Lowrider

A lowrider (sometimes low rider) is a customized car with a lowered body.[1] These customized vehicles are generally individually painted with intricate, colorful designs, rolling on wire-spoke wheels with whitewall tires. Lowrider rims range from 13". They are also fitted with hydraulic[2] or air bag systems that allow the vehicle to be raised or lowered at the owner's command.[3] Given these specific characteristics, while a lowrider is always a lowered car, a lowered car is not always a lowrider. The term is used to describe a class of vehicle, not simply the height from ground to chassis.

For other uses, see Lowrider (disambiguation).
A lowrider showing off during the Fiestas Patrias Parade, South Park, Seattle, Washington

The term lowrider can also refer to the driver of the car.

History
1940s Chevrolet Fleetline lowrider bomb
Nissan lowrider in San Jose, CA

It began in Los Angeles, California in the mid-to-late 1940s and during the post-war prosperity of the 1950s. Initially, some Mexican-American youths lowered blocks, cut spring coils, z’ed the frames and dropped spindles. The aim of the lowriders is to cruise as slowly as possible, "Low and Slow" being their motto. By redesigning these cars in ways that go against their intended purposes and in painting their cars so that they reflect and hold meanings from Mexican culture, lowriders create cultural and political statements that go against the more prevalent Anglo culture.[4] However, this resulted in a backlash: the enactment of Section 24008 of the California Vehicle Code on January 1, 1958, which made it illegal to operate any car modified so that any part was lower than the bottoms of its wheel rims.

Lowriders on display in Santa Monica

In 1959, a customizer named Ron Aguirre developed a way of bypassing the law with the use of hydraulic Pesco pumps and valves that allowed him to change ride height at the flick of a switch. The preceding year, 1958 saw the emergence of the Chevrolet Impala, which featured an X-shaped frame that was perfectly suited for lowering and modification with hydraulics. Between 1960 and 1975, customizers adapted and refined GM X-frames, hydraulics, and airbrushing techniques to create the modern lowrider style.

In the 1990s, lowriders became strongly associated with West Coast Hip hop and G-Funk culture. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Game, Warren G, South Central Cartel, Eazy-E and Above the Law among others featured lowriders prominently in their music videos.

Today, the lowriding scene is diverse with many different participating cultures, vehicle makes, and visual styles. At first, lowriders were only seen in places like Los Angeles, especially in the 1970s on Whittier Boulevard when lowriding came to its peak. Whittier was a wide commercial street that cut through the barrio of the city in Los Angeles, California. On Saturday nights, young Mexican Americans went cruising along Whittier in their lowriders. Lowriders nowadays have gotten fairly popular and can be seen all over the country from coast to coast, but recently they have been spreading to other places around the world. Lowriding culture has also spread to Japan.[5][6][7]

With the exposure of Chicano culture in Japan, the lowrider community began to grow in Japan as locals became interested in the car culture. Lowrider Japan is a magazine that was created in the '80s and sold in Japan thanks to the increased interest of lowriders in Japan. Junichi Shimodaira was known to be the grandfather of the lowriders in Japan since he was one of the first importers of these cars. Shimordaira continues to import and sell these cars through his business, Paradise Road.[8] The spread of lowrider culture and the fame of Paradise Road even raised the attention of Ed Roth, who is famous for creating custom cars such as hot rods and a prominent figure in Kustom Kulture.[9] Since the introduction of lowriders in Japan and the rise of lowriders in Japan in 2001, it is estimated that there are still 200 car clubs that are related to the lowrider scene that are still active to this day.[10]

Types
  • Cal Style VW (a latter day, "bomb lowrider" based on a Volkswagen Type 1, not to be confused with a Cal looker)
  • Hi-Riser (automobile)
  • VIP style

See also

References
  1. Hamilton, F. (1996). How to Build a Lowrider. S-A Design Series. Cartech. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-884089-18-3. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  2. Stavans, I.; Augenbraum, H. (2005). Encyclopedia Latina: history, culture, and society in the United States. Encyclopedia Latina: History, Culture, and Society in the United States. Grolier Academic Reference. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-7172-5818-5. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  3. Lowride Magazine; Lowrider Editorial Staff (2002). The Lowrider's Handbook. Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-55788-383-4. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  4. Sturken & Cartwright, Marita & Lisa (2009). Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture. Oxford University Press. p. 80. ISBN 978-0-19-531440-3.
  5. DELGADILLO , NATALIE. “Meet the Chicanos of Japan.” Google, Google, 2 Feb. 2017, www.google.com/amp/s/www.citylab.com/amp/article/515388/.
  6. Frost, Bob. "History of Lowriders". www.historyaccess.com.
  7. Lowrider History; convictedartist.com; retrieved on 2010-11-25.
  8. Lirones, Brett. "Here's Why You'll Find American-Styled Lowriders Roaming Around the Streets of Japan". Hagerty. Hagerty. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  9. Mendoza, Beto. "Paradise Road - Shop Stop & Talk". Lowrider. Lowrider. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  10. Donoghue, JJ. "The Elaborate Customized Cars of Japan's 'Lowriding' Subculture". CNN. CNN. Retrieved 5 May 2019.

Further reading
  • Brown, J (2002). "DIPN The Industry of Low Riding", Dream Factory Films, 1(2)(3).
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