A hot rod? What is that?

Well, a hot rod basically is a vehicle which has undergone customization. Mostly it is the performance or the appearance of the vehicle that is changed.

Some people have been wondering why a vehicle customized that way is called a hot rod, nobody can really give you a straight answer. Although there are some speculations as per why such a vehicle has been given such a name.

One explanation that is commonly heard is that “hot rod” stands for “hot roadster”. And experts add that it can be one good explanation for most hot rods are roadsters which have experienced customization so as to achieve greater speed and better performance. Roadsters are the popular choice for customization because they are not bulky and they are easy to modify.

During the early 1930s, the period known as the Hot Rod Era began. This was supposedly the time when there was quite a supply of vehicles which were no longer in demand and were called as “vintage tin” during those times. And since they were not in demand, any person could own one of these for a fee much less than the popular vehicles that time.

Everything was good with these vintage tins. The only problem was that the machine beneath the hood seemed to be below par. In fact, they could not produce enough power to make the vehicle run at high speeds. So the hot rodders would own a vintage tin and tinker with its mechanical parts. They would modify the engine systems, the transmission, the brakes, the steering, and everything else in between.

Despite the long period of time which has passed during the 1930s up until now, there are still quite a number of people who go for hot rods. In fact, there are still auto events which allow hot rod owners to display their craft and showcase their vehicles.