The Deuce. It’s hard to fathom a vehicle that has been more influential to the birth, growth, and history of hot rodding as we know it than the ’32 Ford. While it’s true that innovative enthusiasts were modifying cars for improved performance long before Henry Ford’s
Instead of telling Ed Iskenderian’s life story and his rich hot rodding history, which we’ve done previously in the Legends of Hot Rodding column, I wanted to write this this month about a few Isky nuggets you might not know about, as well as some
Tom McMullen's imprint on the history of hot rodding would make him a unanimous first-ballot, car-guy hall of famer. He is best known for his publishing chops – founder of both Street Chopper and Street Rodder magazines – and a madcap lifestyle that included two
It’s the Year of the Deuce! This year marks the 90th anniversary of the 1932 Ford, affectionately known as the Deuce to hot rodders around the world. Long considered the quintessential hot rod, no vehicle has had a bigger influence on the hobby than the
In the pages of the Goodguys Gazette many years back used to be a monthly vintage drag racing column called “Fuel & Gas Gossip with Ed Kanaschitsky.” At the time, Goodguys ran one of the most prominent race series for vintage drag racers in the
The early, post-World War II hot rod culture of Southern California was awash in talent, innovators such as Ed Iskenderian, visionaries like Wally Parks, journalists like Dean Batchelor, to name but a few. Leroi "Tex" Smith would be a first-ballot member of this exclusive club. Tex
One could argue that street rodding’s popularity after the first Street Rod Nationals was propelled not by ’glass bodies, aftermarket suspension bits, or crate motors. Rather, that growth was driven by something far simpler – cool air. Air conditioning made driving a hot rod in
Over the last three decades, three cars stand out that pushed the envelope of style and substance. These are vehicles that took hot rodding to the next level. It happens a lot in this scene. We’re cruising along with incredibly cool machines then BAM –
Bill Burnham was one of hot rodding’s greatest gifts. A highboy guy through and through, Burnham had a string bitchin fenderless roadsters which spanned decades. He was a pied piper of sorts – a renaissance man who was as genuine as the day is long.
Every month, Goodguys Gazette editor Damon Lee and I kick around ideas on who will be our next Legend of Hot Rodding. This month, we agreed: Don Garlits. We were both flabbergasted that to date he had eluded our attention. It would be like a
