A Bite of History – by Mike Thies

The Hot Rod

There was a time, just after the war, when America’s roads were full of promise, and plenty of flathead Fords. Young men came home with a new sense of purpose and mechanical know-how, and they weren’t about to leave it all behind in the motor pool. They started tinkering in driveways and borrowed barns, stripping weight, swapping carbs, and chasing speed wherever they could find it. A “hot rod” wasn’t something you could buy, it was something you built, one busted knuckle and late night at a time.

By the late 1940s, those homemade racers were tearing across California’s dry lake beds. No trophies, no money, just bragging rights and a stopwatch. The postwar boom brought new parts, a few paychecks, and plenty of imagination. Companies like Edelbrock, Isky, and Offenhauser were born out of this backyard rebellion, feeding a culture that was equal parts innovation and mischief. It was about going faster than the next guy and looking good doing it. 

Come the 1950s and ’60s, hot rodding hit its stride. Magazines like Hot Rod and Car Craft filled barbershops and garages. Guys like George Barris and Ed “Big Daddy” Roth turned out customs that looked more like fever dreams than cars. Flames, chrome, candy paint, chopped tops, suddenly, what started as a hobby became high art on four wheels. Every car that rolled out of a garage was a statement of style, skill, and a little attitude. 

Today, the hot rod is more than nostalgia, it’s part of who we are. Whether it’s a homebuilt Model A with mismatched panels or a flawless showpiece gleaming under the lights, every one of them carries a story. It’s the story of hands that build, minds that create, and hearts that race a little faster when the throttle opens up. The hot rod isn’t just a car, it’s America’s imagination, made of steel and gasoline.