Kaucher Kustoms - Award Winning Custom Car Design and Hot Rod Design

I’ve always been a fan of the midyear Stingrays and especially when they are customized just right I stumbled across this concept designed by Keith Kaucher called “Thor” on the web one h night I just just couldn’t get enough of this car so I thought I’d review the design for my readers.

The ’63 to ’67 Corvette Stingray is probably the most iconic cars from the sixties to customize. Its stunning good looks seemed to be already customized straight from the factory. It’s sleek fastback roofline and low swept wheel arches gave the car a show car posture from the factory.

Noted custom car designer Keith Kaucher of Kaucher Kustoms designed this Vette in 2005 for a client, In this restyle Keith set The car’s already sinuous bodylines on fire after he peaked the nose and tail and the fenders were bowed out accentuating the coke bottle shape of the car thus creating critical tire clearance for the 20” X 10”and 20” X 12 “custom built billets stuffed under this monster Vette.

Next a Corvette Cross Flags crest was centered on a floating bar grille that splits the grille with end caps that house the turn signals hidden in light doors that look like ’69 Camaro RS units. The shaved door handles give this Kaucher designed Stingray that clean aggressive look that his designs are famous for. Topped with Kandy Tangerine paint over the muscular body work makes this one of the baddest looking Vettes I’ve ever seen.

According to Keith he specified Eckler’s for the Widened Fenders flares as he knew they’ve been producing them for years and the quality is top notch. The fenders are:

Hand Laminated High Quality Panel
Delivered In Gel Coat And Ready For Paint
True To The Original Body Lines Except 1″ Wider In The Wheel Opening Area
Accomodates Wider Tires
Installs Like The Original

So if you’re looking to build a wicked wide bodied midyear Stingray like Kaucher’s “Thor” , Check out Eckler’s at
http://www.ecklerscorvette.com/corvette-front-fender-1-wider-right-1963-1967.html?crosssell=Product_Related

Kaucher Returns to Pinewood Race to Support SEMA Cares

admin — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 17:16:49 +0000

Kaucher was recently featured in an article on the SEMA website describing his work with SEMA Cares in designing Pinewood Challenge cars. Read the article on the SEMA website via the following link, or read the content below.
http://www.sema.org/sema-enews/2012/38/kaucher-returns-to-pinewood-race-to-support-sema-cares

Some of the nation’s best custom-car and hot-rod builders recently took part in the third-annual Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) Pinewood Builders Challenge. Fifteen well-known builders created one-of-a-kind miniature hot rods in the style of Pinewood derby cars. The cars were raced at the annual SEMA Pinewood Drag Races in Pomona, California, with the car built by Derek White of Street Vizions winning the race. All of these cars will be on display at the annual SEMA Show and then placed on eBay for auction from October 30–November 8. All proceeds from the auction will go to support SEMA Cares and its two children’s charities—Childhelp and Victory Junction.

Describe the inspirations behind the design of your pinewood car.

This year, I used one of the bodies from my new resin model car line—the ’69 Camaro Sport Wagon. The original design was something I had been playing around with one afternoon and ended up contributing the artwork to Camaro Performers magazine for use in their “Camaro Concepts” section. The concept was so well received that when I started my resin model company, it was the first car put into production and has been a great seller. The car’s design is something that Chevrolet should’ve done. Who knows a how many more Camaros would’ve been sold had they offered the Camaro as a wagon?

Describe some of the materials and resources you used to build your car.

The chassis is the original piece of pinewood that SEMA provided me with. The wheels, just as last year’s car, are drawer knobs, and the body is cast resin.

Why is it important for you to participate in the Pinewood Challenge?

For me, it’s exposure, the love of competition and the fact that the sale of the car helps kids and maybe inspires them to get involved in hot rodding as a hobbyist or a professional later in life.

New Product – KKM ’68 Camaro Fastback 1/25th Scale Resin Kit

admin — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 20:34:17 +0000

We have just added a new item, the ’68 Camaro Fastback, to our growing collection of Resin Kits.

KKM 68 Camaro Fastback 1/25th Scale Resin Customizing Kit

High quality thin wall casting, cast by Ron Andrews of Resin Motors Replicas very well detailed Kaucher Kustoms designed custom Camaro Fastback conversion works with any of AMT's 1/25th '68 Camaro kits. this 10 piece kit comes with body, interior , SS/RS hood, dash, rear valance, Corvette style exhaust tips and glass to complete your fastback conversion.
The box as original model box artwork, done by keith Kaucher of Kaucher Kustoms. Note the wheels are for display purposes and are not included in the kit.

Mustangs Illustrated: Interview With Automotive Designer Keith Kaucher

admin — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:08:32 +0000

Mustangs Illustrated ran an interview with Keith Kaucher for one of their recent articles.

