C&T Publications REVOLUTIONS Mad BomberZ Car Show - August 2015 | Page 11

Owned by Juan Luperico - solo rider

A History of Lowriders
By Richard Gazzo

To quote the band War, "the lowrider is the one to meet". For almost one hundred years, lowriders have been not only
the one to see, but the one to meet. Stemming from an old Mexican ritual called paseo which made horses the utmost
symbol of prestige, lowering stock cars to almost sidewalk level and customizing them dramatically has evolved into the
same sort of symbol of status. From Mexico to Los Angeles to Chicago to the rest of the world, the art of customizing a
stock car into a lowrider has been an evolution. In the 1940's lowriders only graced the streets on Sundays. As their
popularity began to grow lowriders not only became more plentiful but they became the vehicle of choice for anyone who
wanted attention and accolades and cruised the highways on a daily basis.
George Barris became the early face of lowriders by combining his creativity with his passion for cars and developing
one of the first businesses to customize lowriders for sale. 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 flourished into a very lucrative business. George used his business sense to introduce
lowriders to Hollywood which resulted in not only the use of lowriders in many well known movies such as High School
Confidential, but it also helped him "become the person" to contact when Hollywood stars wanted to transform their
personal vehicles into lowriders.
The original lowrider artists focused mainly on customizing Chevrolet cars because they were less expensive than other
manufacturers' vehicles at the time. Today, any brand, make, or model vehicle is fair game to become a lowrider. The art
of creating a lowrider has also evolved well beyond using heavy weights and chopping springs to bring the body 9close to