subject: Hot Rod Culture [print this page] The hot rod culture first arrived on the scene in the United States between the 1930s and 1950s. For history's sake, most hot rod lovers claim that the hot rod culture of the United States began in the early 1950s, after the conclusion of World War II, when the soldiers returned home with money from demobilization. The birthplace of car culture was in the state of California, in the decade of the 1930s, when people would race modified cars on empty ground near Los Angeles following the rules of the Southern California Timing Association. The reason the industry exploded in California after World War II was the fact that many soldiers received technical training from the government for the war.
The most popular form of hot rods from the original days of the hobby were Ford Model Ts, Model As, and Model Bs. These vehicles were modified to reduce their weight so they could be driven in races on streets. To lower the weight of the vehicles back then and sometimes now, items were removed from the vehicle. Those items include the following: hoods, bumpers, windshields, convertible tops, fenders, the channeling of the body and replacing or modifying the engine to make it stronger.
The culture really took off after World War II because of the abandoned military airports across the country. These airports provided members of the car culture the opportunity to race on marked courses without endangering people who live on public streets where the races used to take place. The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) was created by a group of fans lead by Wally Parks. The group was created to move racing from the public streets to closed courses or tracks. The group also created safety rules and regulations for the vehicles and their drivers, protecting drivers of all skill levels.
The decade of the 1970s saw the culture absolutely explode into the mainstream of the United States. Vehicle manufacturers began making more powerful vehicles, known as Muscle Cars, which could be purchased and used for street racing instead of supping up vehicles with parts from other cars. After the oil crisis of 1973, the government required vehicle manufacturers to focus more on safety and fuel economy when producing vehicles, which led fanatics to return to the practice of supping up vehicles for street racing.
As the hot rod culture developed over the years, it has been divided into two main categories: fanatics and street rod fanatics. The difference is that hot rod fanatics build their cars with classic parts and build them to look like classic cars. Street rod fanatics build their cars with new parts. The popularity of the car culture in the United States still exists to this day, with new drivers entering the fray each year, racing the vehicles that they construct in their own garages. The safety of the races is still a major sticking point with many advocates against street racing, like it was 70 years ago.
