Steve Strope – Legendary Builder

If you don’t the man, you surely know his cars  – they’ve been gracing magazine covers, winning manufacturer’s design awards and trophies at shows nationwide. Some of his works have served as movie cars in a certain movie franchise. (hint: Vin Diesel is in it).

Steve Strope is a modest man, but his wisdom and creativity speak louder than words. Perhaps the fact that Steve has never had his own TV show has kept him out of the spotlight to some degree, but Steve lets his creations tell the story.

Steve’s humble beginnings in upstate New York drove him to follow his passion for cars. One day, he packed up and headed to Los Angeles in search of a job in the hot rod industry. He landed on his feet and after a short time, he opened his own shop in Simi Valley, called Pure Vision.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Steve built several magazine cover cars. His cars seem subtle at first, but when you look at them closely, you’ll see what makes them so special. Some things appear stock at first, but upon further examination, you can see the fabrication and design work that seamlessly blends into the car.

In addition to his show-winning and magazine feature cars, Steve has been quietly building cars for movies for years.

In the video below, Steve tells the story of how four of his cars wound up in The Fast and The Furious movies.

This 72 Nova was one of Steve’s magazine features in Super Chevy back in 2007. It was one of many magazine cars that came before and since.

The BLACK OPS FAIRLANE embodies Steve’s design architecture.

An article in Street Machine magazine showcased one of his most iconic builds – the Black Ops Fairlane.

This car will be seen in Fast 9, the ninth installment of “The Fast and The Furious” series.

Today, Steve Strope shows no signs of slowing down. He and his team of craftsmen soldier on, turning one amazing build after another. Each of his team members brings A-level talent to the team and most have been with Steve Strope for more than a decade.

Steve’s other passion is music – he’s actually been playing in bands for decades, and if you don’t find him playing a gig, you’ll usually find Steve Strope at the annual SEMA show, usually hovering over one of his builds as fascinated show-goers ask a thousand questions about his glistening creations.