FIVE FEATURES OF THE OCTOBER 1965 EDITION OF ‘MODERN ROD’

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I’ll freely admit, I had never heard of ‘Modern Rod’ magazine until I found a copy of the October 1965 edition in a box of old magazines.

I learned this magazine ran from February 1964 to April 1966 before becoming ‘Drag Strip’ in May 1966.

I also discovered ‘Modern Rod’ offers an interesting glimpse into automotive history, so here are five things I liked about this vintage magazine.

Jerry Sutherland

The first thing that stood out to me was the size of the cover.

The magazine was slightly wider than competitors such as ‘Hot Rod’ and ‘Motor Trend’, which made it easier to showcase wide-angle photos and bold cover lines. That extra width was a real advantage for the ‘Modern Rod’ design team.

The second thing about the October 1965 edition of ‘Modern Rod’ was their feature on the 1932 Ford.

The deuce coupe ’32 Ford is the top of the heap for street rod builders because they were built to be a street rod in the same way a Black Lab was built to be a swimmer.

‘Modern Rod’ went past the deuce coupe and gave a great overall history of the legendary 1932 Ford. I learned how many versions of the ’32 Ford were offered including a deuce phaeton, convertible sedan, cabriolet sedan, woody wagon and panel delivery. Henry Ford knew he could build cars for every customer demand, so the deuce Ford came in many forms.

The third feature in the October 1965 edition of ‘Modern Rod’ was about the ’65 Pikes Peak run. This was an all-Unser family story because the patriarch of the family (Louis Unser) was still a competitive driver in the annual ‘Race to the Clouds”.

Al Unser won his 2nd consecutive Championship division, and the various races featured competitors from anything on four (and two) wheels. Better yet, there were no casualties on Pikes Peak that year.

The fourth feature story was about the then brand-new 426 Street Hemi. The legendary motor was introduced for the 1966 model year, and ‘Modern Rod’ broke the engine down from a technical point of view.

The racing hemi was entering its second year as a racing force by 1965 and the article compared the two forms of the 426 hemi. I knew some of the things they mentioned, but after reading that article, I learned there were vast differences between a racing hemi and the street hemi. It was a gold mine for Mopar history.

The final feature of this edition of ‘Modern Rod’ was about the 1965 Volunteer 500 NASCAR race. The first Volunteer 500 was held in 1961, so the race was only four years old when ‘Modern Rod’ covered it.

This race was held at the ½-mile Bristol track, and it was won by the legendary Ned Jarrett in a Ford. The best part about this feature was its focus on lap-by-lap details like when Richard Petty had his trunk caved in or when Marvin Panch went straight into a wall after tangling with David Pearson.

‘Modern Rod’ didn’t last long as a magazine, but these five features attest to the quality and range it had in its short, but spectacular media life.  

Jerry Sutherland

By: Jerry Sutherland

Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post,  Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.

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