A hot rod is a factory-made automobile that has been remodeled to make it faster, flashier, and more interesting. Ever since cars were first mass produced, car owners have altered their cars to put their own personal mark on their vehicle. Even Henry Ford (1863–1947) himself, who produced the first factory-made cars, modified his own Model T (see entry under 1900s— Commerce in volume 1), making it lighter and faster for racing.

The term hot rod may have been a shortened version of "hot roadster," as sporty roadsters were among the first cars to be cut down and souped up for racing in the 1930s. Young men of the Depression era (1929–41) could not afford new cars. Those who wanted flashy, fast cars had to make them from the bodies of old cars they could buy cheaply. After World War II (1939–45), many young soldiers returned from battle with new...