In the Summer 2025 issue of HOT ROD, we celebrated home-built cars—built not bought, as some would say—and that is a large part of HOT ROD’s legacy. Since the first issue, our mantra has been to ...

Mattel designer Brendon Vetuskey builds magazine-worthy hot rods out of a two-car garage—with nothing but hustle and skill. Brendon has lived at this property since 2009, and since taking ownership, ...

It's not like the roads are littered with hot rods, far from it. In fact, each time you see a hot rod out in the wild, it's a cool experience — even the best factory hot rods are few and far between.

When the term “Street Rod” came about many decades ago, the scene was filled with T-Buckets, fat-fendered Fords and obscure combinations of engine, body and suspension that only a gearhead could dream ...

Building custom cars to a certain aesthetic and performance has been a favored pastime since not long after Karl Benz puttered out of his garage on the Motorwagen. Ever since that fateful day, ...