[wdfifteen]

In the early '50s they were called hot rods - cars modified in back yards with only the intent of making them faster - looks were an afterthought. Then someone decided to start putting paint on them and visual appeal became popular. In the age of the custom car, looks became even more important than performance. After muscle cars came out and the performance aftermarket got big, having the right brand of aftermarket go fasters on your car was paramount. It didn't matter if you ever raced your car as long as you had the right racer stuff on it. Sigh ... car fads have suffered many spasms over the decades (remember jacked-up rear ends?). Now we're back to hot rods with no paint - kind of. Rat rods seem kind of schizophrenic - caught between performance and narcissism. They purport not to care what the cars look like, yet they have experts looking at photos and judging what is and what is not a proper "rat rod" - no track credentials required. Fads in the car hobby come and go ... and come and go. And so it goes...