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Rat Rods
Roll Out The Rats
"Rat Rods are perfect imperfections on four wheels" Rat Rods
Custom Hot Rods are cool, the immaculate candy paint with the nice
mirror-finish chrome gleaming in the sun, sitting oh-so-perfectly with
nothing out of place. But the rawness, the thrown-together looks and
the originality that oozes out of Rat Rods clearly have a different
taste to their shiny brothers that refuses to fit inside the square.
Rat-Rod is a dirty word to some people. “Purists” say they shouldn’t be considered part of the Hot Rod scene, “preservationists” believe that modifying rare historical cars are a sin and other Rodders say Rats are just sorry excuses for real cars. The universal response from Rat drivers consists of a middle finger and a big “fuck you too”.
Rats were originally Rods that were in the process of getting finished, driven around in primer till the owner saved up enough money to paint the car with bits and pieces missing. They would one day be completed if the owner’s wallet allowed them, never to stay incomplete. But during the evolution of the Kustom Kulture, the mentality was geared towards expensive “show cars” that traveled around only on trailers. These “trailer-queens” were all about form over function, and this was quite contrary to the Hot Rod mentality that they’re supposed to be driven.
The reaction from some was to do the complete opposite, and thus the Rat Rods were born.
There’s no real guideline or criteria for a car to be a Rat Rod, but generally they appear to be unfinished, with makeshift accessories and parts and stripped, chopped, shaved and customized to the owner’s own style. Most of the cars are early American rides, Fords being most popular, but the influences have spread to other makes and spawned their own styles and trends, most notably Rat Rod and Rat-Look Volkswagens.
The cars can range from lowered original cars complete with original paint and patina (rust and blemishes) to outrageous home-made leadsleds. There are no boundaries and most the cars are built by the owner’s own to hands, with the help of some mates and some brews of course, therefore no car will look the same as the others. Some sporting wrenches as door handles, Mexican blanket interiors and even potato-sack car bras, there are endless ways to customize the rides.
These cars still turn heads and cause a scene wherever they get driven, and they’ll be around for a minute longer regardless of the what the opposition say. There’s an aura that surrounds these cars that cannot be explained to someone who just doesn’t get it. Rat Rods are perfect imperfections on four wheels.
Back
Rats were originally Rods that were in the process of getting finished, driven around in primer till the owner saved up enough money to paint the car with bits and pieces missing. They would one day be completed if the owner’s wallet allowed them, never to stay incomplete. But during the evolution of the Kustom Kulture, the mentality was geared towards expensive “show cars” that traveled around only on trailers. These “trailer-queens” were all about form over function, and this was quite contrary to the Hot Rod mentality that they’re supposed to be driven.
The reaction from some was to do the complete opposite, and thus the Rat Rods were born.
There’s no real guideline or criteria for a car to be a Rat Rod, but generally they appear to be unfinished, with makeshift accessories and parts and stripped, chopped, shaved and customized to the owner’s own style. Most of the cars are early American rides, Fords being most popular, but the influences have spread to other makes and spawned their own styles and trends, most notably Rat Rod and Rat-Look Volkswagens.
The cars can range from lowered original cars complete with original paint and patina (rust and blemishes) to outrageous home-made leadsleds. There are no boundaries and most the cars are built by the owner’s own to hands, with the help of some mates and some brews of course, therefore no car will look the same as the others. Some sporting wrenches as door handles, Mexican blanket interiors and even potato-sack car bras, there are endless ways to customize the rides.
These cars still turn heads and cause a scene wherever they get driven, and they’ll be around for a minute longer regardless of the what the opposition say. There’s an aura that surrounds these cars that cannot be explained to someone who just doesn’t get it. Rat Rods are perfect imperfections on four wheels.
Back
Rat Fink was created by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, one of the founders of Kustom Kulture. This ugly ass mouse became the poster-boy for the Hot Rods universally, making it onto cars, flags, bonnets and even onto children’s shirts. The kids who wore shirts with Rat Fink and his friends were even banned from school.
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