Hot Rod Magazine

What Hot Rod Magazine does

Hot Rod Magazine is an American automotive enthusiast media brand, founded in 1948 and operated as a subsidiary of Hearst Autos, Inc., within Hearst Digital Media. The brand produces a flagship print and digital magazine covering muscle cars, custom builds, hot rod projects, racing, and how-to technical content, targeted at DIY mechanics, restomod builders, and drag-racing participants in the United States. The core technology is a digital publishing platform at hotrod.com that combines editorial content management, event coverage, multimedia storytelling, email newsletters, and utility tools such as car research and car finder functionality. Subscription management runs through the buySub OrdersGateway servlet under code HTR, and merchandise is fulfilled through the MotorTrend store at store.motortrend.com.

The business model is multi-stream: print and digital magazine subscriptions on annual billing, digital advertising and sponsored editorial on hotrod.com, event-based sponsorship revenue from flagship properties (HOT ROD Power Tour, HOT ROD Drag Week, Roadkill Nights, Power Fest), and merchandise sales through the MotorTrend store. The Power Tour travels nearly 1,000 miles along Route 66 with Chevrolet Performance as presenting sponsor and HP Tuners, OPTIMA Batteries, and Tremec as official sponsors; Drag Week is a five-day drag-and-drive competition drawing 400+ racers. The brand's editorial team is led by John McGann (Editor-in-Chief) and Mike Galimi (Network Director), with Steven Rupp, KJ Jones, Brian Lohnes, and Barry Kluczyk as contributing writers.

Go-to-market is hybrid: top-of-funnel content marketing and social media drive awareness, newsletters and staff-led editorial drive mid-funnel engagement, and event properties and merchandise capture bottom-of-funnel conversion. As a subsidiary of Hearst Corporation, HOT ROD does not raise independent funding and reports within a diversified media conglomerate. The combined effect of brand heritage, event portfolio, and Hearst Autos distribution infrastructure produces a stable, multi-channel revenue base, though no segment-level financials are publicly disclosed.

Name

Hot Rod Magazine

Legal name

Hearst Autos, Inc.

Website

https://hotrod.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Hot Rod Magazine is a 1948-founded U.S. automotive enthusiast media brand under Hearst Autos, publishing print and digital magazines, the hotrod.com platform, signature events (Power Tour, Drag Week, Roadkill Nights), newsletters, and merchandise for muscle car and hot rod enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Palm Coast

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Print and digital magazine subscriptions offered through buySub servlet (OrdersGateway) with code HTR, serving the core automotive enthusiast readership
2. Digital Advertising: Sponsored editorial content and display advertising on hotrod.com, including partnerships with automotive aftermarket brands and manufacturers
3. Event Properties: HOT ROD Power Tour, Drag Week, Roadkill Nights, and other branded events generating sponsorship revenue from automotive brands including Chevrolet Performance, HP Tuners, OPTIMA, and Tremec
4. Merchandise Sales: HOT ROD branded merchandise sold through the MotorTrend store, including apparel and accessories

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HOT ROD is the oldest American magazine devoted to hot rodding, published since 1948, delivering editorial content on muscle cars, custom builds, engine swaps, and automotive culture through print, digital, and live event properties. The brand operates the HOT ROD Network website, branded enthusiast events (Power Tour, Drag Week, Roadkill Nights), newsletters, and an online merchandise storefront under Hearst Autos.

Product overview

HOT ROD is an automotive media brand published by Hearst Autos since 1948. The core offering is the HOT ROD Magazine (print and digital), which is complemented by the HOT ROD Network website (hotrod.com) delivering features, how-to articles, and event coverage. The brand also produces signature events including the HOT ROD Power Tour and HOT ROD Drag Week. Digital offerings include newsletters, merchandise through the MotorTrend store, and car research tools. The portfolio represents a unified entertainment/media brand focused on muscle cars, custom builds, and hot rodding culture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HOT ROD Power Tour: Annual automotive event featuring thousands of hot rods, muscle cars, and performance vehicles traveling across Route 66
• HOT ROD Drag Week
• HOT ROD Power Fest

