[Riot Racing]

What make/model/year cars are considered to be real hot rods?
When i mean "real" i refer to those rat rods, street rods and such. i.e. the ford roadster and the T bucket.

Are these worth so much because they are so rare?

If i wanted to buy one, what type or car should i look for?

[cboy]

Originally Posted by Riot Racing

What make/model/year cars are considered to be real hot rods?

All of 'em.

[OneMoreTime]

Originally Posted by cboy

All of 'em.

Yup..

OMT

[pasadenahotrod]

Modified cars are hotrods especially those modified for for better performance, handling, and speed. Even the kids' "RICER" stuff are essentially the same as my generation's Ts and As(not really).

Modern hotrodding is kinda broken into "cliques" like little boys in junior high:

Traditional pre-49 cars and trucks enfold one group called hotrods or street rods.
49-early 60s another group called hotrods or late-models (most customs fit in this group) and, yes, the VWs.
Mid-60s through very early 70s another group called hotrods, supercars, or musclecars.
Early/Mid-70s to now is the largest group called hotrods includes all the domestic cars, and foreign cars.

Now, there are overlaps here or there between groups and makes of cars and there are groups within these groups that are more or less desireable than others.

The worth of these cars has to do with popularity and available cars versus available cars. The earlier cars can be pricier because the largest group that want them are willing to pay more, and do pay more, because they're 50 and older and are at the peak of their earning years, but these same guys also want all other cars as well so....there we are. Sure some of this price madness is SMS (short man syndrome), SDS (well, you know) and other means of overcoming inadequacies, but that's the way it is.

Get in or out, but don't pretend you didn't know what was happening.

You may have noticed I left out the term/group "ratrods". There is a reason. I believe these lawn or garage ornament style undriveable, unlicensable, often unsafe oddities are a result of silliness and boredom and too much loose money floating around this great country of ours. The proponents of this "style" claim it's a retro movement, and they're right, it's a movement back to the losers and junkers and an old term "shot rods" which were the hanger's-on and non-producers of days long gone by. Real hotrodders want nice clean well-built machinery and bodywork, not the world of rotten, poorly designed stuff without plates, insurance and class.

[1931 steve]

To me a real hot rod is what every you build that YOU like, it can be any year or make. The reason the price is high is due to the rarity and mostly from the cost of build. Parts are expensive, not to mention the hours of labor that goes into building one. My hot rods are a 1931 ford Model A and a 1994 Chevy S-10 V8 truck, but of course I Love the 31 much more.

Steve

[Riot Racing]

I had a feeling i was going to get this answer.
I was referring to those body stle of cars, that are on the TV show American Hot Rod.
the rod in the upper left corner of your screen right now.

heres a few that i like:


well one at least. What are some others with a similar body style?

[spikesdart]

Any roadster between 1923 and 1935-36.
Most manufacturers had very similar designs, grills were really the biggest difference.

[Mrwood]

To me anything before 1950 is a hotrod, anything after is a classic. But thats just my thoughts.

[78 monte]

Its all BS.If you like it build it and who cares what Boyd would say.Technicaly IMO those american hotrod cars are not Hotrods they are modern streetrods.
IMO a Hotrod is anything built from in the backyard that is home fabricated.
A streetrod is when you dump more money than God into a summit catolog and come out with a perfect car that you had no hand in.

[tm454]

buy it if you can't build it yourself. You will get what you pay for so expect to pay for what-ever skill level the rod is built to.


Tazz


Rat Rods Rule!

[buflowd]

Hot rod.....handles, hinges, and horsepower

Street rod....A/C, power everything, and computers everywhere

[Crazy Mopar Guy]

I always get stuck on "PRE-WAR = HOT ROD"

Not that the term "hot rod" requires the car to BE pre-war, just that when I think of a "HOT ROD", I think of the old pre-war stuff, not 50's or 60s cars....?

[steve t]

that looks like a real hot rod to me, and the one beside it

[HemmiGremmie]

I think of a Rat rod as anything with huge wheels, fat exhuast pipes, straight axles, and things sticking HIGH outta the hood.
Thats the look Im going for with my Gremlin. Tubbed out, front end raked to the ground and a blower the heighth of the empire state building stickin outta the hood. Hg

[Nightfire]

Well, the term Hot-Rod came from "Hot Roadster"........which were cars from the 20's and early 30's (had to be roadsters though). But really, a hot rod can be anything in my opinion.

If its hombebuilt, and gets driven its a hot rod.
If it's shop built and a trailer queen, its a street rod.





Mike