Like the entire hot rod community, I was stunned to read that one of the most ingenious designers of our time passed away suddenly on Wednesday. Boyd Leon Coddington, owner of the Boyd Coddington Hot Rod Shop and star of the "American Hot Rod" reality show on the Discovery Channel was 63 years old.

Mr. Coddington started building cars when he was just 13 years old, and soon started shaking up the old standards of hot rod creativity. One of his most well-known designs was dubbed "Cadzilla," which soon came to be considered a design masterpiece. Cadzilla was a customized 1950 Cadillac that Coddington built for ZZ Top singer Billy Gibbons.

Dick Messer, the Executive Director of the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles recently said about Coddington, "He did things to hot rods and customs that weren't being done by anyone else. But the main thing is that he designed cars that were drivable."

Perhaps his most popular customized cars were 1932 Ford deuce coupes with a decidedly Southern California flair.

Some of the most prominent custom designers in the industry today actually got their start with Coddington and his American Hot Rod show, in particular design legends Chip Foose and Jesse James. Both of these incredibly talented "Coddington alumni" have gone on to achieve star status in the custom hot rod and motorcycle arenas.

In 1997, Coddington, along with Chip Foose who was his chief designer at the time, was inducted into the Hot Rod Hall of Fame.

Boyd Coddington was awarded the Daimler-Chrysler Design Excellence Award a remarkable two times. He was also inducted into the Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame as well as the National Rod and Custom Museum Hall of Fame. Adding to this impressive list of accomplishments and honors is his induction into the Route 66 Wall of Fame.

Coddington will be fondly remembered for his trademark Hawaiian shirts, and his outrageously inventive designs will be sorely missed.

The Kit Car Connection community extends our heartfelt sympathy to the friends and family of Boyd Coddington. The hot rod community has truly lost one of its best and brightest.

For information on how you can share your thoughts or favorite memories about Boyd Coddington, visit http://www.boydcoddington.com/Store.