Beneath the Californian sun, lowriders coast through the streets. With candy-coated paint jobs, velvet interiors, and bouncing hydraulics, these cars—driven “low and slow”— are more than vehicles; they’re a statement of heritage and pride.
What are Lowriders?
Originating in neighborhoods across Southwest and Southern California, lowriders cultivate pride and honor in the hearts of Mexican Americans. It all began in the 1940s, when Mexican American veterans began customizing their vehicles to ride “low and slow” — an alternative to hot rods, which were designed for speed.
Celebrating art, family, and religion, their dazzling bodies shimmer with vibrant colors, geometric patterns, religious symbols, and plush velvet trim. Lowriders are crafted to cruise slowly, with each vehicle lowered close to the pavement and showcased as a moving piece of art.
Now we’re returning to the present day, in the state where it all began. When it comes to lowriders, you’ll hear a lot about East Los Angeles and Whittier Boulevard, but I grew up attending car shows in San Francisco, California. These shows were aplaces to hang out and show off your ride. It was brown, it was old school, it was love.
Lowriding is not just a subsect of car culture; it’s an expression of pride and community. The people can explain it best. I’ve asked those familiar with the scene to reflect on their personal experiences — what is this lowrider business about?
Lowrider Stories
“I remember feeling and seeing my grandparents’ pride watching lower riders cruise for the first time. You could feel the pride in the atmosphere. I too, felt pride. As each car cruised by, the drivers heads tilted up, chins high, soft smile, music blasting, people in the crowd giving a slight head nod to the driver and the driver giving that slight head nod in return, it was the mutual pride and love for our culture with no words, you just felt it.”
“I was maybe 10 or 11 when I went to my first car show. It was in this empty parking lot off Embarcadero, in San Francisco California. Right under the bay bridge, the lot looked like it hovered just over the bay…”
“Me and my homegirls were at that age where we picked up some random hobby which wouldn’t last and at that time it was skateboarding. We skated through and out the cars, dodging the crowds of old folk. The old folk spoke with us, they told us about they’re dreams and how to follow ours, they put us on the back of their motorcycles and rode up and down the lot fast enough to make us scream. It was the best day of my life. I felt a feeling that is rare. Community is the best way to describe it.”
“They meant everything to me…It was a big part of my life growing up around the mission street area.. It was about the Hispanic culture…”
More Tales from the Lowrider Scene
“I can’t forget the first time I saw three beautiful and hard go girls driving a bright red low rider down Mission St, San Francisco, California. They were the coolest women I’ve ever seen and I never wanted to resemble a certain presence more in my entire life. And I realized then that a lot of low rider culture was respect and reverence on top of honor. I respected the hell out of these woman.”
“I went to film screening at the Brava theater in the Mission District, the director spoke to the low riding scene in Asia countries. He mentioned how he was in awe how the Asia community replicated the Low riders, the Chicano apparel to such perfection, that it didn’t feel like cultural appropriation, it felt like respect.”
I have a personal memory from a couple of years ago on Dia De Los Muertos. I was in the mission district, and they were playing Coco at Mission Theater. My family and I were walking out of the theater as it was turning into night. There was food, face paint, and marigolds everywhere. Of course, there were lowriders, too. I specifically remember a loud red lowrider. The Virgin Mary was painted in cool red tones on the hood, and there was a man wearing Locs driving. But what most caught my eye was the woman in the passenger seat. Her entire face was painted for the holiday. Her hair fell in perfect curls, and red roses were pinned around her face. She looked like a doll. Even now, that remains the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and I felt pride just looking at her.
Art and Lifestyle
Many of those associated with lowriding will refer to it as a lifestyle — down to car clubs, cruising nights, oldies, brotherhood, and sisterhood.
“There’s many definitions but I think the most common one would be just having fun with family and friends, showing off your ride. It’s really just a life style.”
Apart from a lifestyle, it is an art form as well. You take a car and make it something beautiful with custom paint jobs and interior design. Then you go to the show and display it — not unlike an art gallery!
“Low riders are a way of expressing yourself. You get to design your car any way you want and show people the love you have for your car.”
“I go to car shows to admire the cars. See what different spin people put on their cars. I also just go there for the vibes, everyone there is just appreciating what they’re seeing.”
Chicanos and the American Dream
During the 1970s Chicano Movement, Mexican Americans sought to redefine their identity, and lowriders began to play more of a political role. Car clubs became common among the lowrider community. These car clubs would provide community services such as fundraising, advocating for parks, or fighting against police brutality.
“My grandparents were proud Mexican Americans, living the American dream. [When I was] a young girl, my grandparents would park on 24th Street and Bartlett in San Francisco’s mission district and we would watch the low riders cruise up and down Mission Street. They were in their 60s, I may have been 7 or 8. My grandparents were proud to Americans, however their Mexican pride was deeper, it was an unspoken sense of pride, you could feel it and see it in their eyes.”
Lowriding is about dreams. It’s about making a place for the brown community in American society. Life keeps evolving. People say the culture is not as strong as it once was. But those who remember, who keep it alive, and who keep it old school know that the culture truly does run as deep as it always has.
From Lowriders to the World
The final thing I asked people to think about was what they would most like to tell the world about lowriders.
“Don’t be so judgmental. Many people believe the lowriding community is filled with scary people, but we’re just people who love cars and want to show them off.”
“Low riders are culture, something beautiful that ties an entire community together. It’s a rite of passage, honor and Chicano.”
“Viva la raza!”
