Introduction to Traditional Hot Rods
A quick look at Hot Rods
What makes a Hot Rod a Hot Rod? Take a look at this handy video guide and check out the full article below!
Everything in the definition above is true, but it misses the point of the Hot Rod entirely. Originally built for speed, and to be seen as a bit of a badass, Hot Rods are some of the coolest things ever created by the hands of man.
Hot Rods are primarily Pre World War 2 coupes, roadsters, 2-door sedans and even trucks that have had alterations performed to their suspension, frames, engines and transmissions. In fact, most Hot Rods do not have any of those original components still in place.
Most traditional builds are meant to resemble a period in Hot Rod history. It can be the Hot Rods used to cruise up and down the streets in the early 1960s or a tribute to the Dry Lakes speedsters of the 1930s.
People are even starting to branch out from the period West Coast type cars to cars that might have been built without the West Coast influence. The roadster above is an answer to "What would a Hot Rod built in the U.S. South during the late 1930s have looked like?" No drag racing in the area, so the build took on the feel of an early race car, good for tackling steep, curvy & dirt roads. I think they answered that question very well!
Others are throwing it all the way back to before the invention of the Flathead Ford V8. The above Model A Ford Roadster has an original flathead 4 with period speed equipment.
Basic, simple, uncomplicated. The Hot Rods only desire in life is to pin you back in your seat and make you seriously reconsider the decision you made to ride/drive it. Pure and raw power are what Hot Rods produce. Coolness is simply a by-product.
So the next time you see one of these machines cruising down the road, give the driver a Fonzie-style thumbs up, because you are now in the know! The next time you see one parked talk to the owner, because you have stumbled across a rare breed of car person. If you get a chance to ride in one make sure your life insurance is paid up and hop in for the ride of your life! If you ever get the chance to own one, talk to every person that asks you about it, because you are an Ambassador of Hot Rods.
