This anthology of hot rod writings and excerpts chronicles the joys of hot rodding, the historical circumstances of its creation, and the major events, people, cars, and builders who brought hot rods to the national stage. From popular writers of the era to those covering today's cutting edge innovators, this collection explores various themes within hot rodding through news articles, essays, fiction, interviews, and more, with more than 60 color and black-and-white illustrations and photographs to illuminate each excerpt and story. Writers include Gray Baskerville, Ed Roth, Wally Parks, Dean Batchelor, Robert E. Petersen, Tom Wolfe, LeRoi "Tex" Smith, and many more.

Peter Schletty has been an editor in the Twin Cities area since 2002, formerly at Motorbooks and currently at Hazelden Publishing. He lives in St. Paul, MN. Melinda Keefe is an editor who has contributed to various Motorbooks titles, covering subjects from hot rodding to muscle cars to motorsports. She lives in Minneapolis, MN.