Chicano Culture
Old School Lowriders
Lowrider cars are now popular world-wide but they reportedly have roots in the urban Chicano culture in Los Angeles, California. In the New York Times article, “How the Lowrider Evolved From Chicano Revolt to Art Form,” James Sterngold writes that while many postwar Americans were buying new cars, the Chicano and Mexican-American communities held onto the vehicles that they could afford and put a great deal of time into fixing them up and making repairs. Not only did they use these vehicles for transportation, but they also customized them into one-of-a-kind works of art. The tradition of designing the lowrider to be incredibly stylish as well as functional continues today. Drivers often take great pride presenting their lowrider vehicles on the road and in competitions.
The Chicano culture seems to have impacted the exterior look the lowrider car. They were sometimes decorated with bright multi-layer paint jobs or covered with detailed airbrushed murals featuring designs and symbols that sometimes reflected Chicano beliefs and prominent religious symbols. Even lowrider vehicles today are often decorated with murals. Original designs may be displayed and admired at lowrider car shows. These shows are also a place where consumers may find the classic lowrider cars for sale.
The lowrider car show is also where attendees may view the interior customizations that were influenced from the lowrider’s Chicano roots. Early lowriders were remodeled with updated parts and new seat fabrics often in velvet. Sterngold reports in his article that builders invested a great deal of time working on their cars. A new generation of lowrider owners is now able to invest money into their custom lowrider in addition to their time.
These extra funds and modern technology have now turned the inside of some of these cars into entertainment centers containing working video game systems, television screens and advanced sound systems. Lowrider hydraulics makes it possible for the vehicles to perform stunts and ride low to the ground even with larger wheels. Even lowrider rims and hubcaps are now available in various styles at different price points. The Chicano culture involved modifying their cars, and the customization possibilities still continue to increase and evolve.
Despite the changes that have taken place over the years in the lowrider car and its industry, these vehicles are still identified with their strong lineage to the Chicano culture.