If so, your opinion on rat rods—and by extension, diesel rat rods—may be informed by whether you are already invested in traditional hot rod building (pre-1949 hot rods) and the long history of ...

Jeremey Rainey's Volkswagen Beetle rat rod is the definition of the "built not bought" slogan that so many hot-rodders live by. He purchased a rusty 1964 bug and went to work on the blank canvas.

The hot rod dates way back to the 1920s, but found its cultural footing in post-World War II America. Soldiers armed with mechanical training picked up cheap Ford Model Ts and found ways to make them ...