Best Hot Rods: Top 7 Cars That Make Great Hot Rods

If you could turn any car into a hot rod, which one would you pick? For a lot of people in the shop world the answer comes instantly. For everyone else, less so.

This list gathers seven classics that work especially well as a starting point, with what makes each one good and what it takes to find one. At the end is what you need in the shop to build any of them.

What exactly is a hot rod?

A hot rod is a modified car: bigger engine, more horsepower, more torque, set up for speed and for looks.

The term started out naming American muscle cars that had been worked over, but today it mostly refers to restored classics that have been given fresh paint and a powerful engine. That's the definition this list works with.

The seven that work best

Volkswagen Type 1

We'll start with the Beetle, and the objection is obvious: it's too common to make a good hot rod.

The answer is simple. A hot rod doesn't have to come from a rare, expensive car. It comes from what you add to a classic. And the Type 1 has two concrete advantages: you can find one anywhere, and it's cheap, which makes the whole build cost a fraction of what it costs with others on this list.

1929 Ford Model T

When someone says "hot rod," the Model T deserves part of the credit. It went into production in 1908 in Detroit and was the world's best-selling car for more than fifty years, until the Beetle passed it in 1972.

The '29 makes this list because of what happens when you put a powerful engine and fresh paint into a 1920s body: the contrast is hard to beat. And while an original will cost thousands, replicas are available in plenty of places.

1937 Lincoln Zephyr

You only have to look at it. The long, sled-like line and the rounded corners make it look like the Beetle's bigger, heavier brother.

It's among the best-looking on this list and also among the hardest: rare and expensive. The good news is that replicas exist for this one too.

1950 Mercury Hardtop

Staying with the sled look, the 1950 Mercury has an appeal close to the Zephyr's but with a practical advantage: it's easier to find and cheaper, simply because far more of them were built.

If you like that style and the Zephyr priced you out, this is the way in.

1933 Willys Coupe

Willys is known mostly for the military vehicles of the Second World War, but this '33 coupe is an excellent base.

It has three things going for it: it's easy to maintain, it accepts a wide range of engines, and it isn't as expensive as several others here.

1932 Ford Roadster

This list isn't numbered for a reason: it's genuinely hard to decide which of the last two is better.

The '32 Roadster doesn't only look good, it's the ideal hot rod for someone who wants to get out and cruise. It's small, it's about as classic as it gets, and it's essentially a coupe with no roof. They're very rare, and there isn't a hot rod show where one doesn't turn up.

1933 Ford Coupe

This one will start an argument, and it's worth having.

It's small, it's compact, and for a lot of people it's the template for what a hot rod should look like. Originals are out there but rare and expensive. In exchange, it's one of the best-served by replica kits, which puts it within reach of more budgets.

What you need in the shop to build one

All seven have one thing in common: none of them gets built without turning the body over.

A car rotisserie is the tool that solves that. It holds the body at both ends and spins it on its axis, so the underside, the wheel wells and the floor sit at whatever height you choose, with light on them. It's the difference between working on your back on the floor and working on your feet with both hands free.

An engine stand lets you build the engine separately while the body keeps turning on the rotisserie. They start at 1,000 pounds, which is plenty for a small block, and run up to 6,000 for heavy diesel work; folding versions store away once the engine is back in the car.

A shop crane is what pulls that engine out and puts it back. They run from 1,500 to 6,000 pounds, and the folding ones fold against the wall when you're done.

And if the frame came in twisted — common enough in a car that spent fifty years outdoors — a frame machine is what straightens it before you mount anything on top of it. It's the step most people discover late, once the doors no longer close.

What other classic would you build into a hot rod?

There you have seven classics that became favorites among the people who build hot rods. Some are easy to find and some aren't, but there are hundreds of other vehicles out there worth modifying. Who knows — one of them might make the next top seven.