View the article on Mustangs Illustrated here, or read it below.

“Art isn’t always what you see, it is what you know.” My high school art teacher, Mrs. Olsen, would feed us that line when we were following a picture too closely and were losing the composition because of the details. For instance, it may appear that a shadow is darker, but if you make it that dark, you might lose the balance in the overall illustration.

Great artists don’t need to be taught such things, they just know. If it doesn’t feel right, it isn’t finished. Sometimes an illustration is never really finished, at least in the mind of the artist. But when a client is paying for a piece of art, it better darn well get to the point of “finished”. There is a fine line between production and creation. And Keith Kaucher knows that line.

Keith Kaucher is a technically accurate Designer. With a background in industrial design, for Keith, there are certain things that are important to completing an illustration. It has to be right. The proportions, the angles, the shadows, the forms. It is one thing to design a car that looks awesome. It is quite another to create a car that will fit actual human beings within its proportions, or moreover can even be built as it’s draw on paper.

Keith graciously agreed to an interview with Mustang Evolution, to get some insight into the Designer, the Artist, the Inventor, the Innovator, and also a true Mustang enthusiast. Keith used to drive around in a 1966 Mustang Shelby GT-H tribute car. A real nasty beast – Black Nasty, by name.

Pull up a chair and enjoy the ride as we get to know Keith Kaucher a little better.

ME (Mustang Evolution): So where are you located?

Keith: Keith Kaucher of Kaucher Kustoms, is located in down town Santa Monica. The address is 1238 7^th St. Santa Monica, CA 90401

ME: Website address and links?

Keith: www.kaucherkustoms.com

ME: How long have you been illustrating cars / Mustangs?

Keith: Professionally, since 1994. But I’ve been drawing cars since I was five years old. When I turned 13, I decided that art was what I wanted to do for a living. So I started by drawing my model cars that I was building first. Then trying to build them as accurately as I could to my drawings. I think this is why I’m so obsessed with proper proportions when I draw, and keeping things in scale.

ME: Do you specialize in any specific range of years for Mustangs?

Keith: First generation, mostly. But I do late model stuff. I’ve designed body kits in the past for Ground Design 2000, and a SEMA proposal for the late Joe Gozinski of Chicane Motorsports. And long before that, for MPH Mustangs.

ME: Do you work specifically on paper? Metal (painting on cars)? Digital?

Keith: I do both digital and on paper. I have been drawing in marker for years. But in 2005, I started transitioning into digital using Photoshop as my main tool to draw with, and now I’m learning Adobe Illustrator.

ME: What sets your artwork apart from others’?

Keith: Well, I’m more of a designer then an artist. There are automotive artist out there that kick my ass when it comes to drawing, but I am a custom car designer. I think that I have some innovative ideas when it comes to restyling a car. The other is that I live and die by getting proper proportions. I also test my designs out in scale using scale model cars if I don’t have access to the actual car. As long as the scale is the same between the model and the parts I’m testing, it will be very close. I do this so I’m not selling my clients a false idea of what the car will look like.

I am also an industrial designer by trade. So when I design, I’m thinking about how all of this is going to go together. I am not just drawing something that will be impossible to build. I don’t want the builder or, most of all, the client mad at me because none of it scales out. I’ve been told by several of the builders I work with that my drawings scale out within 1/8 of an inch. I can also provide scale elevations on a grid to get true measurements when needed.

I also test my designs on scale models when there’s questions – to double check my concepts before they go to the builder. And if needed, I can provide scale elevations on a grid to get true measurements.

ME: What methods/media do you use to create your illustrations?

Keith: Well, these days, it is Photoshop and high quality photo paper. My prints are 12” x 18”. It used to be markers and mixed media on 70# bond marker paper.

ME: What kind of turnaround time can you usually produce something in?

Keith: One to four weeks on average. I’m usually waiting for approvals from my clients

ME: What or who inspires you and your art?

Keith: I’ve always considered Steve Standford my mentor. His artwork is beyond reproach. Before I met him in person, I used to clip out his artwork from magazines and clip it up on a board in front of my drawing table while I was rendering a similar car to see how he shaded his cars. Later, we met and he shared so much information with me that my art got better after just that one meeting.

ME: How big would you like your name to be in the art community?

Keith: I’d like to be in the top three someday. I have no idea where I am now. I just keep pushing to get there.

ME: Do you have your work available as prints? T-Shirts?

Keith: Yes, just go to the store on my website – www.kaucherkustoms.com – I have prints and T- shirts.

I have a new t-shirt but my old silk screener quit the business and I need a new guy to do these for me and I’ve honestly been too busy to follow up with it.

