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Hot rod

For other uses, see Hot rod (disambiguation).
"Street rod" redirects here. For the 1989 video game, see Street Rod.
Not to be confused with muscle car.

3-window highboy Deuce coupé with a traditional chop—dropped front axle, sidepipes, bugcatcher scoop (with Mooneyes cover) over dual quads on a tunnel ram—as well as less-traditional shaved door handles and disc brakes
A 1923 Ford T-bucket in the traditional style with lake headers, dog dish hubcaps, dropped "I" beam axle, narrow rubber, and single 4-barrel, but non-traditional disc brakes
T-bucket with early hemi, but aluminum radiator (rather than brass), rectangular headlights, and five-spokes (rather than motorcycle wheels) mark this as a later incarnation.
1932 3-window with a classic-style[1] flame job and Moon tank, reminiscent of Chapouris' California Kid

Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimized for speed and acceleration.[2] One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made to go much faster."[3] However, there is no definition of the term that is universally accepted and the term is attached to a wide range of vehicles.[4] Most often they are individually designed and constructed using components from many makes of old or new cars, and are most prevalent in the United States and Canada.[4] Many are intended for exhibition rather than for racing or everyday driving.[4]

The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. Some say that the term "hot" refers to the vehicle's being stolen. Other origin stories include replacing the engine's camshaft or "rod" with a higher performance version. According to the Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA), the term changes in meaning over the years, but "hot rodding has less to do with the vehicle and more to do with an attitude and lifestyle".[5] For example, hot rods were favorites for greasers.

The term has broadened to apply to other items that are modified for a particular purpose, such as "hot-rodded amplifier".

  1. ^ Fortier, Rob (August 1999). "25th Salt Lake City Autorama". Street Rodder: 51.
  2. ^ "hot-rodding. (n.d.)". American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Fifth ed.). 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  3. ^ Gross, Ken. "8 Heroes of American Hot Rodding". History. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Hot rod - car". Encyclopedia Britannica. 18 July 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  5. ^ "What Is Hot Rodding?". Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Member News. July 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2020.