Rods and Customs

Whether it’s a beefed-up V-8 or a lowered chop-top, a rockabilly ride or restored Model T, hot rods and custom cars drive the speed and style of car culture to a whole new plane. In a book that features some of the most beautiful rods and customs, author and photographer Bo Bertilsson burns film and rubber visiting events from Las Vegas to Paso Robles, chronicling the restoration of his own T-bucket, and offering an up-close look at rockabilly cars, including one owned by Jeff Beck. His book—with its vast cast of characters in their 20s and 30s, many embracing the culture right down to the hairstyles and clothes—offers head-turning testimony to a hot-rod and custom-car revival well underway.

A native of Sweden, Bo Bertilsson lives in Southern California and has written and photographed hot rods and customs for several U.S. magazines. He is also the author of Motorbooks' Classic Hot Rods, Classic Customs and Lead Sleds, and Rods and Customs. www.roybriziostreetrods.com, www.bossebson.com