The gow job. No, pervert, it's not like a Donkey Punch or Dirty Sanchez-it's a stripped-down late-'20s/early-'30s car designed to run as fast as its ol\' low-tech engine will allow. Paint? Secondary. Fenders? Optional. Interior? Exposed driveshafts abound. And sound system? Um, have you seen the radios from back then?

American custom-car culture begins with the birth of the hot rod, delivered kicking and backfiring to the U.S. just after World War II. Hot rods were designed for speed contests on Southern Cali's dry lakes (think space-shuttle landings at Edwards Air Force Base). With new cars scarce, competitors tinkered with the rods' pedestrian Ford V-8s and inline fours. More industrious types scrounged Cadillac and LaSalle motors, but the point was the same-to finish the measured mile as fast as possible.

Traditional hot rodding declined by the early '60s, but countless devolutions followed, leading to a rebirth over the last decade. Tired of flashy hot rods built from "unobtainium" (Overhaulin' star Chip Foose's show rods are rumored to cost 1-million-plus), the econo people-older guys who remembered how it used to be and young cats who wished they'd been there-have taken Model A's, Model T's, and Deuce roadsters and turned 'em out as if they were from the Truman era. It's like Black Flag to mainstream hot-rodding's Rush-a dirty, loud, and fast reaction to the status quo. In short, it's a way to stab through the pretense and reclaim some of the original spirit of the open West. The traditional hot rod (or "rat rod," if you prefer the trendy and much-despised moniker) stands apart. It's looking back for a vision of the future, a testament to the backyard ingenuity of the working man. Home » MEN'S STYLE » Gear » Rides » CARS » Return to Form