Art of the Hot Rod Book - Ford Chevy Car Street Vintage

The best hot rods are art on four wheels, and this book is nothing less than a gallery of the best of American hot rods.  Profiling top builders and featuring studio portraits of their most outstanding custom creations, this book celebrates the uniquely American marriage of mechanical know-how and an inspired sense of style and design.  Built from the ground up, pieced together from salvaged parts, rebuilt with classic looks and futuristic technology--these are automotive works of art, as powerful on the page as they are on the street.

The best hot rods are art on four wheels, and this book is nothing less than a gallery of the best of American hot rods.  Profiling top builders and featuring studio portraits of their most outstanding custom creations, this book celebrates the uniquely American marriage of mechanical know-how and an inspired sense of style and design.  Built from the ground up, pieced together from salvaged parts, rebuilt with classic looks and futuristic technology--these are automotive works of art, as powerful on the page as they are on the street.

From the Inside Flap
Art of the Hot Rod profiles twenty of the most dedicated and innovative hot rod craftsmen working today and the hot rods that define their work. Whether restoring a vintage rod or fabricating a new machine from the ground up, these builders dedicate themselves to respecting the past, improving what's been done, and developing new ideas and methods. Each builder would state that their cars are meant to be driven and enjoyed, but there's no denying that they roll out of each garage as a functional piece of art and sculpture. In Art of the Hot Rod, automotive journalist Ken Gross teams with acclaimed photographer Peter Harholdt to present the beautiful lines, shapes, colors, and handcrafted touches of some of the most amazing hot rods ever built. Hot rod pioneer and So-Cal Speed Shop founder Alex Xydias kicks off this stunning book with his foreword reflecting on the long history of the hot rod movement. Whether you're an all-around car fan, automotive historian or a hot rodder, you'll enjoy this book for years to come.

From the Back Cover
The drive to rebuild, modify, and improve--to make something faster, lighter, and more eye-catching--is a trait ingrained in many car enthusiasts. Whether the end game is speed, beauty, uniqueness, or some special combination of all three, hot rods have always offered the perfect medium. Part mechanical sculpture, part show car, and part speed machine, the hot rods presented in Art of the Hot Rod show the past, present, and future of fabrication, custom painting, and craftsmanship. With the help of author and hot rodder Ken Gross, twenty of today's top builders explain their love of hot rodding, the philosophy they bring to their craft, and exhibit the best of their work in the gorgeous photography of Peter Harholdt.

About the Author
An automobile and motorcycle enthusiast since childhood, Ken Gross was Executive Director of the Petersen Automotive Museum, in Los Angeles, California, for five years following a career in advertising and marketing. His car, travel, and motorcycle writing has appeared in Robb Report, The Rodder's Journal, Automobile Magazine, and Road & Track. Ken and his wife Patricia Serratore live in Hamilton, Virginia, with their children Jake and Kayla.

Peter Harholdt is a lifelong car enthusiast, SCCA racer, and preeminent studio photographer. He has been entrusted to photograph countless priceless works of art for museums and exhibit catalogs. He developed a portable studio that allowed him to create the hot rod portraits regardless of environment or locale. He lives near West Palm Beach, Florida.