The roots of Rat Rods was poor folks, often teens, built a car from pieces they scrounged.
Usually it started with a motor that would run and go from there so they had minimum pieces and light weight.
Later they became projects for clubs or a group of friends to chip in pieces and put one together, those often becoming a race only car.
They looked like shit but beat walking and better for getting laid than a skateboard.
Now Rat Rods is an established style and I don’t understand the attraction.
At the SEMA show going on in Vegas this week there are scores of guys who took a $30,000 engine, dropped it in a custom built high tech chassis, then added the ugliest body they could drag home, with a $10,000 interior.
I guess for some people it’s better to be laughed at than ignored.