QandAs: Autos

What is a Hot Rod?

Answer:
A hot rod is a car that has been modified by

its owner in order to increase the car’s top speed and acceleration rate. Technically, the term hot rod is used to describe any car that has been modified in this fashion, but the term is usually only used in reference to modified cars that were originally made between 1930 and 1940.

Often those building a hot rod will remove some of the body panels to showcase the engine. The engine is typically modified, not completely replaced. These cars also are usually painted with bright, flashy colors.

No one is sure how the term hot rod came to be used for these vehicles. One theory is that the name became popular because many owners would paint flames on the cars, thus giving them the appearance that they were “hot.”