Have you ever dreamed of speeding down a racecourse or highway at an extremely high speed, risking life and limb for that exhilarating feeling? Well, hot rods made this dream come true for many people. A hot rod is generally defined as an old American car modified with a heftier engine and increased aerodynamics to achieve a high linear speed. No one really knows the origin of the term “hot rod”, but it could be linked to the late 1930s in Southern California.
1930s On the dry lakebeds of Los Angeles, large bouts of dust and debris can be seen flying through the air. As the dirt clears, speeding cars come into sight. This was the perfect place to take racing to another level when it came to fast cars. Modified cars such as these became known as speedsters. …show more content…
Honk! (later renamed today’s all-popular Hot Rod Magazine) was one of the favorites at the time. An association was also created and named the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association). It still exists to this day. The actual term “hot rod” was coined for the description of any car the looked out of place during the 1950s.
1960s In the 1960s, hot rods began to die down with the increase of manufacturer-made muscle cars. These cars had all the advantages of a hot rod, without all the work. Also, street rods were introduced. Street rods were vehicles manufactured prior to 1949, often with a modern, reliable drive train. These vehicles became mainly family-oriented. 1970s-1990s Manufacturers kept car businesses alive with the development of street rods, vans, street trucks, domestic cars, and other new vehicles. But hot rod tuners became distressed when the newly-developed cars lacked the cool body style of the past, and they became frantic when older vehicle sources began to dry up. Thankfully, a new type of car became available that held many advantages for the hot rod community: the
1930s On the dry lakebeds of Los Angeles, large bouts of dust and debris can be seen flying through the air. As the dirt clears, speeding cars come into sight. This was the perfect place to take racing to another level when it came to fast cars. Modified cars such as these became known as speedsters. …show more content…
Honk! (later renamed today’s all-popular Hot Rod Magazine) was one of the favorites at the time. An association was also created and named the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association). It still exists to this day. The actual term “hot rod” was coined for the description of any car the looked out of place during the 1950s.
1960s In the 1960s, hot rods began to die down with the increase of manufacturer-made muscle cars. These cars had all the advantages of a hot rod, without all the work. Also, street rods were introduced. Street rods were vehicles manufactured prior to 1949, often with a modern, reliable drive train. These vehicles became mainly family-oriented. 1970s-1990s Manufacturers kept car businesses alive with the development of street rods, vans, street trucks, domestic cars, and other new vehicles. But hot rod tuners became distressed when the newly-developed cars lacked the cool body style of the past, and they became frantic when older vehicle sources began to dry up. Thankfully, a new type of car became available that held many advantages for the hot rod community: the