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Folks Of Interest RIP ... Pete Chapouris

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by HEMI32, Jan 6, 2017.

  1. Oh my God - I can't believe it.
    My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
    Godspeed Mr. Chapouris.

    Steve
     
  2. Jalopy Joker
    Joined: Sep 3, 2006
    Posts: 31,180

    Jalopy Joker
    Member

    We all take each passing day for granted. Appreciate the day and those around you. Sincere sympathy goes out to his Family, friends & fans

    Sent from my SM-G930V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
    Muffy Bennett, Stogy and Baron like this.
  3. Sad news. RIP.
     
  4. Ken Partch
    Joined: Jun 2, 2011
    Posts: 27

    Ken Partch
    Member

    None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. But by the grace of God we tread lightly. I never met Pete but I didn't have too. Some man make such an impact that you can't not be changed by what was felt by others. Our hearts are heavy when friends are taken too soon. May our lives be as orderly as our hot rods!
     
  5. PoRodder
    Joined: Sep 28, 2014
    Posts: 91

    PoRodder
    Member
    from St. Louis

    R.I.P. Pete. I never met you but I grew up knowing your name and legend.
     
    loudbang and Baron like this.
  6. ZAPPER68
    Joined: Jun 13, 2010
    Posts: 208

    ZAPPER68
    Member
    from BC

    Damn....what a shame. Condolences to Pete's family and friends. :(
     
  7. deucendude
    Joined: Oct 31, 2008
    Posts: 669

    deucendude
    Member
    from norcal

    Quite shocking! Sad to hear! The hot rod community has los another one of the good guys. Celebrate each of your day's.
     
  8. Nobey
    Joined: May 28, 2011
    Posts: 1,489

    Nobey
    Member

    Just saw this, what a shock. Rest in peace Pete, prayers going up for your loved ones.
     
  9. Hot Rods Ta Hell
    Joined: Apr 20, 2008
    Posts: 4,670

    Hot Rods Ta Hell
    Member

    Ditto for me. Watching The California Kid on TV when it first aired (when I was in Middle School) started my life long love of 34's!
    Loved everything Pete and Jake turned out. They were the Lennon and McCartney of Hot Rodding's revival era. Everything they touched was truly a golden hit. It always seemed like a sure bet that their next build would hit the mark.
    God, what a sad shocker to hear of his passing. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.
     
  10. Just heard about Pete’s passing. He was a true legend, an inovator and an inspiration. I know he will be greatly missed.
    I hope to dedicate the Friday Art Show to his memory next week. Seems fitting.
    Godspeed Mr. Pete Chapuoris, thanks for giving the hobby all ya had.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2017
  11. micksmith
    Joined: Dec 30, 2009
    Posts: 120

    micksmith
    Member
    from australia

    A Sad Day indeed R.I.P. Pete
    Best wishes to Pete's Family and Friends and "Jake"
     
  12. Woodie
    Joined: Dec 30, 2003
    Posts: 75

    Woodie
    Member

    A very sad day. I' am happy to say that I had more than one opportunity to visit with Pete when he has been in K.C. A Real Class Act and a true Gentleman.!! The Hot Rod Guy's in the Sky can welcome the Man with the Keys to the Shop.!! R.I.P. Pete.
     
    loudbang likes this.
  13. @John D (of GOODGUYS Rod & Custom Association) wrote this obituary:

    Hot Rodding Icon Pete Chapouris Leaves Behind a Legacy that Covered Decades
    January, 06 2017
    Written by John Drummond


    Pete-Chapouris-4-755x503.jpg

    In a shocking, unexpected turn of events, hot rodder and industry icon Pete Chapouris, co-founder of Pete & Jake’s Hot Rod Parts and most recently President of So-Cal Speed Shop, passed away this afternoon due to complications from a stroke. He died peacefully in the hospital surrounded by his wife Carol, daughter Nicole and son Peter. He was 74.

    PC3.jpg
    Pete Chapouris, December 16, 1942 – January 6th, 2017.
    Image courtesy of So-Cal Speed Shop - Canada

    His talent, passion, vision and good-natured smile made him one of the most popular figures in our scene. It’s hard to come to grips with the fact that one of hot rodding’s most influential figures is gone seemingly overnight. This one hits very hard. Where do we begin?

    A native of El Monte, California, Chapouris cruised the streets of Los Angeles as far back as 1955 in his first car — a Model A coupe channeled over Deuce rails. Though quite active and popular in So-Cal hot rod circles in the ’60s, he caught lightning in a bottle when his freshly flamed black ’34 Ford coupe joined friend Jim Jacobs’ yellow ’34 Ford coupe on the cover of the November 1973 issue of Rod & Custom magazine. Many remember it as the “Chicken Coupe” cover. The iconic image and preceding build articles were courtesy of the late Gray Baskerville, who introduced Pete and Jake during their simultaneous chopped coupe builds. After the Chicken Coupe issue hit magazine racks, the resulting fame was a catalyst for the launch of Pete & Jakes Hot Rod Repair, which opened in Temple City, California, in 1974.

