Hot Rod Magazine

In its sixty-plus years of existence, Hot Rod magazine has featured hundreds of cars on its cover. This book showcases each cover in full color, along with images of the cover car from select issues.

HOT ROD Magazine has defined more than one generation of car and racing enthusiast in its 50-plus years of existence. This reprint of the best from the decade 1949 to 1959 is a unique look back to the great old days of hot rodding and dry-lake racing. Includes all original advertising and editorial material for a nostalgic visit to the beginnings of American racing and hot rod culture. Also features Stroker McGurk cartoons, Hot Rod of the Month articles, Parts with Appeal features, articles about Bonneville, the Indy 500, and other historic races, and much more. A nostalgic look at one of the richest eras in hot rodding history from the leading magazine of the time.

This is a reprint of the first 12 issues, starting from the first in January, 1948. This is a unique look back to the great old days of hot rodding, dry lake racing and humour. Includes all the original advertising and editorial material for a nostalgic look at the beginnings of racing and hot rod culture.

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.

Launched in 1994, The Rodder’s Journal is the premier publication of the hot rod and custom car hobby. To celebrate 25 years of publication, this handsome hardcover edition—packed with the gorgeous photography readers have come to expect—gathers some of TRJ's best features from throughout the years. Guided by founder and publisher Steve Coonan, TRJ has grown its following, in part, by featuring thewriting of top hot rodding journalists. However, TRJ’s trademark is the stunning photography featured in each issue. Every quarter, readers eagerly anticipate a carefully crafted blend of traditional hot rods, classic customs, early drag racing, the best newly built cars, and the personalities behind one of the world's most unique and passionate pursuits. Roadsters and rails, coupes and customs…chopped…channeled…shaved…slammed…The Rodder’s Journal showcases some of the most interesting cars, builders, owners, and pioneers profiled in the quarterly’s pages. The cars of past giants are there, as are creations from contemporary masters. From street to salt flat, the book includes rare historical imagery, hot rod art, and new photography depicting cars on the pavement and in the studio, a milieu that has become Coonan’s and TRJ’s calling card. More a book than a magazine, TRJ is produced by a team dedicated to offering the best in hot rodding and custom cars. With the very best in hot rod and custom photography, writing, and history, The Rodder's Journal is unmatched among automotive publications. Here’s the book celebration it deserves.

Shows and describes the best customized cars that have appeared in "Hot Rod" magazine

Hot Rod Empire details Robert E. Petersen's creation of Hot Rod Magazine in the 1940s and the Petersen Publishing empire that grew to the mainstream juggernaut we know today. The end of World War II marked the release of pent-up war-years energy and the desire to live. For many this meant indulging in long-denied purchases, like a new car. For another group, including young vets, it meant a return to car building and racing. Money, exciting new cars, and speed parts all flowed freely in post-war America. Robert Petersen, a young SoCal-based photographer and Army Air Corps vet, noted the rapidly growing hot rod scene in and around Los Angeles. His first move was to organize the Los Angeles Hot Rod Exhibition in 1948. His second, and brilliant, move was to launch at the same event the first edition of Hot Rod magazine. From this launch pad, Petersen Publishing Company would grow to become the most influential enthusiast publisher in America. Petersen’s magazines were rallying points for all aspects of the car, truck, and motorcycle hobbies, well as nurturing and promoting all aspects from car building to racing to show events. Hot Rod, Motor Trend, Car Craft, Motorcyclist, Off-Road and Four Wheel Drive and some 75 other enthusiast titles dominated magazine racks and provided substantial influence over transportation and numerous other hobbies. Hot Rod Empirecelebrates the birth and explosive growth of the transportation hobby under Petersen’s watch.