Lowrider Cars
For almost one hundred years, lowriders have been growing in
popularity across the world. Stemming from an old Mexican ritual called
paseo, which made horses for personal transport the utmost symbol of
prestige, lowering stock
cars to almost sidewalk level and customizing them dramatically has
evolved into the same sort of symbol that represents status .All around
the world, the art of customizing a stock car into a lowrider car has
been an evolution. In the 1940's lowriders were only used for
“Sunday Driving“. As their popularity began to grow
however, lowriders became more regular and was the vehicle of
choice for anyone who wanted to attract attention to their automobile.
George Barris became the early face of lowriders by combining
his creativity with his passion for cars and is responsible for
developing one of the
first businesses to create and customize lowriders. George and his
brother, Sam, used their expertise in body work to straighten fenders,
bolt on accessories, and use paint schemes that were unheard of during
that time. Lowrider creations from the Barris brothers grew from a
lucrative businesss to a lifestyle. Eventually, the lowrider was
introduced into Hollywood which resulted in the use of
lowriders in many well known movies, furthering its popularity. The
original lowrider artists focused mainly on customizing Chevrolet due
to the relatively inexpensive price of the parts. However with
increasing popularity and availability of car parts, eventually any
make, or model was able to become a lowrider car.
The method of creating a lowrider car has also evolved beyond
the earlier methods of simply using heavy weights and chopping springs
to bring the body close to the ground. Modern lowriders feature
hydraulics which not only raise and lower the car, but also make it
possible to hop, and tilt it from side to side on demand. In addition,
today's lowriders have significantly more features(chrome accessories,
gold
plating, customized
paint schemes, twin side pipes, spot lights, and distinctive rims known
as spinners).
The same pride which drives all car
enthusiasts also drives modern day lowrider owners to customize and
specialize a vehicle ,which is a tremendous source of gratification.
Lowrider cars have traveled a long way from their modest
beginnings. Its hard to believe that from early Mexican-American Sunday
cruising ,lowriders would eventually become one of the primary ways
of status and prestige with a car. What was once only minimal
time
and effort to create a lowrider has evolved into lowrider enthusiasts
spending thousands of dollars and countless hours to create their
show-stopping lowrider masterpieces. The methods may have changed, but
luckily, the madness is still the same.
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