    R&C Nov 73 cover.jpg
    The November 1973 Rod & Custom Magazine cover was a seminal event in the life of Pete Chapouris
    and Jim “Jake” Jacobs. Their business venture, Pete & Jake’s Hot Rod Repair was launched a year later.
    Hot rod historian Steve Coonan, publisher of The Rodder’s Journal (@TRJ) recalled, “In the early-’70s guys started doing wazoo, super trick for-the-time IFS, and jag rear ends, and the like. But Chapouris and Jacobs had a back-to-basics approach for reliable, safe and traditional early Ford suspensions. Their goal wasn’t to win trophies but to drive long distances in comfort. They were also renowned for refining four bar suspensions in hot rods.”

    As it turned out, Pete & Jake’s was one of a few core businesses that launched hot rodding to its current trajectory. Due to the experience and vision of Chapouris and Jacobs, hot rodders around the world were finally able to get safe, usable chassis and suspension components for their early Ford rods. Chapouris was always proud to have been a part of the rise of hot rodding to the mainstream. In a recent interview with the Goodguys Gazette, he was quoted as saying “We took chassis components and kicked them up a couple of notches, and that took the industry in a direction that it had never been before,” he said. “I’m proud that we brought safety to chassis components for hot rodders.”

    Chapouris was a quick study when it came to marketing and PR. In that realm, he was just as quick off the line as his killer coupe. After he and Jacobs sold Pete & Jake’s in 1987, he went to work at SEMA in nearby Diamond Bar, California. While at SEMA, Chapouris was instrumental in the formation of the Street Rod Equipment Association (SREA). He then became a driving force in the transformation of the SREA into the Street Rod Market Alliance, a council of SEMA. Years later, Pete was also elected into the SRMA Hall of Fame. SRMA is known today as the Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) and has blossomed into the billion dollar behemoth it is today.

    After a stint building hot rods with Bob Bauder and old friend Pete Eastwood in the high country of Southern California during the early-’90s, he opened a hot rod shop named PC3g in 1995, churning out a series of cover cars including Billy F Gibbons’ “Kopperhead” and others. It was at PCG3 where he led his most ambitious effort yet – the restoration and resurrection of the Doane Spencer ’32 Ford roadster. It was his crowning achievement and captured the first-ever Hot Rod Class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

    But professionally, the best was yet to come for Pete. At the 1997 NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion, he scheduled a press conference at the host hotel to announce he had formed an alliance with longtime friend Alex Xydias to bring the famed So-Cal Speed Shop back to life. Soon after the announcement, a 30,000 square foot facility in Pomona was filled with 30-plus employees churning out hot rods and merchandise. Success was so instant, the So-Cal brand blossomed into eight retail stores coast to coast. Teamed with his friend Alex, rising star Jimmy Shine and other team members, the following decades provided the ride of his life. They even got a chance to return to So-Cal’s Bonneville roots building four land-speed cars for GM Performance, setting half a dozen records and putting four drivers in the 200 MPH Club. It was also at So-Cal were Pete mentored young up-and-coming rod builders, showing them the old way to build bitchin’ cars. Gen X and Gen Y players like the aforementioned Jimmy Shine, Ryan Reed, Aaron Broughton, the Veazie Brothers, and others are now thriving thanks to Chapouris’ teachings. His career had come full circle.

    PeteC_1970s-604x600.jpg
    Pete in his Temple City, California shop in the mid '70s. California Kid was under construction at the time.

    From his office in South San Francisco, Steve Coonan reflected further. “Pete was a guy that seemed to get cooler the older he got. He was unique in that way.” He built cars for rock stars; he wore the coolest shoes and had the backstage passes. “He was a perfectionist, too,” Coonan added. “I can remember talking to him 40 years ago when he sold the Cal Kid then bought it back. The engine was messed up. After Pete pulled the engine, he insisted on painting the firewall and getting different textures involved. He was brilliant at blending colors and textures together in his hot rods. And he always pulled it off. He never missed”

    Rod builder and longtime Chapouris friend Roy Brizio swallowed hard when the news broke of Chapouris’ sudden death. “Pete was like a mentor to me,” Brizio said. “Along with my father Andy, Pete helped teach me the ropes of hot rodding when I just broke in. Too many of our friends are leaving. He and his wife Carol took their green ’26 Ford roadster to Canada for Deuce Days with us last summer. I just spoke to him a few weeks ago and he said it was the most fun he’d had in years.”

