Lowrider

The lowrider car serves no practical purpose beyond that of a standard car. Lowrider car culture began in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-to-late 1940s and during the post-war prosperity of the 1950s. Initially, some Mexican-American youths lowered blocks, cut spring coils, z'ed the frames and dropped spindles. The aim of the lowriders is to cruise as slowly as possible, "Low and Slow" being their motto. By redesigning these cars in ways that go against their intended purposes and in painting their cars so that they reflect and hold meanings from Mexican-American culture, lowriders create cultural and political statements that go against the more prevalent Anglo culture.[3]

Lowrider culture and society public conference in San Jose, California (2019). The city was among the first to repeal its ban on lowriding in 2022.[9]

Section 24008 of the California Vehicle Code went into effect on January 1, 1958, prohibiting cars modified to shift the vehicle body lower than the bottoms of its wheel rims. In 1959, mechanic Ron Aguirre bypassed the law by installing hydraulics that could quickly toggle the height of a General Motors X-frame chassis.[10]

Lowriding became widely popular in the 1980s and 1990s, and bans were enacted in many California cities.[11] It regained popularity a little in 2009, then significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[12] In the 2020s, activists argued that the practice was harmless and banning it was simply the result of prejudice against Mexican-Americans.[5] San Jose and Sacramento repealed their bans in 2022 that had been enacted in 1986 and 1988, respectively.[9][11] In 2022, the California State Assembly unanimously passed a resolution urging all remaining cities with bans (including National City, which banned it in 1992) to repeal them.[13] In 2023, California rescinded state restrictions on the height of vehicle bodies and superseded local regulations against cruising.[8]

Hydraulic suspension system in the trunk of an Oldsmobile, running 12 batteries and 4 hydraulic pumps. This system is set up for frequent hopping, whereas a lowrider designed for cruising typically uses fewer batteries and pumps.

In 1959, a customizer named Ron Aguirre developed a way of bypassing the law with the use of hydraulic Pesco pumps and valves that allowed him to change ride height at the flick of a switch.[14] Ron Aguirre developed this modification with help from his father, after conceiving of the idea. Aguirre's motivation was to stop being targeted with traffic tickets, as he had been by local police in his city of Rialto, California after the statewide ban was enacted.[7]

1958 saw the emergence of the Chevrolet Impala, which featured an X-shaped frame that was perfectly suited for lowering and modification with hydraulics.[14] The standard perimeter-type frame was abandoned, replaced by a unit with rails laid out in the form of an elongated "X." Chevrolet claimed that the new frame offered increased torsional rigidity and allowed for a lower placement of the passenger compartment. This was a transitional step between traditional perimeter frame construction and the later fully unitized body/chassis, the body structure was strengthened in the rocker panels and firewall. This frame was not as effective in protecting the interior structure in a side impact crash, as a traditional perimeter frame.[15]

Two men lowriding in the Fiestas Patrias Parade, South Park, Seattle (2015)

Two women lowriding in the Fiestas Patrias Parade, South Park, Seattle (2015)

Between 1960 and 1975, customizers adapted and refined GM X-frames, hydraulics, and airbrushing techniques to create the modern lowrider style.[16] Lowriding grew alongside the Chicano Movement in the 1960s and 1970s.[5]

At first, lowriders were only seen in places such as Los Angeles, especially in the 1970s on Whittier Boulevard when lowriding came to its peak. Whittier was a wide commercial street that cut through the barrio of the city in Los Angeles, California. Throughout the 1970s that culture spread throughout the Central Valley and San Jose areas of California, helped by release of the R&B song “Low Rider” by War, and creation of low riding clubs such as Carnales Unidos in 1975,[17] and further expanded with the publishing of Low Rider magazine by San Jose State students in 1977.[18] At its peak in 1988, Low Rider magazine had monthly sales of over 60,000 copies. Lowriders were featured in the 1979 film Boulevard Nights, which some blamed for associating lowrider culture with street gangs. The lowriding scene is diverse with many different participating cultures, vehicle makes, and visual styles. The city of Española, New Mexico became a hotspot for lowriders outside of California.[4]

• Lowrider bicycle
• Chicano Rap
• Gangsta Rap (album) which includes the track: Ridin' Low
• G funk
• Kid Frost

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lowriders.

• Brown, J (2002). "DIPN The Industry of Low Riding", Dream Factory Films, 1(2)(3).

• Lowriders, NMAAHC
• Lowrider: DIY car magazine that became voice of Mexican-American resistance, The Guardian
• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. CA-2329, "1964 Chevrolet Impala (Gypsy Rose), Placentia, Orange County, CA", 2 measured drawings