How Lust Built Hot Rod Magazine

How Lust Built Hot Rod Magazine

I’ve told this story before, but it makes sense for me to tell it again on Valentines Day, 2011. It’s a story that was told to me by Wally Parks in and around 2004 or so – a transition period for Marcie and I in so many different ways. I had this website and Mr. Parks thought it was going somewhere. It was time, Wally argued, to drop my day job and take this gig to the next level. I had big doubts. I was battling self confidence issues and a vivid imagination that lead to visions of failure and a close/personal view of a dirty street gutter somewhere.

Wally knew that I was struggling with the numbers of business and figured there was no way I would take a blind leap of faith on the merits of traffic alone. He believed in my passion more than I did and he taught me a lesson by telling this story.

In the summer of 1948, Hot Rod Magazine published their first July issue. It was a fine issue of the publication, but it was an early issue and distribution wasn’t quite there yet. Robert E. Petersen just wasn’t sure if the whole idea was gonna work or not, but he pressed on and continued risking big money issue after issue. The July issue, however, was a turning point of sorts.

See, it was that very issue that introduced the hot rod world to Anita Smith. Who is Anita Smith? I’m not exactly sure… Nor was Mr. Petersen. However, her picture (as seen above) was printed in the racing spotlight of the July issue and as a result, the magazine received a great deal of mail. Everyone wanted to know who the hottie was… A fella or two even wanted to marry her. In fact, the response was heated enough to give Mr. Petersen some comfort.

“Maybe folks out there really are reading this damn thing?�?

Mr. Petersen pressed on, Anita became a bit of a legend among old time hot rodders in the know, and Hot Rod Magazine became known as the publication that started it all.

On the surface, this seems like a simple little story of inspiration. And I guess that’s all it really was/is… But there is something so damned romantic about lust bringing confidence to two different “publishers” over a period of 60 years. I still haven’t found out who Anita Smith was and what happened to her. I don’t believe Wally or Mr. Petersen ever tried because that simply wasn’t the point.

Happy Valentines Day ya’ll.

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