ME: Too busy is usually a good thing, right? What wins / trophies / accolades / celebrity clients / high profile users / magazine articles have your artwork garnered?

Keith:

I used to design wheels for Superior Industries – the number one first tier alloy wheel supplier to Ford.
I designed the 1998 Mustang GT wheel which later inspired the birth of the Bullitt Mustang as a production car.
I went on as an independent wheel designer in 1999 and created the Edelbrock wheel line with Ultra Wheel.
I designed a 1954 Ford Victoria that hit the show circuit in 2006. It was in 19 shows and collected 17 first place, best of show, and trophies from Grand National Roadster Show, Blackies Autorama, and several Good Guys Shows, including a Road & Custom top ten pick for that year.
I also was asked by the Good Guys Rod and Custom Association in 2009 to design their Grand Prize Give Away car for 2010. The car was a ’70 Mustang that I based the design off a little known factory concept car called the Quarter Horse. I named the car aptly the “Boss Snake”. It was powered by a Jon Kasse Boss 529 that made 770 HP with a single 4BBL.
I also designed the interior for James Hetfield of Metallica’s ’56 Ford pick-up built by Blue Collar Customs in Sacramento, California.
I’ve also been featured in around 55 magazines – providing artwork and the accompanying articles from Hot Rod, Rod & Custom, Mustangs & Fords and, don’t kill me but, for Camaro Performers among many others.
Barry Meguire of Car Crazy interviewed me at SEMA 2008 (and that was on the Car Crazy Webcast) about my Korona Airstacks that I designed and brought to the aftermarket for Hot Rods and Customs. They were manufactured and distributed by K&N Engineering.
In 2010, I designed the ’67 Cougar named the “ V8 Interceptor” that Stacey David is building on the Gearz TV show that airs on Speed Channel.
And last year, I designed the interior for a ’41 Willys that CW Hot Rod’s and Restorations of Huntington Beach built on Chop, Cut and Rebuild, and Bill Dunn of Overhaulin’ fame stitched. So I had segments on both of those TV shows.
And lastly, I built a ’66 Shelby GT350H replica known as Black Nasty that was featured in two magazines, Mustangs Plus catalog, and was a SEMA feature car two years in a row. It has seven trophies to her name. But, unfortunately, with this economy I had to sell her in 2009 after 17 years of ownership.

ME: What future projects do you have planned or ongoing that you can share with us?

Keith: Personally I’ve just finished the design, and I am now in the process of building Black Nasty II – a ’67 Pro Touring Mustang Fastback. Let’s just say, for now, that she’s going to be Blacker and Nastier.

Professionally I’m bringing out a line of 1/25^th scale Resin car models based off my most popular designs under the brand name KMT. I’m designing steering wheels for Grants Products. I’m working on a custom direct replacement dash gauges and panels for ’67-’68 Mustangs, some custom direct replacement taillights for ’05-’09 Mustangs, and there is a deal cooking on a Kaucher Kustoms Signature line of Hot Rod and Muscle Car wheels.

ME: Is there any artists that you would like to work with?

Keith: I would say (car designer), longtime friend, and fellow Santa Monica High School Graduate, Raffi Minasian. Growing up in the same town, he and I have history and a lot of ideas with common ground that I know we could design an awesome car putting our ideas together. Plus we’re both Mustang enthusiasts. In fact, he owned a very sharp ’70 Boss 302 when I first met him 20 years ago.

ME: Contact information? E-mail addresses? Phone numbers? Whatever you feel comfortable sharing in the article.

Keith: My direct email is kmkaucher@gmail.com, the office number is (310) 656-9993

Thank you so very much, Keith, for taking the time to share your story and your art with Mustang Evolution. You have so far had a wonderful run of successes and very impressive accomplishments.

Now dear readers, please take some time and view Keith’s illustrations and projects in our gallery. If you have a project car, like the V8 Interceptor for Stacey David from Gearz, or James Hetfield’s ’56 Ford Pickup. Putting it all down accurately on paper first not only gets a great sense of the finished product., but it is a great tool for your builder to help eliminate costly rework, and is useful in acquiring sponsorship from product manufactures for your build.

A rendered design will be a great motivation to complete the project. If you’re building a professional show car, you’ll need it for your build book for the judges. Not to mention, just having the rendering makes a great memory to hang in your man-cave, at the very least.

Good Guys 2013 Grand Prize Give Away Truck Contest

admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 23:22:40 +0000

Hello everyone it’s that time of the year again Good Guys is having another design contest fro the 2013 grand prize Give Away Truck. It’s based off a ’67-’72 Chevy C10 1/2 ton pick-up the design winner’s truck will get built and be given away to the lucky key holder in 2013.

