Classic American Hot Rods

The American hot rod is one of the country's home-grown art forms: The creation of a high powered, customized racing machine. Classic hot rods are triumphs of ingenuity over restrictions, built with salvaged junkyard parts by drivers with limited income.

The 1932 Hot Rod

Classic hot rods begin with the 1932 hot rods, when Ford began production of the flathead V8 engine. Powerful, plentiful and, most importantly, inexpensive, the flathead V8 was a gift to the American hot rod.
 
The Ford flathead V8 was also easy to modify and customize. With a modified V8 engine, no muffler, straightened exhaust pipe and multiple carburetors, a 1932 hot rod was capable of reaching over 100 mph on the Californian salt bed raceways.
 
A 1932 hot rod combines the power of the flathead V8 with the lightweight Ford Model T or Model A. In order to keep the car as light as possible, a 1932 hot rod has all unnecessary parts removed, including running boards, fenders, windshields and the hood.
 
The rear wheels on an old hot rod were replaced with larger wheels, while the front wheels were either the original wheels or a slightly smaller size. This "rakes" classic hot rods forward, improving the car's aerodynamics.

The Little Deuce Coupe

When people think of classic hot rods, it is a 1932 hot rod that comes to mind immediately. Even people who know nothing about old hot rods know the name of this particular 1932 hot rod: The Beach Boys immortalized it in their song "Little Deuce Coupe."
 
The little deuce coupe was actually built in the 1950s by a 15-year-old named Clarence "Chili" Catallo. Catallo bought a 1932 Ford coupe in 1955, and originally named it the Silver Sapphire.
 
Hot Rod Magazine showcased the little deuce coupe on its front cover in 1961. Two years later, the most famous 1932 hot rod was on the front cover of the Beach Boys Little Deuce Coupe album.
 
In many respects the little deuce coupe is the American hot rod. Like most classic hot rods, the deuce coupe was built not from contemporary vehicles, but with a model that was over 20 years old. Older cars were more affordable to the young hot rod drivers.

The 1934 Ford Hot Rod

In many ways, the 1934 Ford hot rod is the same basic design as the 1932 hot rod. The 1934 Ford hot rod coupes are still in use today, and an original 1934 Ford coupe is a prize for any collector of old hot rods.

The Hot Rod in 1960

By 1960, the American hot rod had changed drastically. The hot rod of 1960 was influenced by new "muscle cars" manufactured to compete with the old hot rods.
 
This new generation of cars came with enormous and powerful engines. Drivers were more likely to have the income needed to purchase a new model than the hot rod builders of the "dirty thirties."
 
The hot rod of 1960 was likely to be built by Chevrolet, Ford or Chrysler, although the classic hot rods never fully went out of style. Chevrolet produced the 396, the 427 and the 409 (another American hot rod featured in a Beach Boys song). Chrysler came out with the 440 and 426, and Ford released the 390 and 427.

The American Hot Rod: 1965

By 1965, car companies were fiercely competing in NASCAR and on the drag strips, moving hot rod races away from amateur events and, for better or worse, into the realm of professional sports.
 
Resources
 
Auto Editors of Consumer Guide (n.d.). Little Deuce Coupe: Profile of a Hot Rod. Retrieved December 28, 2007, from the How Stuff Works Web site: auto.howstuffworks.com/little-deuce-coupe-hot-rod.htm.

Burch, G. (nd). Hot Rods, History, and Me. Retrieved January 2, 2008, from the Greg Burch Web site: www.gregburch.net/cars/hotrod.html.
 
Warde, J. (n.d.). A Short History of Hot Rods. Retrieved December 28, 2007, from the MSN Web site: editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=435974.