Classic Hot Rods

Classic Hot Rods (1999) – Bo Bertilsson
MBI Publishing | ISBN: 9780760307212
Condition: Very Good | Sold by Crappy Old Books

Hot rods. Those magnificent mechanical creations produced when somebody looks at a perfectly respectable old American automobile and decides that what it really needs is a much larger engine, considerably less bodywork, enormous rear tyres and enough polished chrome to temporarily blind passing motorists. It is an automotive philosophy based upon the simple conviction that if a car is worth driving, it is probably worth making louder, faster and considerably more alarming to the neighbours.

Welcome to Classic Hot Rods, Bo Bertilsson’s celebration of one of America’s most colourful and gloriously excessive motoring traditions, where engineering ingenuity, personal expression and an enthusiastic disregard for factory specifications combine to produce extraordinary machines.

The hot rod story has its roots in the American automotive culture of the early twentieth century, particularly the years following the Second World War. Young enthusiasts discovered that ageing Ford roadsters and coupes could be transformed into formidable performance machines through the application of mechanical imagination, surplus engineering knowledge and the occasional spectacular misuse of the family savings.

Why settle for a modest four-cylinder engine when a thundering V8 would fit with a little persuasion? Why retain perfectly serviceable mudguards when removing them might save weight and expose considerably more interesting machinery? And why leave a car looking as its manufacturer intended when it could be chopped, channelled, lowered and painted in a colour normally associated with radioactive confectionery?

From the legendary Ford Model T and Model A to the much-loved 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe, classic hot rods developed a distinctive visual language of exposed engines, lowered rooflines, gleaming wheels, immaculate paintwork and impossibly elaborate mechanical modifications.

Bertilsson’s subject celebrates the craftsmanship and creativity behind these remarkable vehicles, where the distinction between engineering and sculpture can become wonderfully difficult to identify. A carefully constructed hot rod is not merely a means of transportation. It is a rolling declaration of individuality, mechanical obsession and the owner’s willingness to spend several thousand hours perfecting something that may only be driven on sunny Sundays.

Naturally, practicality is not always the highest priority. Luggage space can be minimal, fuel consumption enthusiastic and passenger comfort something best discussed before anyone attempts a long journey.

But practicality was never really the point.

Hot rodding represents a culture of experimentation and personal freedom, where enthusiasts compete not simply to build the fastest machine but to create something recognisably their own. The resulting cars can range from beautifully restrained traditional builds to extravagant custom creations whose paintwork alone probably costs more than an ordinary second-hand hatchback.

Published in 1999 by MBI Publishing, Classic Hot Rods is an appealing addition to the literature of American custom-car culture, capturing the enduring fascination with machines that have been transformed far beyond their original manufacturer’s intentions.

This 1999 edition, offered in Very Good condition by Crappy Old Books, is an excellent acquisition for classic American car enthusiasts, hot rod collectors, custom builders and anyone who appreciates the extraordinary creativity involved in transforming elderly machinery into automotive works of art.

A splendid celebration of horsepower, chrome, craftsmanship and the wonderfully unreasonable pursuit of mechanical perfection.

Because while most people restore an old car in the hope of returning it to its original condition, the hot rod enthusiast takes one look at the original specifications and decides that the manufacturer clearly lacked ambition.

And possibly a sufficiently large engine.

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