Where do you think this term came from?

[Ghoste]

The old hot rodding term for an engine being "souped" up.  Do you think it was s o u p as in getting a mix or "soup" of parts put in it or do you think it could have come from a shortening of the "super"  making the engine s u p ' d?   Like "supered" up.

[68 Bullitt Charger]

Haven't heard that saying in may year's!!! Just goes to show us how old we are getting! 

[Ghoste]

It's an older one for sure. 

[Drache]

The old hot rodding term for an engine being "souped" up.  Do you think it was s o u p as in getting a mix or "soup" of parts put in it or do you think it could have come from a shortening of the "super"  making the engine s u p ' d?   Like "supered" up.

The term I've seen in old hot rod magazines is "souped up".

I know the term "souped up" used to be used in horse racing as a term for meaning a horses has been injected with various chemical concoctions (which the slang term was called soup) to make it run faster.

The term "souped up" in sense for a car was used supposedly as early as 1918 according to various dictionaries and that the term was most likely taken from the horse racing term and carried over in the sense of "to make a car faster".

[bakerhillpins]

Had not thought about it that way but originating in Horse racing seems like a very rational argument. 

[Ghoste]

That makes sense.  I was thinking that "super" was popular around the same time and that was what made me wonder.  (Superman, Super amp by Fender, even supercars for that matter)

[kab69440]

I believe "souped up" to be derived as you suggested in the first place. A little bit of this, some of that, "oh, hey this will work" et cetera. Making soup on the stove is pretty much the same principle as building a hot rod. What do you have available and can you make it all work together?

[bull]

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/souped-up

[Kern Dog]

I poured a can of Minestrone in my slant six Valiant and it was still slow.

[Kern Dog]

The rumor that I recall is that "Souped" was short for "Supercharged". The fast drag cars ran blowers, then and now.

[Fred]

The rumor that I recall is that "Souped" was short for "Supercharged". The fast drag cars ran blowers, then and now.

I go along with that.

[68X426]

I poured a can of Minestrone in my slant six Valiant and it was still slow.

Minestrone is for a Chevy. 

[Fred]

That explains it! 

[Bobs69]

The old hot rodding term for an engine being "souped" up.  Do you think it was s o u p as in getting a mix or "soup" of parts put in it or do you think it could have come from a shortening of the "super"  making the engine s u p ' d?   Like "supered" up.

The term I've seen in old hot rod magazines is "souped up".

I know the term "souped up" used to be used in horse racing as a term for meaning a horses has been injected with various chemical concoctions (which the slang term was called soup) to make it run faster.

The term "souped up" in sense for a car was used supposedly as early as 1918 according to various dictionaries and that the term was most likely taken from the horse racing term and carried over in the sense of "to make a car faster".

I like that reasoning.  I guess the supercharging theory could work too.  But the Dart man (Drache) gets the point!  Gave some obvious thought to his explanation, a little history, drew a parallel between two sports.  haha very nice!

[Old Moparz]

If cars were on the soup they should have used a can of soup instead of the juice......   

[Cooter]

This along with many other outdated terms..Like....."3/4 Race cam", "Harley 4 BBL", "Eldemblock Intake", "Full Race cam", "Balanced and Blueprinted", etc...Just another term in the folk lore of car culture.

[Ghoste]

Yes but what do you think its origin was?

[Drache]

The rumor that I recall is that "Souped" was short for "Supercharged". The fast drag cars ran blowers, then and now.

The supercharger was the "soup" of the cars back then so you are right in relation to my post above 

[tan top]

Haven't heard that saying in may year's!!! Just goes to show us how old we are getting! 

me neither

[Bobs69]

I remember reading some novel in school where they described a car as a "real hot rod.  It has a couple 4 barrel carbs dual exhaust and a full house cam."

What the heck is a full house cam.

[Ghoste]

I'd likely equate that to having a full house in a game of poker.  The cam was the winning hand.