Great American Hot Rods

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.

Hot rods have made legends, taking the spotlight in all aspects of the beach culture, in movies, and in music. They represent youth, rebellion, and a drive to do things a little differently. The hot rod movement has always been a grassroots, groundswell movement, an underground art form that defies a straightforward chronicle succinctly tied up with a bow. 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. It's truly an all-American tale with an exhaust note heard 'round the world. If you're still in awe of that first hot rod, still driving and tuning hot rods, or still dreaming of hot rods, then this book is for you.

Hot rodding began as a way to bring new life to old cars. It allowed young people to own cars without spending a lot of money. Today’s hot rods are part art and part mechanical wonder, and they are no longer cheap. Discover the history, design, and features of these eye-catching vehicles in Hot Rods, part of the Let’s Ride series.

A deserving tribute to the American muscle of the hot rod, this edition is filled with eye popping photography, gatefolds, and four prints to hang.

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be. For many of us, modern memory is shaped less by a longing for the social customs and practices of the past or for family heirlooms handed down over generations and more by childhood encounters with ephemeral commercial goods and fleeting media moments in our age of fast capitalism. This phenomenon has given rise to communities of nostalgia whose members remain loyal to the toys, television, and music of their youth. They return to the theme parks and pastimes of their upbringing, hoping to reclaim that feeling of childhood wonder or teenage freedom. Consumed nostalgia took definite shape in the 1970s, spurred by an increase in the turnover of consumer goods, the commercialization of childhood, and the skillful marketing of nostalgia. Gary Cross immerses readers in this fascinating and often delightful history, unpacking the cultural dynamics that turn pop tunes into oldies and childhood toys into valuable commodities. He compares the limited appeal of heritage sites such as Colonial Williamsburg to the perpetually attractive power of a Disney theme park and reveals how consumed nostalgia shapes how we cope with accelerating change. Today nostalgia can be owned, collected, and easily accessed, making it less elusive and often more fun than in the past, but its commercialization has sometimes limited memory and complicated the positive goals of recollection. By unmasking the fascinating, idiosyncratic character of modern nostalgia, Cross helps us better understand the rituals of recall in an age of fast capitalism.

This color portfolio of an all-American pastime showcases an incredible collection of hot rods, customs, muscle cars, and street rods from all over the United States. 80 color photos.