(from the book) The year was 1978 and I was sitting in the back booth of the Pizza Hut in Mulvane, Kansas, splitting a deep pan with my good friend, Darryl Starbird. Our friendship was close, and I had always respected his opinion on just about anything to do with the automobile, and especially the “kustom” vehicle. Not only is Darryl a champ at building kustom creations, he is also one of the top auto show producers in the U.S. For some 21 years I had been in the shadow of this high-energy, often unbelievable, man helping him build cars and produce car shows–a schooling that isn’t available in any six-month course or college anywhere. I had cruised with him on the high roads, and crashed with him on the low shoulders. Believe me, auto show producing is not for the weak or conservative. But my interest was up, boosted by a recent writeup on ‘49-’51 Mercs, and front cover spread of a chopped ‘51 Mercury, by Street Rodder magazine, which at the time was predominantly a “pre-’48” street rod magazine. Someone shared an interest I felt I might be the[...]”

Every hot rodding magazine ever published (not to mention numerous books and countless web sites) has taken stabs at creating comprehensive glossaries of automotive enthusiasts terms and phrases. Finally Motorbooks has done it right with the publication of The Ultimate Hot Rod Dictionary. The title says it all. This book is 243 pages thick and includes more than 1,600 words and phrases, with definitions, phrase origins and examples of usage. In addition, the dictionary includes more than 225 line-art illustrations."If you never thought you'd find yourself reading a dictionary, this informative and fun book may surprise you. - Rod and Custom, October, 2004Perplexed about Peg Leggers? Curious about Crazy Stacks? Every enthusiast group inevitably spawns its own slang, but few are as rich as that which has evolved around the world of hot rods and customs. Once a unique American sub-language, the gearhead vernacular has long since gone global. Containing some 1,700 entries, this first-ever dictionary of the colorful language and phraseology that has developed in the world of hot rodding and customizing features not just terms used to describe the technologies and designs, but also those pertaining to the culture itself. In the end it's not just a dictionary with something for everyone from newbies to vets, but a book that reveals how the customizers have, in fact, customized their lingo. Includes specially commissioned line-art illustrations and cross-references for related or like terms.

Among the hardest core of American automotive enthusiasts there always exists a desire to press styling and performance a step beyond the showroom floor -- to truly craft an automobile of one's own. This photographic and cultural history examines the evolution of American custom cars from the 1930s to present, covering touchstone trends, influential builders (Barris, Roth, Coddington et al), custom shows, enthusiast magazines and regional styles. An expensive collection of rare period photography and exclusive modern shots help illustrate how Detroit informed the styling of customs (and vice versa), the explosion of the custom car scene after World War II and the factors that led to the custom's near-death in the 1960s and its resurgence in the '80s. But most of all, this chronicle is a showcase of the great cars and people who influenced the movement through the years.