We were out eating & scooting around when we noticed this thing drive into our local Burger King parking lot...
I was told to it is a Rat-Rod.
I guess I have to wonder, What is a rat rod?”
From what I have been able find out, a rat rod is in fact a blue-collar hot rod.
To me, a doodlebug (family car turned into a farm implement) was an early form of rat rod ingenuity.
Maybe not the vehicle itself, but the thought behind it. Taking one thing and turning it into something entirely different because that’s all you have to work with seems to be a common thread that runs through generations of build-it-your-selfers.
It is said a true rat rod, as we know it, was born much later and has evolved from a poor-man’s hot rod into a beast all its own.
Today’s rat rod is a mix of old and new, functional, affordable and most likely containing components from different years, makes and models. I'm told that
today’s rat rodder will showcase deformations, imperfections and those impossible-to-imitate signs of a vehicle’s life story. These scars may be everything from the original weather-worn and time-aged finish to bullet holes, to old body work or an exaggerated tear in the steel.
These imperfections paired with the aesthetics of raw welds, rivets, spikes, low chops and menacing stances combine to create the aggressive nature of the modern rat rod. The addition of huge, unique or nostalgic engines paired with creative exhaust work add to the dark design of what has become its own art form.
I hear it is described as the modern rat rod scene is “rockabilly meets heavy metal.”
The thing that continues to blow my mind is the fact that no two rat rods are exactly alike.
The only way to achieve an identical match would be to paint two cars the same, and that’s after having matched engines and wheels and the chop, etc. Good luck with that... It would be one heck of an accomplishment if you were trying to make it happen.
Rat rodders might build similar cars, but it’s those fine details that are always different. There are so many creative combinations, and so many ways to personalize your ride that the possibilities are literally endless. And when you throw in the one-off customizations, you’re bound to find something new with every rat rod in existence.
No matter the definition & just my opinion of course, but I love to see old and unique cars on the road – of any genre.
Keeping My Eyes Peeled For Them Now...
Nana
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