Great American Hot Rods chronicles over 360 amazing cars from the streets, shows, and strips of America. The strict criterion of featuring only pre-1949 cars is observed, but beyond that, anything goes! The author identifies and codifies the four main categories of rod that cruise our streets today. "Hardcore" rods are the purist form of the genre, and set out to recreate the original days of low-budget builds, using junkyard parts, and are resplendent with prime and rust. "Traditional" rods adhere to the styles of yesteryear, but utilize modern parts. "Performance" rods are built using race-inspired components to be the quickest machines around. "Street" rods are built with the best and most modern parts available, and are designed for drivability and comfort, capable of being drive long distances to shows. By contracts, for "Show" rods, practicality takes a back seat to the "Wow!" factor. These pampered cars are even trailered to events to keep them in prime condition.

As you can see, the world of the rod is a very broad church, where "hardcore" and "show" cars are the complete antithesis of one another. Great American Hot Rods is a tribute to the ingenuity of both amateur and professional automotive engineers over the last fifty years. Some of these cars have been rebuilt several times, while others are spookily original, their doors autographed by their famous drivers. Some of these rods are stars in their own right, having appeared in movies such as American Graffiti, or on TV, such as Ed "Cookie" Byrnes's car in 77 Sunset Strip. Big Daddy (AKA Ed Roth)'s landmark car is also featured. All of the featured cars are genuine, living pieces of Americana, and represent a fascinating and worthy part of our fabulous automotive heritage.