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LOS ANGELES () — If you were to make a list of things in American culture with strong roots in Southern California, car culture should certainly be on it. Namely, cars modified by enthusiasts.
“That’s the hot rod way. You take something that works okay, and then you make it the best it could possibly be,” said David Kennedy, board member at the NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, which celebrates the car culture of the West Coast.
Young servicemen settling here after World War II often got good jobs, had optimism, and a strong spirit to create and compete.
“Expressing themselves. It looked beautiful, it went fast, and then they continued to go as fast as they could figure out,” said Kennedy about the early days of drag racing competition.
Not just going fast, but building custom cars to turn heads on the street.
Hot rods, customs, lowriders – expression on four wheels. Thanks to the proliferation of specialty magazines like Hot Rod, features on wild creations were delivered to mailboxes and newsstands from sea to shining sea. Bringing this region’s trends to like-minded young enthusiasts everywhere.
SoCal car culture spread somewhat organically from here, for sure, but it also got a big boost thanks to something else in the region – the entertainment industry. Movies and TV shows became a natural outlet to show off modified cars. From sitcoms to feature films, lots of cool rides further showcased the SoCal car scene to a national audience in a win-win for exposure.
“Speed, beauty, and accessibility – cars are a device that brings people together,” noted Kennedy.
While The Beach Boys obviously celebrated surf culture, car culture went along for the musical ride as well in several of their hit songs, from “Little Deuce Coupe” to “409.”
Americana comes in all forms, and when we look back at history, California car culture is right up there with baseball and apple pie to anyone who appreciates power and beauty.
“It’s inclusive, not exclusive. So you can participate with it, at any level, at any location, and it does, it communicates across and around the world,” said Kennedy.
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