I love looking at restored classics, muscle cars, race cars, antiques—I love all of that stuff, and they have their place in automotive history. However, rat rods are not meant to be hauled. I won’t even put a car in this magazine if it’s not used. Rats are really meat-and-potato machines. I need to see bugs in the radiator and burnt rubber on the quarter panels. They should be mean and gritty and have plenty of attitude. Function over flavor, baby.
So what will or won’t I feature in this magazine? After reading all of this, you pretty much know where I stand, but here’s what really turns me on: cars and trucks that represent the rat rod culture. I’m looking for daily drivers. Rats that are built to DO something. Rats that are built by hand, in the backyard, in the local shop, in a rickety old garage. Rats built from salvage-yard treasures. Rats that are made from a bunch of different sources from different generations. Rats that have meaning behind their existence. Rats and owners/builders that have a story.
Creativity, both mechanical and aesthetic. Rust. Patina. Big steel balls to go along with big steel pipes, with engines that churn out thunderous fury, flame-blasting exhausts, and the smell of burnt high-octane fuel. This is my interpretation of what is and what is not a rat rod. I challenge everyone out there to form your own opinions and find your own “cool.” Rat on!
— by Steve Thaemert
I published the following letter in the June/July 2014 issue of Rat Rod Magazine, also in response to the what-is-a-rat rod debate. It sums up “rat rod” as a term, culture, and community. Only three years apart, these two articles share the same basic message.
Ratology, an Editor’s Letter
Four years after the birth of Rat Rod Magazine, the battle of what is and what is not a rat rod still rages on. Sometimes I wonder if it’s just because people like to stir the pot … or maybe need something to argue about. Other times, they might genuinely want to know. Either way, someone is always asking “what is a rat rod?”
I’ve given my definition a bazillion times, and every once in a while I revisit the topic here in the magazine. I used to spend a stupid amount of time trying to explain my stance on what a rat rod is and how I have formulated that opinion, but it all comes down to this: a rat rod is simply a blue-collar hot rod.
You can spin off from that any way you want—talk about years, makes, components, paint, whatever—and it still comes down to that. I don’t care who coined the term or when it was first used. This is what it is now. A rat rod is a blue-collar hot rod. Period. That is fact. It’s not debatable. Everything beyond that? Open to interpretation, and that’s what makes the rat rod scene so fun and inviting.
Underneath the rust lies decades’ worth of history.
The fact of the matter is that a rat rod is the working-class answer to high-buck hot rods and street rods and all of the pageantry and ego that seem to go along with them. Rat rods are about heart, history, and having a good time. They’re not about money, ego, and who has the most seamless clone of the car next to it. Rat rodders embrace imperfection, individuality, and the stories behind what they’re building and driving. That’s the beauty of the rat rod scene … you can create something that represents your personality down to every fine detail, and you can do it within your means. No one can tell you it’s right or wrong.
I know there’s a fine line between traditional hot rods and rats, and there’s always going to be debate surrounding the use of newer vehicles and, many times, newer components—but that’s OK. I see a whole lot of cool creations—rat or not—and they don’t have to be labeled in order to be enjoyed. Someone will always be raising the bar and stirring the pot. So be it. Let’s see your interpretation of cool, whatever you want to call it.
These are some of my own thoughts and opinions—take them how you want. The bottom line? In a cool sort of free-spirited way, rat rodding will define itself and always has.
— by Steve Thaemert, 2014
Here are some other definitions from guys at Rat Rod Magazine
To me, rat rods have been around for decades. I think they started back when people of all ages (mostly young) wanted a car and couldn’t afford one, but they could build one out of parts that were cheap and easy to get. Most didn’t have the money to put into customizing and appearance, so their efforts went into building a hopefully reliable car. I think “jalopies” were the first rat rods, so this is not new. The beauty of rat rods is that almost anything goes. Rust or rattle can, chopped or not, channeled or not, mixture of different makes and models. One thing that I don’t think is a rat rod is a car with stuff welded onto it that serves no purpose and sprayed flat black.
—Craig Lankki, Merchandise Director
Blue collar, family-oriented, low-buck rod. Where self-expression can be explored and is encouraged. No rules to follow other than safety. An excellent entry into the car hobby. No belly-button or cookie-cutter cars; American ingenuity at its finest.
—Bryan Dagel, Head Builder
A rat rod is a car that’s built with the sensibilities and basic style of the original pre-war hot rods with an eye toward creativity and personalization. Older cars with modern drivetrains and suspensions are welcome, separating the rat rods from the “traditional” rods, making the rat rods more accessible and achievable to the average guy or gal.
—Rick Loxton, Senior Writer
Rat rods are low-dollar, affordable hot rods. Just like back in the ‘50s, rat rods are the affordable cars pieced together with what you have or can afford to buy. They are loud, fast, obnoxious, and a blast to drive.
—Chad Truss, Staff Photographer
As you can see, even the people behind the magazine share different opinions, all based on the same basic principles but all slightly different at the same time. In 2015, I wrote an article describing what we were looking for to showcase in the magazine as submissions poured in from around the world. That’s a good thing—unless, of course, you can run only eight to ten features in an issue and become severely backlogged with material. People began grumbling that we were rejecting their vehicles, which was really not the case. Could we or would we publish every rat rod out there? Of course not. But the majority of rat rods do meet our criteria for publication. The following excerpt from my article explains what we look for when considering submissions.
The Rat Rod Magazine mission is — and has always been — to showcase rat rod culture and the builders behind the machines.
Plenty of legitimate rat rods are flat black, but paint (or lack thereof) is not the defining characteristic.
We’re often asked how people can get their cars and trucks into the magazine, so I thought it would be a good time to answer in depth.
This magazine is powered by the rat rod community. We don’t have any agendas other than to promote and support this group of builders and enthusiasts. It’s important to us that anyone can get into this magazine, no matter how rich or poor, whether they’re building in a shop or the backyard. If the vehicle represents rat rod culture and the build itself has merit, it has a shot in Rat Rod.
That being said, there are two common reasons a vehicle won’t make it into the magazine:
1. we receive far more submissions
