In the beginning, before hot rodding became a billion-dollar industry spitting out million-dollar rods, it was a primitive world of greasy-fingered WWII vets, lake beds of salt and dust, and shade-tree mechanics making-do. But when a young Hollywood publicist named Robert E. Petersen launched Hot Rod
What do you get when you combine a 1925 Model T with a DOHC Indy V8 engine? In the case of Ermie Immerso, you get two AMBRs! Calling someone a “car guy” is a cliche. But as most of us know, cliches often are rooted in
Renowned hot rod builder Steve Frisbie of Steve’s Auto Restorations passed way in October 2025 following a long illness. We felt it was appropriate to add Frisbie to our roster of Goodguys Hot Rod Legends. Steve Frisbie was an unassuming sort. Quiet, serious, studious. With eyeglasses
While Stone, Woods and Cook may sound like an upscale bistro or possibly a law firm, for drag racing fans and historians that troika of names only means one thing — the blown, blue, and bad ’41 Willys coupe that not only dominated the early
“Photography is a Love Affair with Life.” -Burk Uzzle, early Life Magazine photographer In the case of Eric Rickman, that affair was with motorsports and hot rods. In the annuals of hot rodding, no photographer had a greater influence on our hobby than Eric Rickman, the World War
Your humble Goodguys Legends in Rodding correspondent recently spent time in Italy, which sent me looking for a Legendary American hot rod with an Italian angle. Then it came to me – years ago wasn’t there a roadster that someone had shoehorned in a Ferrari engine?
“She's my little Deuce coupe You don't know what I got” —Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys We know. Calling anything the “most famous” is quite a statement. But the media attention and cultural significance of Clarence “Chili” Catallo’s custom Deuce coupe equals that of such icons of
Hot rodding has lost a true original and an indisputable icon who helped pioneer and foster our beloved sport and pastime. Ed Iskenderian, known simply as Isky in the hot rod world, has passed away at age 104. Referred to by many as the “Camfather,”
In our decade-long exploration of hot rod legends, a few pioneers have slipped through our ink-stained fingers. One such innovator was Frank Currie, a So-Cal legend of early drag and salt venues and later founder of Currie Enterprises, a company that tuned up more rearends
The '49 - '51 Mercury coupe is to custom cars what the ’32 Ford highboy is to hot rods – the matchless standard-bearer of its discipline. We’ve showcased many a ’32 in this column, but the Mercury custom has been a bit neglected. To make amends,
