79 Hot Rods Trivia Questions with Answers
79 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Hot rod trivia covers the cars, builders, films, awards, and engineering breakthroughs that shaped American custom-car culture. Questions range from legendary figures such as Ed Iskenderian, the “Camfather,” to influential shops, custom bodywork, drag racing, and the specialized techniques used on mid-century show cars.
You can identify the primer-gray Chevy from Two-Lane Blacktop, name the Cadillac built by Boyd Coddington for Billy Gibbons, or connect the Hirohata Merc with Barris Customs and a 1955 film appearance. This category is made for car clubs, pub quizzes, automotive classrooms, and game nights where enthusiasts and generalists can compete across history, design, and performance.
What 1971 cult film follows a primer-gray 1955 Chevy racing a Pontiac GTO across the United States?
Answer
Two-Lane Blacktop
What custom Cadillac did Boyd Coddington build for Billy Gibbons?
Answer
CadZZilla
The Hirohata Merc appeared in what 1955 film?
Answer
Running Wild
What 1950s custom car was built for Bob Hirohata by Barris Customs?
Answer
Hirohata Merc
What was the first Edelbrock product sold commercially?
Answer
Slingshot manifold
Who founded Edelbrock Corporation in 1938?
Answer
Vic Edelbrock
Who founded MOON Speed Equipment around 1950?
Answer
Dean Moon
So-Cal Speed Shop is headquartered in what California city?
Answer
San Dimas
Who founded So-Cal Speed Shop in Burbank in 1946?
Answer
Alex Xydias
What cartoon hot rodder first appeared in Hot Rod magazine in March 1948?
Answer
Stroker McGurk
Who was the first editor of Hot Rod magazine?
Answer
Wally Parks
What 1974 GNRS award recognizes the best non-roadster in show?
Answer
Al Slonaker Memorial Award
Who established the Grand National Roadster Show in 1950?
Answer
Al Slonaker
What car show is also known unofficially as the Oakland Roadster Show?
Answer
Grand National Roadster Show
What American subculture was born from Southern California hot-rod culture of the 1960s?
Answer
Kustom Kulture
What fictional hot-rod character did Ed Roth create?
Answer
Rat Fink
Santa Ana Drags opened on an auxiliary runway at what airport?
Answer
Orange County Airport
What was the first drag strip in the United States?
Answer
Santa Ana Drags
What organization first met on November 29, 1937, to organize Southern California dry-lake racing?
Answer
Southern California Timing Association
In hot-rod slang, "juice brakes" are what type of brakes?
Answer
hydraulic brakes
Which Ford model built from 1928 to 1931 was a common early hot-rod base?
Answer
Ford Model A
In the late 1930s, hot rods first appeared in what U.S. region?
Answer
Southern California
What aircraft engine powered Jim Lytle's pioneering Funny Car Big Al II?
Answer
Allison V-1710
Who built the customized 1934 Ford coupe known as The California Kid?
Answer
Pete Chapouris
Ala Kart won America's Most Beautiful Roadster in which two years?
Answer
1958 and 1959
The custom hot rod Ala Kart began as what Ford model?
Answer
1929 Ford Model A
At what 1963 drag racing event did the Christmas Tree starting system debut?
Answer
U.S. Nationals
The term Funny Car is attributed to Mercury racing chief Fran who?
Answer
Hernandez
A gasser is a type of hot rod originally used in what form of racing?
Answer
Drag racing
Hot Rods trivia — quick answers
What are good hot rod trivia questions?
Strong hot rod trivia questions ask about famous custom cars, influential builders, hot rodding films, awards, engine parts, and design techniques. Examples include identifying the “Camfather,” naming the Hirohata Merc’s builder, or recalling the first product sold commercially by Edelbrock.
How hard is hot rod trivia?
Hot rod trivia is usually medium to difficult because it combines popular culture with specialist automotive history. Car fans may know famous films and builders, while less familiar questions involve show-car awards, obscure custom names, camshaft companies, and early aftermarket performance products.
Who was known as the Camfather?
Ed Iskenderian earned the nickname “The Camfather” through his pioneering work in performance camshafts and hot-rodding equipment. He founded Isky Cams in 1947, and the company became strongly associated with racing, custom engines, and the development of aftermarket parts for performance enthusiasts.
What is the Hirohata Merc?
The Hirohata Merc is a heavily customized 1951 Mercury built for Bob Hirohata by Barris Customs in the early 1950s. It became one of the defining cars of the custom-car movement, appearing in the 1955 film Running Wild and influencing generations of builders with its lowered body and distinctive styling.
What is Two-Lane Blacktop about?
Two-Lane Blacktop is a 1971 road film about a primer-gray 1955 Chevrolet and a Pontiac GTO racing across the United States. The cult movie is closely associated with hot rod and street-racing culture, emphasizing stripped-down cars, long highways, and the identity of their drivers.