Hot rods are typically old, classic American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. Roadsters were the cars of choice because they were light, were easy to modify, and could be bought for a low price. The term became commonplace in the 1930s or 1940s as the name of a car that had been "hopped up" by modifying the engine in various ways to achieve higher performance. A term that was common in the early days to refer to a hot rod was a "gow job". This has fallen into total disuse except with historians.

The term seems first to have appeared in the late 1930s in southern California, where people would race their modified cars on the vast, empty dry lake beds northeast of Los Angeles under the rules of the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA). The activity increased in popularity after World War II, particularly in California because many returning soldiers had been given technical training in the service. Many were prepared by Bootleggers in response to Prohibition to enable them to avoid revenue agents ("Revenooers"); some police vehicles were also modified in response.

The first hot rods were old cars (most often Fords, typically Model Ts, 1928–31 Model As, or 1932-34 Model Bs), modified to reduce weight. Typical modifications were removal of convertible tops, hoods, bumpers, windshields, and/or fenders; channeling the body; and modifying the engine by tuning and/or replacing with a more powerful type. Speedster was a common name for the modified car. Wheels and tires were changed for improved traction and handling. "Hot rod" was sometimes a term used in the 1950s as a derogatory term for any car that did not fit into the mainstream. Hot rodders' modifications were considered to improve the appearance as well, leading to show cars in the 1960s replicating these same modifications along with a distinctive paint job.

Engine swaps often involved fitting the Ford flathead engine, or "flatty", in a different chassis; the "60 horse" in a Jeep was a popular choice in the '40s. After the appearance of the 255 cu in (4.2 l) V8, because of interchangeability, installing the longer-stroke Mercury crank in the 239 was a popular upgrade among hot rodders, much as the 400 cu in (6.6 l) crank in small-blocks would become. In fact, in the 1950s, the flathead block was often fitted with crankshafts of up to 4.125 in (104.8 mm) stroke, sometimes more. In addition, rodders in the 1950s routinely bored them out by 0.1875 in (4.76 mm) (to 3.375 in (85.7 mm)); due to the tendency of blocks to crack as a result of overheating, a perennial problem, this is no longer recommended. In the '50s and '60s, the flatty was supplanted by the early hemi. By the 1970s, the small-block Chevy was the most common option, and since the '80s, the 350 cu in (5.7 l) Chevy has been almost ubiquitous.

How a "Little Deuce Coupe"

Became one of the Most Famous
Hotrods in History.

Here's the story...

The car was bought in 1955 by Clarence Catallo, who was just 15 years old and didn't have a driver's license. The little coupe was bought at a gas station across the street from his parent's grocery story in Allen Park, Michigan for $75.00.

A friend drove the car home for him, and the transformation into a custom began immediately.

Catallo replaced the original stock Ford engine (unlike The Beach Boys song lyrics, which mention "a flathead mill") with a newer 344-cid Olds V-8 built and installed by Bill Wanderer. He then added Olds parts to the driveline, including a Hydra-Matic transmission and a chromed 1955 rear end.

The "A Brothers" go to work on the Coupe...

Much of the original customizing work, including the stacked headlights, side trim, and front grille was done by an auto shop owned by Mike and Larry Alexander in the Detroit suburb of Southfield.

The "A Brothers" sectioned and channeled the body, added a quad-headlight fiberglass nose, made a special rolled rear pan, altered the frame, and covered the cobbled frame rails with polished aluminum fins. When the blue-lacquer paint was added Chili called the hot rod the Silver Sapphire.

On to California and the Famed Barris Custom Shop.

When Catallo was 18 he moved to Southern California and took a job sweeping floors at George Barris' Kustom shop in Lynwood, California.

This is the shop where the famed "Ala Kart" was built. It was the first custom-built pickup to combine both hot rod and custom elements, and was named "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" in 1958 and again in 1959. Chili knew he was in the right hands.

Catallo traded his labor to have the crew there tear down the hot rod, chop the top and repaint it. By 1961 the car was an all out show rod.

Hot Rod Magazine spots the Coupe!

By campaigning the coupe on the West Coast show circuit, Chili caught the attention of Hot Rod Magazine, and the car appeared on the July 1961 cover.

Its greatest fame, however, came in 1963, when it appeared on the cover of the Beach Boys' album "Little Deuce Coupe."

Chili sold the car in 1965 and the car went through some major changes over the next several years. When Chili's son, Curt, saw it at a Detroit custom car show in 1997, he convinced Chili to buy the car back.

The '32 Coupe would be the first and Last Car Chile would own...

Chili and Curt began restoring the coupe to the way it looked in the Hot Rod shoot that was used for the Beach Boys album cover.

Unfortunately, Chili passed away before the Hot Rod was returned to its glory days. Curt continued enlisting the help of many of the men who originally worked on the car, as well as General Motors.

Recognizing the blown Olds engine was a significant part of the company's history, GM helped Curt with the engine and drivetrain rebuild. The restored car appeared at the 50th Detroit Autorama in 2002.

In an interview in 2009 Curt said "The coupe was the first and last car my dad purchased."