| Hot-rodding is a popular American culture. The | | | | car that changed the automobile industry forever. |
| phenomenon was first covered by magazines. | | | | It was simple, lean and it had a coveted |
| Glossy print names such as The Rodders Journal, | | | | handsome body. It also had a very affordable |
| Hot Rod Magazine, Street Rodder, Popular Hot | | | | engine, the V8, which rewarded the 1932 Ford |
| Rodding, and Rod and Custom Magazine are just | | | | Roadster with the reputation as the perfect car |
| a few of the magazines that feature this staple | | | | for a nation that was obssessed with speed. |
| activity in the American life. | | | | But then just like like everything else, hot-rodding's |
| In addition to print, hot-rodding likewise gained | | | | popularity started to wane. Car shows and drag |
| mileage in the visual wing of the media. Discovery | | | | racing divided the hot-rodding community. Then |
| Channel featured a lot of hot-rod documentaries | | | | Detroit released muscle cars like the Plymouth |
| such as Monster Garage, American Hot Rod, and | | | | Roadrunner and the Pontiac GTO. With these |
| Overhauling. And television shows such as My | | | | muscle cars, there was longer any need to put a |
| Classic Car and Horsepower TV also had | | | | Cadillac engine in a Ford Roadster. The Pontiac |
| dedicated episodes on topics about hot-rodding. | | | | GTO could outperform any hot rod and it offered |
| Tom Wolfe wrote about it in his book "The | | | | more passenger space. There was no longer any |
| Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby." | | | | need to spend time to build and tune the car by |
| Even the Beach Boys sang about it in "My Little | | | | oneself. The muscle cars had it all. |
| Deuce Coupe." | | | | But today, the hot rod culture lives on. And in |
| Hot-rodding mostly began in the 1930's in | | | | January 2007, hod rod culture even celebrated its |
| Southern California where people started | | | | 75th anniversary by releasing The 75 Most |
| modifying light cars with big engines and started | | | | Influential "1932 Ford Hot Rods". The list was |
| racing them on the vast and empty lake beds | | | | commissioned by Ford where a panel of hot rod |
| northeast of Los Angeles. The original hot rods | | | | experts reviewed some four hundred |
| were old cars that were reduced to weigh less | | | | seventy-four worthy cars and whittle it down to |
| and improve aerodynamics. | | | | seventy-five cars. |
| After World War II, many small airports were | | | | So if you are interested to be part of the hot rod |
| abandoned in the country. In effect, these venues | | | | culture, I advise you to first try renting the car in |
| allowed hot rodders to race on marked courses. | | | | one of Las Vegas car rentals. By renting it you |
| World War II also helped the hobby's popularity | | | | would have a sample of experiencing the car, not |
| especially in California where a lot of returning | | | | just in some nostalgic showroom, but on the |
| soldiers had been given technical training in the | | | | gravel itself. If you don't like it, you won't have |
| service to modify such cars. | | | | any regrets because you can return it after |
| At the heart of it all, the 1932 Ford Roadster was | | | | renting. But if you like it (which I'm pretty much |
| the car that every hot-rodder wanted. It was the | | | | sure you will), then well and good. |