and the overlyloyal world class painter who went to Foose was a perfect example.
The same freedom that gave Boyd the right to own and run his own shop, and gave the employees the choice to put up with his constantly overdemanding and presumptive crap gives me the freedom to call him an absolute jerk.
“American Hot Rod was not only an example of how not to run a business but an example of how NOT to modify/build/restore a car.”
I agree 1000%, but it was meant to be entertaining, not educational. The fact that you think you may have learned something was unintentional on the part of the producers.
Not exactly. He was making cutting edge hot rods back in the late 70's. The "Vern Luce" coupe set the hobby on edge back in 81. The wheel company he started up was due to the demand from people wanting wheels like he was machining for his customer cars in the early 80's.
Yep, if I was going to have a car customized at this level, I would much rather let the people working on it take their time and make sure it's as close to perfect as possible. You don't want them to take forever, but you can control that by pegging payment to levels of progress.
Coddington certainly had a lot of talent, but he also seemed to create a lot of unnecessary stress for himself and everyone around him.
Want to bet that the COD will probably end up being cardiac arrest/failure due to stress?
Several people on a hot rod website I visit know Duane and they say he is not like that in real life. I met him at Goodguys and talked awhile. Totally different personality in real life. Very soft spoken.
Unless EVERYTHING on his TV show was an act, I’d say it’s impossible for stress not to have played a role.
I’m probably going to either buy or have customized some type of hot rod or muscle car in the next couple of years. Once I decide what I’m doing and who is going to do the work, I don’t want to wait forever, but I certainly don’t want them to be rushing just so they can get to the next job.
Must not have been real observant. His cars were in just about every street rod type magazine-just about every other month. His cars literally defined the 1980's street rod movement. BTW: he started building his cars from scratch by himself in the the 70's. He was master machinist as well. he only started arming out the work to other people when business demands outgrew his time.
Wow, Cope, Buckley and Coddington, today sucks.
The street rods sites are saying it was an inherited (meaning not alcohol related) liver failure combined with diabetes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boyd Coddington 1944-2008 Article Updated On: 02/27/2008 Mail this article to a friend Hot Rodding pioneer Boyd Coddington passed away this morning in Southern California. He had been hospitalized for several months with various health complications. He was 63. Coddington remained at the forefront of the street rodding world for nearly 30 years and was involved with Goodguys from the very beginning selecting his legendary Boyd Coddington Pro’s Picks at Goodguys events around the country. Boyd spearheaded the great renaissance of the street rodding hobby in the late 70s and early 80s and is the father of billet wheels and “smooth” style street rods, hot rods and customs. His impact on our industry is gigantic and unprecedented. A quick look back at the cars he and his team gave to our industry is mind boggling. The Vern Luce Coupe, CadZZilla, Chezoom, the Smoothster, the Boydster, the Aluma Coupe, the list goes on seemingly forever. Besides his own prodigious talents, Coddington worked on special projects with some of the top designers in the automotive aftermarket. Chip Foose and Jessie James both worked in the Boyd Coddington hot rod shop for several years and now each have their own cable TV shows. Other well-known designers such as Thom Taylor, Larry Wood (Hot Wheels designer), Todd Emmons, Chris Ito (International) and Eric Brockmeyer happily collaborated with Boyd over the years. Larry Erickson, currently with Ford Motor Company (Chief Designer, Mustang), worked with Boyd in the late Eighties to develop the enormously popular Cadzzilla, a radical custom based on a Fifties Cadillac for Rocker Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. Some would say that this is one of the finest custom-cars of all time in design and execution. Boyd's hot rods won the prestigious "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" an unprecedented seven times, the Daimler-Chrysler Design Excellence Award twice, and he's been inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame, the Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame, the National Rod & Custom Museum Hall of Fame, the Route 66 Wall of Fame, the Street Rod Marketing Alliance Hall of Fame, and was voted "Man of the Year" in 1988 by Hot Rod Magazine. The Smithsonian Institution also recognized Boyd’s work, when his own '33 coupe was part of a 1993 exhibit titled "Sculpture on Wheels." Cars from the Coddington shop have also won the Ridler Award and the Al Slonaker Award. In 2005, Boyd and his wife Jo founded the Coddington Foundation to provide a unique opportunity for terminally ill children to experience their dreams through building hot rods which are then auctioned for charity. The Coddington Foundation also provides work opportunities, job experience, and financial sponsorship for mentally challenged adults 18-60 in order to assist them in entering the workplace and raises funds for other non-profit organizations such as La Habra's children’s programs and the Elwyn Foundation through various charity events including the annual Coddington Foundation Car Show and Fundraiser. The impact of Boyd’s passing will be felt far and wide and for many years to come. Former Goodguys Gazette editor Steven K. Anderson, now with Buckaroo Communications reflected on Boyd saying “I was close with Boyd for 25 years. Boyd welcomed me into his inner circle back in the 1980s. He gave me some great opportunities. He selected me and Hot Rod Magazine editor Rob Kinnan to drive CadZZIlla across country in 1990. Boyd more than any other person changed the face of hot rodding and brought it into the mainstream of the automotive world. He was a great marketing mind. Without Boyd – hot rodding would not be on the level it is today. Anyone making a living in today’s industry selling wheels and hi-end cars owes a debt of gratitude to Boyd Coddington.” Back when the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association was gathering steam in the late 1980s, Coddington came along for the ride and remained active with Goodguys until his death. “Boyd was there with us since the very get go,” said a somber Gary Meadors, founder and Chairman of Goodguys. “He was one of the founding fathers of this whole street rodding movement and resurgence. His smoothie cars revolutionized and gave a re-birth to a giant segment to the hot rodding hobby. He brought pride and clout to our deal. He put hot rodding into the mainstream with his work, his recent television show and his charitable work. His presence at our events and his Pro’s Pick awards meant a lot to our event participants and members. Boyd was indeed a Goodguy. We will really miss him.” Coddington is survived by his wife Jo, and sons Boyd Jr., Chris, and Greg. Funeral arrangements are pending…
We’ll see, the official statement hasn’t been released yet.
That said, diabetes can be stress-related. I would be very surprised if stress wasn’t a primary or contributing cause.
RIP.
Thanks for the info. Like I said I must have been ignorant because in his own niche he seems to have been a/the leader in his field....one I never much appreciated since I was into race cars instead of show cars. But that’s not to say I don’t appreciate his craft or vision. To each his own I guess. RIP Boyd.
Well stated. Looks like self induced stress is a losing proposition if you’re dead at 63.
Wikipedia says he died from liver failure.
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