''CadZZilla'' is a

custom car A custom car is a passenger automobile, vehicle that has been altered to engine tuning, improve its performance, change its aesthetics, or combine both. Some automotive enthusiasts in the United States want to push "styling and performance a st ...

built by

Boyd Coddington Boyd Coddington (August 28, 1944 – February 27, 2008) was an American hot rod designer, the owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop, and star of ''American Hot Rod'' on TLC (TV channel), TLC. Early life, education and early career Coddingto ...

History

Conceived in 1989, ''CadZZilla'' is a customized

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

, built for

Billy Gibbons William Frederick Gibbons (born December 16, 1949) is an American rock musician, best known as the guitarist, primary vocalist, and only constant member of ZZ Top. He began his career in Moving Sidewalks, who recorded '' Flash'' (1969) and op ...

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For almost 56 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard (musician), Frank Beard, and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill prior to his death in 2021. ZZ ...

. The car's appearance was designed by Jack Chisenhall and Larry Erickson. It is acclaimed as one of the great expressions of automotive customization. Drawing inspiration from the

lead sled A lead sled is a standard production automobile with a body heavily modified in particular ways (see below); especially, though not exclusively, a 1949, 1950, or 1951 model year Ford 'Shoebox' or Mercury Eight car. In the name, "lead" (as in the ...

s and

Mercury Eight The Mercury Eight is an automobile that was produced by the American manufacturer Ford Motor Company under their now defunct division Mercury (automobile), Mercury between 1939 and 1951. The debut model line of the Mercury division, Ford positio ...

s of the 1950s, ''CadZZilla'' attracted considerable attention. ''

Hot Rod Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimized for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and ma ...

'' magazine's Gray Baskerville called ''CadZZilla'' "the most incredible transformation he'd ever witnessed", and in their "History of Hot Rods & Customs" the auto editors of ''Consumer Guide'' praised it as "the first really new type of custom since the heyday of the 1950s". Coddington's team, led by body man Craig Naff, started with a 1948 Cadillac Series 62 Sedanette. The first sketches were done on a bar napkin. Initially set to feature simple customizations, the vehicle's design was instead radically altered upon Gibbons' request.

Customizations

The top was chopped. The hood and front fenders were

sectioned Involuntary commitment, civil commitment, or involuntary hospitalization/hospitalisation, or informally in Britain sectioning, being sectioned, commitment, or being committed, is a legal process through which an individual who is deemed by a qual ...

and combined into a tilt nose. Headlights were frenched and late-model Cadillac taillights frenched into the rear fins. The front bumper was fitted with high-mounted dagmars, with a

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

tank between them in the grille opening. The engine is a Cadillac V8 with custom-built Holley

fuel injection Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines. All c ...

, mated to a Currie

rear axle An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearin ...

. The

exhaust pipes An exhaust system is used to guide reaction exhaust gases away from a controlled combustion inside an engine or stove. The entire system conveys burnt gases from the engine and includes one or more exhaust pipes. Depending on the overall syste ...

exit through the rear bumper. Springs are Koni

coilover A coilover is an automobile suspension (vehicle), suspension device. The name coilover is an abbreviation of "coil over shock absorber". Description Coilovers are found on many vehicles, from Radio-controlled car, RC cars to normal passenger ...

s, with a steering box from a 1985 Corvette. The wheels are a -diameter

billet In European militaries, a billet is a living-quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. In American usage, it refers to a specific personnel position, assignment, or duty station to which a soldier can be assigned. Historically, a billet w ...

aluminum design by Coddington. The exterior was finished in deep purple from House of Kolor. ''CadZZilla'' cost Gibbons about US$900,000.

References

External links

Boyd's Garage
{{DEFAULTSORT:CadZZilla 1980s cars Kustom Kulture Individual cars Automotive styling features Hot Wheels Visual arts media