''Hot Rod'' is a monthly American car

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

devoted to

hot rod Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimised for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made ...

ding, drag racing, and muscle cars—modifying automobiles for performance and appearance.

History

''Hot Rod'' is the oldest magazine devoted to hot rodding, having been published since January 1948.

Robert E. Petersen Robert Einar "Pete" Petersen (September 10, 1926 – March 23, 2007) was an American publisher who founded the Petersen Automotive Museum in 1994.Hevesi, Dennis (March 27, 2007)Robert Petersen, Publisher of Auto Buff Magazines, Dies at 80.''N ...

founded the magazine and his Petersen Publishing Company was the original publisher. The first editor of ''Hot Rod'' was Wally Parks, who went on to found the

National Hot Rod Association The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorspo ...

(NHRA). Petersen Publishing was sold to British publisher

EMAP Ascential plc, formerly EMAP, is a British business-to-business media business specialising in exhibitions & festivals and information services. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History Rich ...

in 1998, who then sold the former Petersen magazines to

Primedia Primedia is a South African media group, headquartered in Sandton, Johannesburg. History Primedia was established in 1994 and its listing on the JSE Securities Exchange was completed in April 1995. Primedia remained listed on the JSE until 1 O ...

in 2001. Today it is published by Motor Trend Group, formerly known as TEN: The Enthusiast Network and

Source Interlink Media Motor Trend Group, LLC, formerly known as Source Interlink Media and TEN: The Enthusiast Network, is a media company that specializes in enthusiast brands, such as ''Motor Trend'', '' Hot Rod'', and ''Roadkill''. Headquartered in New York City, ...

. Source Interlink acquired the magazine along with Primedia's Consumer Magazine division in 2007. ''Hot Rod'' has a strategic relationship with Universal Technical Institute, referring to UTI as its sponsor. In March 1948, ''Hot Rod'' published the first appearance of

Tom Medley Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

's cartoon hot rodder,

Stroker McGurk Stroker McGurk is a cartoon character created by Tom Medley, featured in ''Hot Rod'' and ''Rod & Custom''. Medley's famed creation debuted in the third issue of ''Hot Rod'', and continued in the magazine until 1955. He would reappear briefly in ...

. The feature would survive until 1955.

Sponsored events

Between 1961 and 1969, the

Hot Rod Magazine Championship Drag Races The Hot Rod Magazine Championship Drag Races were a series of drag racing events sponsored by ''Hot Rod Magazine'' between 1964 and 1969. It was considered "one of the most significant drag racing events" of that era. These racing events were domina ...

, "one of the most significant drag racing events" of that era, were hosted by the magazine at Riverside Raceway. The championship offered a US$37,000 prize, greater even than a

national event prize at the time.Taylor, p.11. The "Hot Rod Power Tour" is an organized tour where hot rodders drive a pre-planned route throughout the United States. It began in 1995 when ''Hot Rod'' staff members decided to take some of their project cars on a cross-country drive from

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

to Norwalk, Ohio. Thousands of people participated along the way but only seven participants (other than staff members) made the entire journey and were inducted into the original "Long Hauler Gang". Since its inception, this event has continued to gain in popularity and is now one of the most anticipated automotive events each year. It is typically six to eight days in length and held in late May or early June. In recent years, the tour has evolved to become what is essentially a continuous trek around the United States in that it begins in or near the location that it ended in the previous year. Each stop is combined with events or activities that vary as much as the participants themselves. The starting points can change from year to year on the power tour. Tour Stops along the way on the power tour often feature entertainment, celebrities, contests, and games.

Video games

'' Burnout: Championship Drag Racing'' (1998) was licensed by Hot Rod. ValuSoft has published ''Hot Rod: American Street Drag'' and '' Hot Rod: Garage to Glory'',

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most ...

video games in which the goal is to win the cover feature of ''Hot Rod'' magazine.

References

External links

Official site
{{Motor Trend Group Motor Trend Group Automobile magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1948 Monthly magazines published in the United States Magazines published in Los Angeles Automotive events Turner Sports