 Chip Foose created a rendering of the WD-40/SEMA Cares Foose Ford F-150 at the SEMA Garage – Industry Innovations Center. | |
By SEMA Editors
Chip Foose and WD-40 are teaming up again, this time to design a custom off-road truck that will be the first vehicle built inside the new, state-of-the-art SEMA Garage – Industry Innovations Center. The project recently kicked off when Foose arrived at the SEMA Garage August 19, armed with only a sketch pad, some stock photos of an F-150 and a giant cache of pencils and markers. After sketching out three concept variations in front of a group of young enthusiasts, Foose asked the crowd to vote for their choice on the direction of the buildup. With the winning concept chosen, Foose then completed a detailed drawing of the project.
From here, the torch has been passed on to a special team of mechanics and builders which includes the young guests that voted on the winning design for the F-150. In fact, Foose Design and WD-40—through a partnership with the Alex Xydias Center for Automotive Arts—will have leading SEMA manufacturers working alongside a talented group of underprivileged teens and young adults, to install parts and equipment on the Foose-inspired vehicle, dubbed the WD-40/SEMA Cares Foose Ford F-150.
All work for the build program will be done at the recently opened SEMA Garage-Industry Innovations Center in Diamond Bar, California—a facility that allows SEMA-member companies to test and prototype parts, try its 3D modeling and printing and use its full-scale photo studio, among other things.
Instead of being auctioned like previous WD-40/SEMA Cares vehicles, the enhanced ’13 Ford F-150 Lariat will be raffled off to one lucky winner in the spring of 2014, with all of the proceeds going to three SEMA Cares charities. With raffle tickets costing only $50 starting November 1, 2013, owning a Foose-inspired truck is now more accessible than ever to all automotive enthusiasts. Proceeds from the raffled vehicle will benefit the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund, Childhelp and Victory Junction.
This is the sixth vehicle WD-40 Co. and SEMA Cares have teamed up to build and the fourth vehicle Chip Foose has designed with them. To date, WD-40/SEMA Cares vehicles have raised more than $575,000 for SEMA Cares charities.