Products and services

• HOT ROD Magazine Print and digital magazine subscription covering muscle cars, custom cars, hot rod projects, and automotive culture since 1948, offered to individual automotive enthusiasts.
• HOT ROD Network (hotrod.com) Online editorial platform delivering features, how-to articles, event coverage, barn finds, and automotive news to enthusiasts.
• HOT ROD Power Tour Annual cross-country road trip event featuring thousands of muscle cars and hot rods traveling Route 66, with stops at race tracks and car shows.
• HOT ROD Drag Week Drag-and-drive competition where competitors race at multiple dragstrips while driving street-legal cars on public roads between venues.
• HOT ROD Newsletters
• HOT ROD Merchandise Store
• Car Research and Car Finder Tools

Quantifiable outcome

• HOT ROD Power Tour attracts thousands of participants across nearly 1,000 miles ofRoute 66
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• Rick Ware RacingminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 June 2026Rick Ware Racing expanded into drag-and-drive racing through acquisition of Mad Max Camaro for HOT ROD Drag Week competition, marking a new motorsports category for the organization.
• Chevrolet PerformanceflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Chevrolet Performance serves as Presenting Sponsor of HOT ROD Power Tour 2026. The partnership includes large midway exhibit presence and display of flagship vehicles like the Corvette ZR1X at Power Tour venues.
• HP TunerscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026HP Tuners is the Official Calibration Sponsor of HOT ROD Power Tour 2026, providing tuning technology exposure to the enthusiast audience.
• OPTIMA BatteriescoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026OPTIMA Batteries is the Official Battery Sponsor of HOT ROD Power Tour 2026, supporting event operations and brand visibility.
• TremeccoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Tremec is the Official Manual Transmission Sponsor of HOT ROD Power Tour 2026, connecting with transmission enthusiasts at the event.
• SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026SEMA has spent years advocating for vehicle owner rights and aftermarket industry regulations. HOT ROD covers SEMA initiatives including Washington D.C. advocacy efforts and legislative impacts on the automotive aftermarket.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Car and Driver: Long-standing Hearst-owned automotive enthusiast magazine competing with HOT ROD in the same audience demographic, with a broader review-and-road-test editorial scope versus Hot Rod's hot-rodding/build niche.
• Hagerty: Publicly traded automotive enthusiast platform (Media, Insurance, Marketplace, Events) overlapping with HOT ROD's editorial, event, and audience-monetization model; broader scope across car culture and collector vehicles but comparable in monetizing enthusiast engagement.
• Automobile Magazine: Established enthusiast automotive magazine covering reviews and features across import and domestic performance; broader editorial scope than HOT ROD but competes for enthusiast attention and ad budgets.

Direct peers

• MotorTrend: Flagship Hearst Autos automotive enthusiast media brand sharing parent company, multi-channel model (print, digital, video, streaming, merchandise), and overlapping event-style original programming; the most directly comparable peer in terms of audience and revenue mix.
• BangShift.com: Digital-first enthusiast publication covering drag racing, street machines, and event coverage; a popular-hot-rodding-rooted digital competitor attracting HOT ROD's build and event audience.
• Hemmings Motor News: Collector-car enthusiast media marketplace and editorial destination operating subscriptions, classifieds, auctions, and event content; competes with HOT ROD for enthusiast audience and print subscription wallet share.
• Super Chevy Magazine: Discontinued as a standalone print magazine, was a sibling Hearst performance-Chevy enthusiast title covering drag racing, builds, and events in the same muscle-car/high-performance category as HOT ROD.
• Mustangs & Fords: Long-running muscle-car/performance enthusiast magazine covering Ford drag racing, builds, and tech — overlapping HOT ROD's how-to/restomod build editorial and Drag Week audience.
• Car Craft: Former Hearst sister title focused on street-machine and hot-rod builds; covered adjacent enthusiast categories, overlapping editorial and demographic with HOT ROD.

Emerging players

• Dragzine: Digital-first drag racing media brand covering drag-and-drive and bracket racing; a niche-specialist adjacent outlet that overlaps HOT ROD Drag Week programming and racing audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hotrodmagazine
• Facebookfacebook.com/hotrodmag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hot-rod-magazine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hot Rod Magazine