Elite Auto Rental Blog

Auto enthusiasts will be saddened by the death of hot-rod builder Boyd Coddington at 63.  Auto Week reports that Coddington, “the hot-rod innovator whose creations won the coveted Grand National Roadster Show’s America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) trophy a record seven times, died Wednesday morning after a lengthy hospital stay.”

Coddington first became famous for his creation, Cadzilla, which was a 1950s Cadillac he customized for Billy Gibbons, of ZZ Top fame.  Coddington later went on to star in the American Hot Rod show on the Discovery channel, which featured classic cars that were souped up for clients willing to invest in a genuine Coddington.

According to Auto Week, “Coddington was raised in rural Rupert, Idaho, but as soon as he came of age moved to Southern California to pursue his dream of building hot rods. He quickly earned a reputation for subtle, stylistic innovations on what had been an almost overdone theme–the ‘32 Ford roadster. That branched out to ’33s, ’34s and then all manner of surprising twists on iconic themes.”

The message board on Boyd Coddington’s official website is full of remembrances and well-wishes from his many fans.  “Boyd, whenever there are clouds in the heavens, we’ll know it’s you showing God how to do a great burnout. We love you and will deeply miss you,” writes one fan.

Another fan wrote, “Today the automotive community lost an original, Boyd Coddington. Boyd came upon the scene at a time unique in the industry; a time when the hand-crafted older hot-rods were changing over to later models. Boyd adapted to this new reality by blazing a trail that would be followed by countless others who were inspired by Boyd’s artistic vision and spectacular execution. Boyd Coddington may be gone, but his influence will remain for decades.”

Hotrodders like Boyd were one of the big reasons I got interested in cars,” says Ron Sturgeon owner of a luxury car rental company in Dallas, TX. “He had a superb imagination and the willingness to experiment that is the heart of hotrodding,” noted the car collector.

Although most of us cannot afford the $500,000 price tag of one of Coddington’s creations, driving an elite car isn’t an impossibility.  Joining a car sharing club can be a great way to celebrate exotic automobiles without the six figure expense. 

Finding a car club isn’t as difficult as it once was. An online directory of exotic car clubs such as exoticcarclubs.com is an excellent starting point to nurturing a life-long love affair with the automobile.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a freelance writer living in the Twin Cities.  Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services.