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32-479: Hot Rod is the oldest magazine devoted to hot rodding, having been published since January 1948. Robert E. Petersen founded the magazine and his Petersen Publishing Company was the original publisher. The first editor of Hot Rod was Wally Parks , who went on to found the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). Petersen Publishing was sold to British publisher EMAP in 1998, who then sold

64-702: A private equity fund for $ 450 million which, in 1999, sold it for $ 2 billion to publisher EMAP . In 2001 it was sold to Primedia . In 2007 Primedia's enthusiast publications, including all the once-Petersen titles, were again sold to Source Interlink, controlled by Ron Burkle . In 1999 Petersen bought Sports Afield from Hearst Corporation and he sold it in 2002 to the owners of Safari Press . He died on March 23, 2007, at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California , of complications from neuroendocrine cancer . Margie Petersen died on November 25, 2011. An avid hunter and collector, Petersen had amassed

96-479: A Ford or Mercury flathead, with an Edelbrock intake manifold , Harman and Collins magneto , and Halibrand quick-change differential . Front suspension hairpins were adapted from sprint cars , such as the Kurtis Krafts . As hot rodding became more popular, magazines and associations catering to hot rodders were started, such as the magazine Hot Rod , founded in 1948. As automobiles offered by

128-471: A hot rod as any motorized vehicle that has a replacement engine differing from the factory original. The forerunners to the hotrod were the modified cars used in the Prohibition era by bootleggers to evade revenue agents and other law enforcement. Hot rods first appeared in the late 1930s in southern California , where people raced modified cars on dry lake beds northeast of Los Angeles , under

160-403: A particular purpose, such as "hot-rodded amplifier ". There are various theories about the origin of the term "hot rod". The common theme is that "hot" related to "hotting up" a car, which means modifying it for greater performance. With regards to the word "rod", one theory is that it means roadster , a lightweight 2-door car which was often used as the basis for early hot rods. Another theory

192-569: A sizable collection featuring hundreds of unique and historically significant antique and modern firearms. Following Petersen's death, in following with his wishes, Petersen's widow donated a 400-piece portion of his extensive collection to the National Rifle Association's National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, VA. Among his collection the work of firearm engraver Richard Roy of Connecticut Shotgun are displayed. In addition, he

224-540: A truck mechanic. After graduating from Barstow High School , he served in the Army Air Corps in World War II . After the war, Petersen left Barstow, California , for Los Angeles and found work at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), becoming a publicist there within a year. After being laid off during staff cuts, Petersen and other ex-MGM staff started Hollywood Publicity Associates , a consulting firm. In

256-569: Is that "rod" refers to camshaft , a part of the engine which was often upgraded in order to increase power output. In the early days, a car modified for increased performance was called a "gow job". This term morphed into the hot rod in the early to late 1940s. The term "hot rod" has had various uses in relation to performance cars. For example, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment in its vehicle emissions regulations refers to

288-467: Is the owner of the only three Parker Invincibles ever produced by Parker Bros. He married Margie McNally in 1963 and had two sons who died in a 1975 plane crash. They resided in a mansion located at 625 Mountain drive in Beverly Hills, California , formerly owned by actors Harry Joe Brown and Sally Eilers . It was designed by architect Paul R. Williams and built from 1937 to 1938. He

320-473: Is universally accepted and the term is attached to a wide range of vehicles. 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. Many are intended for exhibition rather than for racing or everyday driving. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. Some say that the term "hot" refers to

352-515: Is very little "vintage tin", the hot rods in Sweden are generally made with a home-made chassis (usually a Model T or A replica), with a Jaguar (or Volvo 240 ) rear axle, a small-block V8 , and fiberglass tub, but some have been built using for instance a Volvo Duett chassis. Because Swedish regulations required a crash test even for custom-built passenger cars between 1969 and 1982, the Duett option

