Hitting its stride in the 1950s, the underground hot rod culture spawned the likes of Rat Fink, Von Dutch, and George Barris. This collection of rare photographs and ephemera should be an essential for anyone who dreams of putting the pedal to the metal.h.

Americans were forever changed when the edgy style and power of hot rods exploded onto their highways. This volume details nearly 300 of the most innovative rides to ever own the road. Alongside colour photographs is each car's history, options and top selling points.

Learn how to plan, budget, and build a hot street rod without going broke, with this expert practical advice for building, including chassis, engine, bodywork, painting, and upholstery. How-to photos depict major steps.

Of all of the pioneering custom-car builders to come to prominence in the 1950s--Harry Westergard, George Barris, and Dean Jeffries, among others--one of the most prolific was a young man from Modesto, California, named Gene Winfield. Cutting his teeth in California's hopping postwar hot rod scene, Gene eventually gravitated toward custom cars, becoming one of the medium's preeminent and most-sought-after practitioners. For the first time, Gene's career is examined in this volume fully illustrated with photography from Gene's personal archive. Written by longtime Winfield employee David Grant, The Legendary Hot Rods and Custom Cars of Gene Winfield is culled from hours of interviews with Gene and recounts everything from his early days in Modesto and his first shop in a converted backyard chicken coop, to his role in forming the Century Toppers car club, his involvement in dry lakes and circle-track racing, the formation of Winfield's Custom Shop in 1955, and the impressive string of vehicles that followed. Cars featured include the Ford convertible that graced the second issue of Rod & Custom, the 1950 Solar Scene Mercury Coupe, the 1956 Mercury called Jade Idol, and the Ford King "T" that won the 1963 AMBR award, among dozens of others. Grant also delves into Winfield's involvement with model-maker AMT, movie and TV vehicles for such projects as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Get Smart, and reminisces from Winfield's contemporaries.

The All-American Hot Rod is your personally guided tour through the saga of one of the most popular icons in American history, brought to life in the stories of well-known and respected automotive historians and celebrities, automotive journalists, and other hot rodders with their own tales to share—with more than 350 illustrations to add to your appreciation of these remarkable machines. The hot rod—each one unique, fierce, loud, and bold—has been an American icon and a symbol of performance, freedom, and creativity for decades, influencing everything from movies to music. The All-American Hot Rod is a history by those who lived it, the numerous voices and images of people who know and love the hot rod like nothing else. Relive the thrills with their great stories, complemented by fabulous period artwork and current photographs of original T-buckets, Deuces, coupes, roadsters, custom cars, street rods, rat rods, and more. It's truly an all-American tale with an exhaust note heard 'round the world. Now, step on the gas and go!

Handcrafted, radical, and subversive, these custom cars are designed and made by a small number of specialists