Nobody knows who first invented the term “hot rod,” but the classic definition is simple: It’s a car that’s been stripped down, souped up and made to go much faster.
And throughout their history, hot rods have always had a way of attracting free thinkers and risk takers who tend to be good with a wrench.
Hot rodding began as a cult movement in the 1920s, and flourished in Los Angeles—first with illegal street racing, then moving north and west of the city to the boundless Mojave Desert, with devotees competing on dusty, alkalai-based dry lake beds like El Mirage and Muroc.
When WWII vets returned home with saved-up combat pay, new cars were in short supply, so guys who wanted to go fast in a cool-looking car simply built and modified their own. Military training helped these backyard mechanics to hone their engine-building and fabrication skills. The advent of Hot Rod magazine spread the gospel of speed across the country. Faster competitors established their own speed-equipment businesses, and their myriad talents spread to racing of all types. Continue reading from History Channel