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384-661: The Ford flathead V8 engine (known as the "flatty") into a different car, for example, the common practice in the 1940s of installing the "60 horse" version into a Jeep chassis. Typical modifications were removal of convertible tops , hoods , bumpers , windshields , and/or fenders ; channeling the body; and modifying the engine by tuning and/or replacing with a more powerful type. Wheels and tires were changed for improved traction and handling. Hot rods built before 1945 commonly used '35 Ford wire-spoke wheels . After World War II , many small military airports throughout

416-449: The greaser lifestyle. Magazines like Ol' Skool Rodz , Gears and Gals , and Rat-Rods and Rust Queens cover events and people. There are magazines that feature traditional hot rods, including Hot Rod , Car Craft , Rod and Custom , and Popular Hot Rodding . There are also television shows such as My Classic Car , Horsepower TV , American Hot Rod , Fast and Loud , and Chop Cut Rebuild . Particularly during

448-424: The country were either abandoned or rarely used, allowing hot rodders across the country to race on marked courses. Originally, drag racing had tracks as long as 1 mi (1.6 km) or more, and included up to four lanes of racing simultaneously. As some hot rodders also raced on the street, a need arose for an organization to promote safety, and to provide venues for safe racing. The National Hot Rod Association

480-628: The decade passed. Hot rods were used as the theme of Lightning Rod , a Rocky Mountain Construction roller coaster at Dollywood . Locals in Sweden and Finland , influenced by American culture, have created a vibrant local hot rod culture where enthusiasts gather at meetings such as Power Big Meet in Linköping and clubs like Wheels and Wings in Varberg , both located in Sweden. Since there

512-465: The early 1960s, a genre of "hot rod music" rose to mainstream popularity. Hot rod music was largely a product of a number of surf music groups running out of ideas for new surfing songs and simultaneously shifting their lyrical focus toward hot rods. Hot rod music would prove to be the second phase in a progression known as the California Sound , which would mature into more complex topics as

544-430: The entire journey and were inducted into the original "Long Hauler Gang". Since its inception, this event has continued to gain in popularity and is now one of the most anticipated automotive events each year. It is typically six to eight days in length and held in late May or early June. In recent years, the tour has evolved to become what is essentially a continuous trek around the United States in that it begins in or near

576-518: The first appearance of Tom Medley 's cartoon hot rodder, Stroker McGurk . The feature would survive until 1955. Between 1961 and 1969, the Hot Rod Magazine Championship Drag Races , "one of the most significant drag racing events" of that era, were hosted by the magazine at Riverside Raceway . The championship offered a US$ 37,000 prize, greater even than a National Hot Rod Association national event prize at

608-424: The former Petersen magazines to Primedia in 2001. Today, it was published by Motor Trend Group , formerly known as TEN: The Enthusiast Network and Source Interlink Media . Source Interlink acquired the magazine along with Primedia's Consumer Magazine division in 2007. Hot Rod has a strategic relationship with Universal Technical Institute , referring to UTI as its sponsor. In March 1948, Hot Rod published

640-609: The goal is to win the cover feature of Hot Rod magazine. Gnarly Magazine - Gnarly Magazine Robert E. Petersen Robert Einar " Pete " Petersen (September 10, 1926 – March 23, 2007) was an American publisher who founded the Petersen Automotive Museum in 1994. Robert Einar "Pete" Petersen was born on September 10, 1926, in East Los Angeles, California . He was of Danish descent. He learned about cars from helping his father,

672-520: The location that it ended in the previous year. Each stop is combined with events or activities that vary as much as the participants themselves. The starting points can change from year to year on the power tour. Tour Stops along the way on the power tour often feature entertainment, celebrities, contests, and games. Burnout: Championship Drag Racing (1998) was licensed by Hot Rod. ValuSoft has published Hot Rod: American Street Drag and Hot Rod: Garage to Glory , drag racing video games in which

