Hot Rod History Articles

NHRA Santa Ana Drags, March 1957

HOT ROD Deluxe takes a look back at the NHRA Santa Ana Drag in March 1957 where Wally Parks and even Life Magazine were in atten more

Scott Kalitta Mourned After Funny Car Crash At Englishtown, NJ

A tribute to Scott Kalitta, son of drag racing legend Connie Kalitta and two-time NHRA Top Fuel Dragster World Champion, who die more

The Last Drag Race at Lions Drag Strip

A look back at the history of Lions Drag Strip in Wilmington, California and the epic Last Drag Race at Lions in December, 1972. more

Fuelers On Hollywood Boulevard Revisited

Besides disturbing the peace on Hollywood Boulevard, back in the day front engine dragsters found themselves in "Vogue" for the more

Wild Paint on This 1970 Chevy Camaro SS 396

Wild paint from back in the day. more

Stuntman Evel Knievel Tribute - Where It All Began

Editor Kinnan reflects on the passing of Evel Knievel. more

Don Garlits Top Fuel Dragster - Where It All Began

Big Daddy's trendsetting rear-engine digger. more

Driver, Builder and Tuner Pat Foster Passes

A personal reflection on the life and legend of drag racer, builder and tuner Pat Foster who passed away March 28th. more

HOT ROD Covers - 1950

A look back at the covers of HOT ROD Magazine from 1950 - Where it All Began. more

HOT ROD Covers - 1948

A look back at the covers of HOT ROD Magazine from 1948 - Where it All Began. more

"Lil John" Buttera, Master Hot Rodder, 1941-2008

Hot rodding and racing lost one of its luminaries Sunday, March 2nd, when "Lil John" Buttera passed away at the age of 67. more

"Lil John" Buttera, Master Hot Rodder, 1941-2008

Hot rodding and racing lost one of its luminaries Sunday, March 2nd, when "Lil John" Buttera passed away at the age of 67. more

A Used Car Lot for Legit Muscle Cars? It Happened

Hot Rod Archives takes a look at a used car lot was dedicated to nothing but cheap, legit musclecars. more

Legendary Hot Rod Builder Boyd Coddington Passes

Renowned hot rod builder and HOT ROD's 1988 "Man of the Year" Boyd Coddington Died early Feburary 27th at the age of 63. more

HOT ROD Deluxe is Back and On Sale Now - Check Out a Preview

An old name is reborn as we created from scratch a vintage-themed magazine that celebrates the heros, cars and styles of retro-rodding - and you can tell us how to direct upcoming issues. more

The Best Hot Rodder in the World

Ak Miller Had a Lifelong Need for Speed and a Passion for Hot Rods. more

The Bomb Factory

Pomona's Kennedy Brothers Light The Fuse On Nostalgia. more

Gardena Speedway History - Where It All Began 1957

Driving In CirclesOval-track racing predates HOT ROD by a wide margin. Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built in 1909, before the more

Gas Attacks

Yes, The Past Was A Gas! A Short History Of The Awesome Gassers Of The '50s, '60s, And '70s. more

NHRA Founder Wally Parks Passes

Founder of NHRA and first editor of Hot Rod magazine passes away at age 94 more

NHRA Founder Wally Parks Passes

Founder of NHRA and first editor of Hot Rod magazine passes away at age 94 more

Top Fuel Burnout on Hollywood Blvd - Where It All Began

Selections From The Hot Rod Magazine Archives more

Pete Petersen - Remembering Pete

The world of hot rodding owes an inestimable debt to Robert Einar "Pete" Petersen. more

Ten Great Engines

The History of Hot Rodding Has Seen Thousands of Great Engines. Here Are 10 of the Most Memorable. more

Volkswagen - Small And Mighty

Back in 1965, HOT ROD wrote a piece about the EMPI Inch Pincher, a 13-second '56 Volkswagen sedan that became the terror of the NHRA Gas classes. The article finished with these words: "The next order of business would seem to be a crack at the 100-mph mark an more