'Imposter' 1965 Chevy Impala wins top hot rod prize

An ‘Imposter’ has been named the world’s hottest hot rod, but there's no funny business going on.

Custom car builder Chip Foose took home the Ridler Award for best in show at the 2015 Detroit Autorama with a 1965 Chevrolet Impala that’s not at all what it appears to be.

The two-door hardtop was created for Foose’s longtime customer Don Voth and his wife Elma. Don’s first car was a ’65 Impala SS and the two used it on their honeymoon 46 years ago.

Foose originally planned to update an original with some modern Chevrolet Corvette parts, but decided to drop the Impala body onto the chassis of a 2008 Chevy Corvette instead, hence the 'Imposter' name.

This meant stretching the Corvette’s wheelbase 9 inches, and shortening the Impala’s body by over a foot -- not just at the ends, but in the middle of the roof and rear fenders.

An egg crate grille, round taillights, and front fender vents bring a little Corvette style to the outside, while the two-seat cabin wraps the donor car’s modern tech in a new design that was clay modeled over it.

Interestingly, Foose didn’t set out to build this car with winning the Ridler in mind. Typically, every part of the cars entered in that competition is custom made, while the ‘Imposter’ features all of the original Corvette chassis and drivetrain components,although they were refinished for style by Foose’s team.