Jerry Lettieri - Hot Rod Collectibles Column
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Jerry Lettieri has been very active in the auto hobby since the late 1950s as an automobile and automobilia collector. He has bought and sold close to 1000 cars, and currently maintains a diverse12-car collection including a Zora Arkus-Duntov Ardun powered Allard. His automobilia collection includes: signs, photos, mascots, license plates and automobile radiator badges, which are of major interest to him. Jerry is well known for his annual Automobilia Auction held in Hartford, Connecticut.
Lettieri@cox.net AutomobiliaAuctions.com |
Some of Jerry's Articles: Hot Rod Collectibles Column
Hot Rod magazine, large format. The original
size was 9”x12”, and early issues were black-andwhite;
the magazine later changed to color and reduced
the size to 8.5”x11”. Some sizes varied slightly.
The large-format, B&W “ issues are the most collectible
today. The articles in Hot Rod magazine provide some
of the best provenance for period hot rods today.
Prices currently vary from $5 to $100 per issue.
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Hot Rod Collectibles 1945-1965 Paper Items
Issue #22 May/Jun 2022 The term “hot rod” has no definite meaning, according to my research. My understanding is that a car could be called a hot rod if it was modified to go faster than how it was originally produced. I would even go so far as to call some cars going back to the early 1900s “hot rods” in their own right. During this early period, many stock cars were modified into “speedster” configurations by removing the body and adding a couple of bucket seats and a gas tank. The car would be lighter, and thus obviously quicker. Special speedster bodies were factory-made in the Teens and Twenties for Model T Fords and other cars – they would definitely be hot rods of the period. [Editor’s note: “T-bucket roadster” and “T-bucket hot rod” immediately come to mind.] |