Custom Lowrider
A custom lowrider is an owner’s expression of his dream car, and the endless design possibilities continue to evolve. Colorful vivid paint jobs, fins, personalized airbrushed murals and chrome or gold lowrider rims add a personal style to the vehicle’s exterior. However, modern technology is bringing even more dramatic changes to the interiors and ride of lowrider cars.
It’s hard to believe lowrider cars are reported to have once been innovative creation by owners who couldn’t afford to buy new models and needed to make repairs on their existing vehicles. Many in this generation invest a great deal of time and money to transform a custom lowrider into a valuable showpiece and prestigious status symbol.
In the article, “The History of Lowriders,“ writer Richard Gazzo reports old techniques such as weights and chopping springs were once used to lower cars to a fixed height. The lowrider hydraulics installed in today’s cars can allow the driver to operate the car at a level barely above the ground. Modern hydraulic suspensions also make it possible for a lowrider car to perform stunts including hopping, dancing and tilting.
Modifications have also revolutionized the interiors of lowrider cars. It’s not just about reupholstered velvet or leather fabrics lined with wood paneling anymore. Although technology already brought modern conveniences to older car models, such as installing air conditioning into a vintage lowrider Impala, today‘s modifications are turning the custom lowrider into a comfortable hideaway from home. Open up the scissor doors, and perhaps you’ll find a television screen, a video game system and an advanced sound system equipped with a powerful amp.
One of the best places to observe the advances that have been made in car modifications is at a lowrider car show. Popular events at lowrider car shows including hopping and dance contests showcase the limits of hydraulic suspensions. Competitors test how high a car such as a classic lowrider Cadillac can bounce its front bumper off the ground and how fast the custom lowrider performs a routine of other movements.
The costs associated with making modifications and the technology involved has changed over the years, but the idea that the custom lowrider is an individual creation of self-expression remains. The embellishments made are still seen as an art form valued by lowrider enthusiasts.