A key figure from HOT ROD Magazine’s past has died. Former HOT ROD Tech Editor Eric Dahlquist, who held that position in the mid-1960s before becoming editor of Motor Trend, died December 29, 2016. Covering a vast swath of new car and also racing coverage for HOT ROD, his drag racing background growing up in New York, his engineering training, and Tech Ed position put him in a unique advantage to help the car companies sell product through a car enthusiast’s eyes. This led to ever more tightened ties to the car companies, which made his move to Motor Trend so seamless, and ultimately his editorship a fait accompli. Joining the HOT ROD staff in June 1964, Dahlquist was told by Publisher Ray Brock that the engineers he met at the Big 4 that were his age would bring him up with them as their careers ascended, which is how it happened. So Dahlquist was at the bleeding edge of automotive technology and racing efforts.
Among the many stories he covered for HOT ROD were the first street Hemi in 1966, street racing on Woodward in Detroit, and then the barrage of muscle cars launched during the golden era of muscle cars, which continued at his time as Motor Trend’s editor. He stayed with MT through 1975, leaving to do a small custom publishing project for Chevrolet, along with former HOT ROD editor AB Shuman. After buying out Shuman’s half, this transformed to become the Vista Group, which became the West Coast reps for Pontiac, Oldsmobile, GMC and the GM Design Staff. The Vista Group also was responsible for vehicle placement for movies, TV and commercials.
HOT ROD was in a state of flux in the period following Wally Parks’ leaving to become NHRA head, and so Dahlquist was there at a time when someone with a strong background in what we hot rodders crave could write to us and for us to expand the HOT ROD gospel. God speed Eric Dahlquist.
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