Short Story
Quick Specs
Short Story
Hemisfear is the culmination of a 16 year personal dream for Chip. In 1990, during his senior year at the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, Chip and his classmates were presented with a Chrysler-sponsored graduation project. They were to design a vehicle for a niche market. Part supercar, part custom and part hot rod, Hemisfear is perhaps the most renowned Foose vehicle.
Quick Specs
Owner & Vehicle
- Chip Foose
- Custom Coupe Stylized and Conceived by Chip Foose
Engine
- Make: 6.4L Mopar Hemi V-8
- Displacement: 392 cubic inches
Build Specifications
Owner: Chip Foose
Vehicle: Custom Coupe Stylized and Conceived by Chip Foose
Chassis
- Frame / Manufacturer: Modular Steel Space Frame by Metalcrafters, Inc.
- Wheelbase: 120″
- Rearend / Ratio: ZF 5 Speed Transaxle
- Rear Suspension: Independent, Unequal Length Control Arms by Hotchkis
- Rear Brakes: 6-piston Baer Monoblock Calipers, 14″ Cross-drilled and Vented Rotors
- Rear Shocks: Koni Coilover Shock Absorbers
- Front Suspension: Independent, Unequal Length Control Arms by Hotchkis
- Front Brakes: 6-piston Baer Monoblock Calipers, 14″ Cross-drilled and Vented Rotors
- Front Shocks: Inboard-mounted Koni Coilover Shock Absorbers actuated by rocker arms
- Master Cylinder: Tilton Series 75
- Steering: Woodward Rack and Pinion
- Front Wheel Make, Size: 20″ x 8″ Custom one-off design by Chip Foose
- Rear Wheel Make, Size: 20″ x 12″ Custom one-off design by Chip Foose
- Front Tire Make, Size: 225/40 ZR 18 Pirelli PZero
- Rear Tire Make, Size: 315/35 ZR 20 Pirelli PZero
- Gas Tank: Custom by Metalcrafters, Inc.
Engine
- Make: 6.4L Mopar Hemi V-8
- Displacement: 392 cubic inches
Transmission
- Make: ZF 5-speed Manual Transaxle
- Shifter: Custom design by Chip Foose with Pistol Grip
Body
- Body Style / Material: Custom Design by Chip Foose / Carbon Fiber
- Body Manufacturer: Metalcrafters, Inc.
- Body Mods: Custom Auto-claved Carbon Fiber
- Hood: Carbon Fiber
- Grille: Stainless Steel
- Bodywork: Metalcrafters, Inc.
- Paint type / Color: BASF Hemisfear Green Lime Pearl
- Painter: Metalcrafters, Inc.
- Headlights / Taillights: PIIA Custom / Custom LED
- Bumpers: N/A
Interior
- Dashboard: Custom Design by Chip Foose
- Insert / Gauges: Custom by Metalcrafters, Inc.
- Air Conditioning: Vintage Air
- Wiring: Metalcrafters, Inc.
- Steering wheel: Billet Aluminum
- Steering column: Tilt Steering Column
- Seats: Custom by Metalcrafters, Inc.
- Upholsterer: Metalcrafters, Inc.
- Material / Color: Leather / Grey & Charcoal with Orange Accent
- Carpet: Aircraft
Hemisfear is the culmination of a 16 year personal dream for Chip. In 1990, during his senior year at the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, Chip and his classmates were presented with a Chrysler-sponsored graduation project. They were to design a vehicle for a niche market. Chip took a bit of a spin on the concept, he didn’t want to design for an existing market, he wanted to create a new one.
With its unique flair, Chip’s 1:5 scale model of the Hemisfear gained significant recognition and was even featured in an issue of HOT ROD magazine. It also became the inspiration for the Plymouth Prowler, as careful study of the two will show many design similarities. OEM’s had now recognized the need to fulfill this “hot-rod” niche market as vehicles like the PT Cruiser, Chevrolet SSR and Chevrolet HHR were made available to consumers.
Chip actually began building a chassis for a real version of the Hemisfear while working for Boyd Coddington, but there was never enough time to complete the project. That all changed in 2005, when Chip signed a die-cast toy deal with RC2 Corp that also included seed money to complete the Hemisfear build. The entire car was first designed on the computer with CAD drawings. The original scale model was digitized and a fullsize version was computer-milled out of foam. The foam was then used as the buck to form the carbon-fiber body.
A limited edition vehicle program was also introduced and at SEMA 2006 two Hemisfears were unveiled, the preproduction unit in Hemisfear lime green and the first production model in black. It was a full 16 years for this vehicle to make it from original concept to working vehicle. In total, 5 Hemisfears were built and produced.
Part supercar, part custom and part hot rod, Hemisfear is perhaps the most renowned Foose vehicle.