    Pete Chapouris leaves behind a rich legacy of red-blooded American hot rods that have spanned decades, never aging. His industry contributions were revolutionary, their impact wide reaching. His fingerprints run through so many avenues of our industry. But above all that, his friendships, warmth and willingness to help others to succeed and grow outweigh all.

    They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In Pete’s case, the cover of the November 1973 issue of Rod & Custom magazine was worth so much more.

    Cal-Coupe-800x418.jpg
    Steve Coonan photographed the California Kid ’34 coupe for Rodder’s Journal Issue #46

    Martin-Sheen-Cal-Kid.jpg
    Actor Martin Sheen behind the wheel of the ‘Kid.

    Pete-Chapouris-480x600.jpg
    “Pete seemed to get cooler the older he got,” said Steve Coonan of The Rodder’s Journal.
    This is how we will remember him, shades on, and ready to go hot rodding.
    Image courtesy of So-Cal Speed Shop


    SO-Cal_Bonneville-Lineup-800x520.jpg
    Chapouris and the So-Cal Team built four land-speed cars for GM Performance,
    setting half a dozen records and putting four drivers in the 200 MPH Club.


    Pete-Alex-Barry-800x450.jpg
    So-Cal Speed Shop founder Alex Xydias, President Pete Chapouris and Barry Meguiar talk shop at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2017
  14. Smiffy
    Joined: Dec 30, 2014
    Posts: 150

    Smiffy

    Sad news completely unexpected. He has left a great legacy that many benefit from now and will in the years to come. Condolences to the family and friends.
     
    volvobrynk likes this.
  15. Deuce Lover
    Joined: Feb 15, 2009
    Posts: 1,047

    Deuce Lover
    Member

    God speed Pete,Sheldon
     
  16. 32partsguy
    Joined: Jul 16, 2012
    Posts: 134

    32partsguy
    Member
    from DFW,Texas!

    I never post anything original. But tonight I must. It is with a VERY heavy heart that I say goodbye to someone I considered a friend, a mentor, an ally, and a real inspiration. Pete Chapouris, PC3 to those that knew him. A legend in his field. An innovator, showman, charmer, salesman deluxe. A man's man, and a very strong influence on me for over 35 years. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. Well, I have always wanted to be, just like Pete. He will continue to be an influence on me for the rest of my life. I owe you a great deal Pete. I just wish I had told you. Thanks for everything! R.I.P. my friend.
     
  17. 392
    Joined: Feb 27, 2007
    Posts: 1,206

    392
    Member

    A true pioneer in hot rods. His name will live on forever.
     
  18. Just seeing how quickly the tributes have been posted following the loss of one of the true icons of our hobby makes me proud and happy to be a part of this community. While our love of hot rods and customs is the our primary focus, the connections we have through our contacts with others is really the glue that makes it all worthwhile. Godspeed Pete.
     
  19. wicarnut
    Joined: Oct 29, 2009
    Posts: 9,055

    wicarnut
    Member

  20. R.I.P. Pete.......
     
  21. So sorry to hear that.Prayers go out to his family. R.I.P my friend. Bruce.
     
    volvobrynk likes this.
  22. roddin-shack
    Joined: Apr 12, 2006
    Posts: 2,512

    roddin-shack
    Member

    Shocked , a true leader in our sport. R.I.P. Pete.
     
  23. Von Dago
    Joined: Feb 13, 2007
    Posts: 504

    Von Dago
    Member
    from New Jersey

  24. Puka
    Joined: Dec 29, 2011
    Posts: 42

    Puka
    Member
    from Arkansas

    My heart is very heavy at the news of such a huge lose to the not only our little world here but, to the automotive world as a whole.

    RIP brother.
     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2017
    Jigger likes this.
  25. roadsterpilot
    Joined: Dec 31, 2004
    Posts: 557

    roadsterpilot
    Member

    So long old friend, cya on the other side. My condolences to Pete's family.
     
    micamountain and Puka like this.
  26. rust&patina
    Joined: Jan 21, 2007
    Posts: 571

    rust&patina
    Member

    R.I.P. PETE :( Condolences to the family & friends
     
    Puka likes this.
  27. 40ragtopdown
    Joined: Jan 13, 2015
    Posts: 25,454

    40ragtopdown
    Member

    Met Pete and Jake in Memphis in 1980 we stayed at the same motel and many more times thru the years both class acts then and now. R.i.p my friend
     
    Puka and volvobrynk like this.
  28. engine138
    Joined: Oct 5, 2007
    Posts: 2,193

    engine138
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Commack NY

    RIP Pete in hotrod heaven
     
  29. BrerHair
    Joined: Jan 30, 2007
    Posts: 5,006

    BrerHair
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Condolences to the Chapouris family.
     
    volvobrynk likes this.

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