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704-1011: The magazine, with a run of 5,000 copies, was released to coincide with the Los Angeles Hot Rod Exhibition, the show Petersen and Lindsay were initially contracted to publicize. The founders sold the copies of the magazine at the steps of the exhibition. After a successful debut, the magazine continued to sell out and grow in readership. By mid-1949, monthly sales exceeded 50,000 copies. Starting from this, Petersen built his publishing empire on automotive-themed publications, including Car Craft , Rod & Custom , Sports Car Graphic , and Motor Trend . He also published CARtoons , Guns & Ammo , SPORT , Motorcyclist , Motor Life , Hunting , Mountain Biker , Photographic , Teen , Tiger Beat , and Sassy Magazine , 4 Wheel and Off Road In 1996, Petersen sold his company Petersen Publishing Company to

736-406: The major automakers began increasing performance, the lure of hot rods began to wane. With the advent of the muscle car , it was now possible to purchase a high-performance car straight from the showroom. However, the 1973 Oil Crisis caused car manufacturers to focus on fuel efficiency over performance, which led to a resurgence of interest in hot rodding. As the focus shifted away from racing,

768-593: The modified cars became known as "street rods". The National Street Rod Association (NSRA) was formed and began hosting events. By the 1970s, the 350 cu in (5.7 L) small-block Chevy V8 was the most common choice of engine for hot rods. Another popular engine choice is the Ford Windsor engine . During the 1980s, many car manufacturers were reducing the displacements of their engines, thus making it harder for hot rod builders to obtain large displacement engines. Instead, engine builders had to modify

800-574: The rules of the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA), among other groups. This gained popularity after World War II , particularly in California, because many returning soldiers had received technical training. The first hot rods were old cars (most often Fords , typically 1910s-1920s Model Ts , 1928–31 Model As , or 1932-34 Model Bs ), modified to reduce weight. Engine swaps often involved fitting

832-459: The smaller engines (such as using non-standard crankshafts and pistons ) to obtain larger displacement. While current production V8s tended to be the most frequent candidates, this also applied to others. In the mid-1980s, as stock engine sizes diminished, rodders discovered the 215 cu in (3.5 L) aluminum-block Buick or Oldsmobile V8 could be modified for substantially greater displacement, with mainly wrecking yard parts. This trend

864-460: The summer of 1947, the company was commissioned to publicize an exhibition of hot rods held the following winter. While working to promote the exhibition, Petersen realized that there were no media specific to hot rods or hot-rodding. Seeing an opportunity, Petersen and Robert Lindsay, another member of the promotion team for the exhibition, left Hollywood Publicity Associates that autumn and began development of Hot Rod magazine. The first issue of

896-401: The time. The "Hot Rod Power Tour" is an organized tour where hot rodders drive a pre-planned route throughout the United States. It began in 1995 when Hot Rod staff members decided to take some of their project cars on a cross-country drive from Los Angeles, California to Norwalk , Ohio. Thousands of people participated along the way but only seven participants (other than staff members) made

928-530: 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". For example, hot rods were favorites for greasers . The term has broadened to apply to other items that are modified for

960-551: Was founded in 1951, to take drag racing off the streets and into controlled environments. In the '50s and '60s, the Ford flathead V8 was supplanted by the Chrysler FirePower engine (known as the "early hemi"). Many hot rods would upgrade the brakes from mechanical to hydraulic ("juice") and headlights from bulb to sealed-beam. A typical mid-1950s to early 1960s custom Deuce was fenderless and steeply chopped, powered by

992-473: Was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2013. Hot rod 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. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made to go much faster." However, there is no definition of the term that

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1024-550: Was not limited to American cars; Volkswagen enthusiasts similarly stretched stock 1600cc engines to over two liters. The hot rod community has now been subdivided into two main groups: street rodders and hot rodders. There is a contemporary movement of traditional hot rod builders, car clubs and artists who have returned to the roots of hot rodding as a lifestyle. This includes a new breed of traditional hot rod builders, artists, and styles, as well as classic style car clubs. Events like GreaseOrama feature traditional hot rods and

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