After graduating with honors from the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA, Thom was a designer at International Harvester. A couple of cold Indiana winters sent the beach boy back home to Southern California, where he quickly was rubbing elbow grease with hot rod and custom builders like Boyd Coddington, Lil John Buttera, Roy Brizio, Barry Lobeck, Greg Fleury, and Chuck Lombardo. The rest is hot rod history. From Thom’s early masterpiece, the Vern Luce Coupe, he has gone on to design award-winning custom sensations such as Frankenstude; the radical ’57 Chevy-style Chezoom; Jamie Musselman’s Oakland-winning roadster, Ashley Webb’s Wedge roadster, Dan Fink’s Speedwagon Deuce woodie, Bob Kolmos’ 1932 Phaeton voted one of the “Top 75 ’32 Fords” by Ford Motor Company, Larry Murray’s ’33 Phaeton; and Bob Reed’s Ridler winning ’33 Coupe. His designs have earned the coveted “America’s Most Beautiful Roadster” award on four occasions.

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