Most people know what a "lowrider" is by now. Media has made the beautiful hopping cars almost mainstream now. However, just a few years ago, most people had no idea what a lowrider was or it had a bad conotation. So, for those of you who don't know a lowrider is a car, usually an impala, caprice, cadillac or "bomb" with hydraulics on it. The story of the first lowrider with hydraulics varies. The one I believe to be true is of a 1957 Corvette in California. Back then the only thing you could do is lower the car. This man had a friend in the airplane industry and wanted a way to raise the car as well. Airplanes use hydraulics in their landing gear and brakes. They deciced to modify them and put them on the front end of the corvette. There happened to be a show at a school on the race track and in order for the people to get the cars in they had to drive up 2x4s because the cars were to low to get in. The corvette drove up next to the 2x4s and hit a switch and the front end lifted high enough for it to get in. People lost their minds! That is the story of the first vehicle with hydraulics.
Forwarding to present time, Lowriders are known for the outstanding and sometimes outrageous paint jobs and interior. Some spend hundreds of thousands to compete in the radical class at lowrider shows and competitions. Some people like my husband do the work themselves, others pay a body man, a paint guy, a pinstriper, a mural artist, a hydraulic builder, a chrome company, an upholstery shop and countless others to bulid their car. (You can see where the cost can build.) My husband bulids magazine cover, show quality cars. He does the body, paint, frame, and hydraulics himself. He does send peices out to be chromed and the interior, however, he does have an upholstery machine, so that will soon be done by him as well.You can see examples of lowriders in Lowrider magazine or online.
Many people still tend to equate lowriding with gangs and drug dealers. The fact is most lowriders are hardworking men and women with families who enjoy getting together and showing off their cars. Many car clubs do charity work throughout the year. There are parades, shows, picnics and many functions where there is no violence at all. Of course, as in all activities where many people gather there can be exceptions to this rule. Usually the people who cause issues do not even own cars, much less lowriders. People who work on their own stuff, or pour their hard earned money into their vehicles generally do not want to put themselves or their cars in a position to be shot at or get messed up.
Unfortuantely, my husband and daughter happened to be at a "hop" (where cars get together and see whose car can get off the ground more)when there was a shooting. This happened in Las Vegas. Our daughter was 11 at the time. These events can have 2-300 people at them. His brother was there with his wife and daughters and also some friends. In other words, alot of children to keep track of. My husbands account of the story is that they were watching some cars hop when they heard a commotion and saw a couple of guys chasing another guy. One of them pulled out a gun and began shooting, my husband said the bullet came flying by so close he could hear the whizz sound. His immediate reaction of course was to find our daughter. He climbed on top of a car and was peering into the crowd below shouting her name. He says when it first happened and he was looking for her, he was looking for a baby. She was 11 at the time. I guess he was seeing her as a baby because of the terror of possibly losing her that day. Thank God, no one died that day and one of our friends had gathered all of the kids with him and hid behind a car keeping them safe.
While bad things do sometimes happen at lowrider events, the norm is everyone getting together and having a good time. If you get the chance to attend a show, don't miss it. When you see the time and effort put into these vehicles, most can't help but be impressed. People should not judge things or people they know nothing about. Remember, there are ignorant people in every race and no one human is above another!