I don't really remember the first time I heard Cole Foster's name. More than likely, it was in reference to his father in some way, shape, or form. 'Hey, you kno...<P><P>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Thanks for the story great reading stuff !! .. I first met Cole when were racing against his dad I alway new he be at the top
Great story and lots of truth concerning the "big 3". I bet Cole could help them out with a couple of good designs.
Thanks for the interview. Cole is an inspiration and a reminder as to what can be accomplished when you keep striving for the highest of your personal standards.
Nothing classier than having a famous dad and forging your own identity.....often NOT an easy thing. I've always been impressed. M
I think I like the last paragraph the best "Its those tangibles that make history and make a legacy."
Cole Foster= Ruler. You won't catch me using that alot. I think too many use the phrase way too easily. I'm a little suprised to hear that he'd be interested in corporate design work. I just assumed that he was the mad scientist type that liked to be holed up in his shop creating one off masterpieces. I certainly don't fault him for it, just didn't expect it. I don't think that Ford and GM have any real need for creative abilities like his. They don't really want new designs, just rehashes of the old ones with little tweaks. Chrysler may be different. I really like what they've done, design wise, over the last several years.
Very cool story. I love his simplistic styling and approach to bikes (as well as his cars). Very clean and very well crafted.
Good interview, Ive been stoked on his stuff since I saw that suede red pick-up in Customer Rodder way back when, he's raised the bar on craftsmanship pretty high.
Thank you Ryan for the great insight to the incomperable Cole Foster. What little I knew about him made me a hard core fan of his work. I saw Ness's 54 in L.V. in a display for Von Dutch Clothing when it was first introduced and was soo cool, I placed a large order that was never recieved. The infighting over the line messed it up before it became a trendy dissapointment. The Chevy made me crazy with clean cool lines. Someone actually knew who built the ride and the name was etched in my mind. The ability to not feel everything has to be over the top and stay clean and classic is tough for many builders,Viva Cole Foster!!-Sololobo
I love the idea of throwing stuff away or reworking it until you are happy - no matter how much time you might already have into it. Maybe I'm overdoing it a bit, but when I look at Cole's stuff each component piece looks to have been considered and agonized over just as much as the overall design/bike/car it's being applied to. Great interview.
You could tell when he was on that particular episode of that particular show that he was there for the build, not the camera. There are others who are known within this community that the general public will probably never know. Cole, if you are reading this, think about the people that you look up to. I can think of two that never had a TV show and I think they are both pretty important within this obbsession we call a hobby.
I wish he would give me some of his cast-offs so I would have some new porn to look at. The 2004 holiday issue of Club has become boring.
Yes, Coles work is the cleanest and the coolest, caught my eye way back when a 49 Ford business coupe set up pro street/drag race he built was featured in a mag...good interview, you can feel his frustration at his level. I have to complain a little from my much lower level..I write Cole and rave about the Cha-Cha bike and ask how much for a similar bike, silence/crickets..like I'm talking to Gary Howard in Georgetown and ask can he make my 64 Riviera into a working convertable and approx. how much, again, crickets..I know these guys are busy, so am I, I know they are used to being given a blank check and the customer basically not caring how much their great work costs..but, heck, there are a whole bunch more of us little guys out there working hard to afford some of this stuff..OK fine, sell me the frame,tank, and wheels I'll take it from there.....
Couldn't have picked a better guy to interview. I have been amazed with his 54 since it was still in primer, at WCK Los Banos 10-12 years ago...