MEXICAN LOWRIDER
The American subculture of the Mexican lowrider goes back almost a century, to the 1920s. By the 20s, eastern Los Angeles had the largest population of Mexican ex pats in the United States. Unlike their parents, who chose not to venture out of the close knit community, the pachucos (younger generation/ delinquent youths), preferred going downtown, to beaches and even into Hollywood. They would drive there by car, an abundance of second-hand Model T and Model A Fords available for not a lot of money, made car ownership relatively easy. Various body parts, surplus to requirements, were discarded, thus giving birth to the then fledgling hot rod car scene that would grow over the forthcoming decades.
Although early hot rodding was a multicultural scene, those of Mexican decent developed their own appearance and style – chicano. After the Second World War, the desire for raw power and speed from hot rod cars became less important to some. The late 1940s saw the advent customising cars for comfort, style and appearance – a trend which has continued to grow and evolve ever since. From the late 50s early 60s onwards chicanos developed a semi-exclusive approach to their custom cars, resulting eventually in the lowrider. Streamlined and lowered body work, with aircraft hydraulics fitted to make the cars go up and down, become more and more prevalent as the lowrider style was developed. During the 70s, the lowrider peaked, with funk outfit War releasing the track Low Rider, which reached the number 10 spot in the Billboard singles charts.
It was an anthem for the entire lowrider scene. As an aside, there’s a whole sub-genre of rare soul-funk that has been categorised as lowrider sounds! There have been several big screen showings of elements of the lowrider scene, culminating in the film Boulevard Nights. This depicts gang violence as a part of the lowrider culture, which was a controversial subject and even allowing for (big screen) artistic licence, it’s a connection disputed by many chicanos of that time. A New York Times article from 2000 observed that mainstream lowrider groups actively encourage youngsters away from gang culture. Lowrider car culture has been dipped into by advertising agencies with the intention to portray their product as cool and hip by association.
Today Mexican lowriders are something of a rarity on the streets in America, unlike 40 years ago. This is due to political pressure and police enforced clampdowns, however organised shows and competitions take place in many cities during each year. Low and streamlined, with superbly created stunning artwork, an abundance of glitter impregnated paint adding additional bling, and serious engineering to accommodate multi hydraulics, lowrider cars will continue to develop in their own right.
Lowrider magazine, which is behind many of the official gatherings, claims to attract as many as 10,000 lowrider cars and 200,000 people to its events. It is estimated there are currently in excess of 500 lowrider car clubs in USA. Evolving from the American working classes, the chicano style and continually developing Mexican lowrider custom car scene, despite opposition from the authorities, is here to stay – its influence being far reaching, way beyond its cultural origins.