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.

The hot rod dates way back to the 1920s, but found its cultural footing in post-World War II America. Soldiers armed with mechanical training picked up cheap Ford Model Ts and found ways to make them ...