t rods are typically old, classic
American cars with large engines
ed for linear speed. The origin
erm “hot rod” is unclear. Roadere the cars of choice because
ere light, were easy to modify,
and could be bought for a low price.
The term became commonplace in the
1930s or 1940s as the name of a car that
had been “hopped up” by modifying
the engine in various ways to achieve
higher performance. A term that was
common in the early days to refer to a
hot rod was a “gow job”. This has fallen
into total disuse except with historians.
The term can also apply to other items
that are “souped up” for a particular purpose, such as “hot-rodded amplifier”.
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