Anyway this is my entry, Vote for mine only if you really like it better then the others. there’s some really nicely done truck designs this year. To vote just go to:
http://goodguysgazette.com/contest

Regards,
Keith Kaucher Chief Designer

Kaucher Kustoms 1/25 Scale Resin Kits

admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 23:20:12 +0000

High quality casting cast by Ron Andrews of Resin Motors Replicas very well detailed Kaucher Kustoms designed custom Camaro Sport wagon conversion works with any of Revell’s 1/25th ’69 Camaro kits. this 11 piece kit comes with body, interior chassis with rear tire clearance, cowl hood, dash, interior door panels, valance, and glass to complete your Sport Wagon conversion.

The box as original model box artwork, done by keith Kaucher of Kaucher Kustoms.

Purchase them now in our store, and check out the exciting new resign customizing kits available soon from KKM Resin Kits. See the box art below for upcoming designs.

KKM ’69 Camaro Sport Wagon 1/25th Scale Resin Customizing Kits

High quality casting cast by Ron Andrews of Resin Motors Replicas very well detailed Kaucher Kustoms designed custom Camaro Sport wagon conversion works with any of Revell's 1/25th '69 Camaro kits. this 11 piece kit comes with body, interior chassis with rear tire clearance, cowl hood, dash, interior door panels, valance, and glass to complete your Sport Wagon conversion.

The box as original model box artwork, done by keith Kaucher of Kaucher Kustoms.

KKM 68 Camaro Fastback 1/25th Scale Resin Customizing Kit

’62 Tbird 1/25th Scale Resin Customizing Kits

This is the first offering of this detailed custom resin body and all components to build a '62 Fastback from AMT's 1/25ths scale; '62 T-Bird kit.

The design is loosely based off the Italia Concept Car that Ford stylists did in 1963.

This 12 piece customizing kit features a custom hood and a slick looking new fastback roof line.

Note that the wheels are for display only and do not come with the kit, the kit is as it is pictured in photo 1.

User Reviews:

Just wanted let you know that the Camaro wagon arrived safe and sound on Friday. When I opened it my jaw hit the floor. It’s one beaut body. I will send photos of it once it’s done. One thing I have found is the most of Revells 69 Camaro Z/28 Rs kit (85-7457) fits the body, chassis, dash door panels, with the rest of the other parts look like they with all fit too.
Alan M. Australia

I have been building since 1957,and must say these are two of the best resin kits I have ever purchased. Is it possible for you to send me an e-mail when you have other kits ready?
Cary M. Wichita, KS

Keith,
WOW!!!!!!! man the 2 Camaro Sport Wagons are just fabulous. I have seen a lot of resin castings and your product is right at the top of the page. Can’t wait to get started on them.
Dave P. Ottawa, KS

Kaucher Kustoms - Award Winning Custom Car Design and Hot Rod Design

Olympic Drive In 17″x11″ Fine Art Print Now Available

Street Race 17″x11″ Fine Art Print

33FIA 17″x11″ Fine Art Print

‘27 T Wash Job 17″x11″ Fine Art Print

Ala Crate 17″x11″ Fine Art Print

Apple of My Eye 17″x11″ Fine Art Print

Black Nasty 17″x11″ Fine Art Print

Chop Rod 17″x11″ Fine Art Print

Cryptic Crate 17″x11″ Fine Art Print

Fifty 4 17″x11″ Fine Art Print

Snake Eyes 17″x11″ Fine Art Print

SOHC Rod 17″x11″ Fine Art Print

Surfbird 17″x11″ Fine Art Print

Thor 17″x11″ Fine Art Print

Olympic Drive In 17″x11″ Fine Art Print

1969 Camaro Kamback Wagon

The Fast on Wheels Built Team

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors

New Product – ’62 Tbird 1/25th Scale Resin Kit

’62 Tbird 1/25th Scale Resin Customizing Kits

1966 Chevelle Malibu, Owned by CC Turpen of Clayton, CA designed in 2007

Review of One of the Hot Rod Industries Top Designer’s Work

Kaucher Returns to Pinewood Race to Support SEMA Cares

New Product – KKM ’68 Camaro Fastback 1/25th Scale Resin Kit

KKM 68 Camaro Fastback 1/25th Scale Resin Customizing Kit

Mustangs Illustrated: Interview With Automotive Designer Keith Kaucher

Good Guys 2013 Grand Prize Give Away Truck Contest

Kaucher Kustoms 1/25 Scale Resin Kits

KKM ’69 Camaro Sport Wagon 1/25th Scale Resin Customizing Kits

KKM 68 Camaro Fastback 1/25th Scale Resin Customizing Kit

’62 Tbird 1/25th Scale Resin Customizing Kits