What is "hot rod"

n. Typically a passenger vehicle modified to run and/or accelerate faster. The term may be used generically to apply to any car, truck, or motorcycle (et al.) modified for increased speed and/or performance. It may also be used to specifically describe and refer to modified cars from the original (or traditional) era of "hot rods", post World War II and prior to 1960. vb. A colloquialism and slang term used to refer to the act of modifying a vehicle for enhanced driving performance, top speed, and/or to accelerate faster.

n. a car modified to increase its speed and acceleration [syn: hot-rod]

Hot rods are typically old, classic American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. A possible origin includes replacement of the camshaft with a new ("hotter") version, sometimes known as a hot stick or hot rod. Roadsters were the cars of choice because they were light, easy to modify, and inexpensive. The term became commonplace in the 1930s or 1940s as the name of a car that had been "hopped up" by modifying the engine for higher performance. A term common in the early days was "gow job". This has fallen into disuse except with historians.

The term has broadened to apply to other items that are modified for a particular purpose, such as "hot-rodded amplifier".

Hot Rod is a monthly American car magazine devoted to hot rodding, drag racing, and muscle cars; —modifying automobiles for performance and appearance.

Hot Rod is a top-down arcade racing game developed by Sega. Released for arcades in 1988, the game was available in a four-player cocktail-style cabinet as well as a three-player upright cabinet. It was later ported and published in 1990 by Activision for the Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and Atari ST home computers.

A Hot Rod is a typically American car with a large engine modified for linear speed.

Hot Rod may also refer to:

• Hot Rod, a 1988 arcade game by Sega
• Hot Rod, a 2007 film starring Andy Samberg
• Hot Rod (magazine)
• Hot Rod, a dry sausage snack sold in Canada
• Hot Rods (oval racing)
• Hot Rod, a Transformers character
• Bowling Green Hot Rods, the Full A team of the Tampa Bay Rays
• Hot Rod Condoms, a U.S. condom brand

In music:

• Hot rod music, a subgenre of surf music
• "Hot Rod", a 2000 song by Peaches from The Teaches of Peaches
• Hot Rod, an American rapper and recording artist from Phoenix, Arizona

In nicknames:

• Hot Rod Hundley (1934-2015), American basketball player and sportscaster
• John "Hot Rod" Williams (born 1962), American basketball player
• Roddy Piper or Hot Rod, former professional wrestler
• Hot Rod Fuller, participant in the 2008 NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series season

Hot Rod is a 2007 American comedy film co-written, directed by, and starring members of The Lonely Island ( Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer). The film stars Samberg as an amateur stuntman whose abusive step-father, Frank ( Ian McShane) continuously mocks and disrespects him. When Frank grows ill, Rod raises money for his heart operation by executing his largest stunt yet. In addition to raising money for the operation, he also does so to win Frank's respect, by kicking his butt. The film also stars Taccone, Sissy Spacek, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Isla Fisher and Bill Hader. It was directed by Schaffer (in his directorial debut) and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

The film was originally drafted by Pam Brady (who retains full writing credit) as a vehicle for Saturday Night Live star Will Ferrell, but the project never commenced. Lorne Michaels convinced Paramount to let The Lonely Island, who were growing famous for their work on SNL, take over the film. The group subsequently re-wrote the film with a heavy emphasis on offbeat surreal humor. The film was shot in Vancouver over the summer of 2006. The film's soundtrack was composed by ex- Yes guitarist, Trevor Rabin, and the film features several songs by the Swedish rock band Europe.

Hot Rod opened on August 3, 2007 and was a box office failure, grossing only $14 million of its $25 million budget. As the film's producers predicted, it received mixed reviews, criticizing the film's script and humor.

A Hot Rod is a Canadian dry sausage snack food made by Schneider Foods. They are sold in many convenience stores, and concession stands throughout the country. Hot rods have a salty, slightly spicy, beef flavour, and are similar to the American " Slim Jim" brand snack. They are available in Original, Barbecue and Hickory Smoke flavours, in 8 and 19g sizes, and in packs of 20 and 40.

Rodney Toole (born June 25, 1981) better known by his stage name Hot Rod (formerly Young Hot Rod), is an American recording artist from Phoenix, Arizona. In 2006, Hot Rod secured a recording contract with New York City-based rapper 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. In 2010 he was moved to G-Note Records, a subsidiary label of G-Unit Records, which focuses on pop, dance and R&B music. He is also a poster on the hip-hop forum The Coli.

Hot Rod is a 1979 film directed by George Armitage. It stars Gregg Henry and Pernell Roberts.