The master plan for this August issue of Lowrider Magazine is laid out right from the beginning with our cover car, "The Blueprint." Dre's candy blue '57 Chevy convertible from Las Vegas, Nevada, is a flawless topless beauty that's revealed in detail on the following pages. Also in this issue, we kick off coverage of the magazine's 2008 Tour with the first stop being the 750-car, 25,000-spectator, 90-degree event in Phoenix, Arizona. We also give you a heads up on that super-secret blueprinted lowrider engine that we're assembling to compete in the Castrol Syntec Top Shop Challenge. Make sure to stop by www.SyntecTopShop.com to cast your vote and we'll continue to fill you in as the engine build progresses.
The Lowrider Hall of Fame Committee and prior inductees will officially open the Hall's doors to four very prestigious gentlemen on September 20 at the Hilton in Long Beach, California. Featured in this issue are profiles on new Craftsmanship Honor winner Ruben "Buggs" Ochoa and hydraulic pioneer Gary May, who's being remembered with the Memorial Honor. The Leadership Honor is being bestowed upon Kita Siliva Lealao from Uce Car Club, and the Lifetime Contributor Honor is going to Fernando Ruelas from Duke's Car Club. Look for features on these two deserving individuals in upcoming issues of Lowrider. Get your tickets for the LHoF awards banquet now. Last year's ceremony gathered 400 formally attired supporters, all of whom had an evening to remember.
And on another special note, I just want to say thanks to all of the lowrider fanatics who gave their personal input with the Lowrider Magazine Survey. There was a whole lot of constructive criticism going on from lowrider support all across the country. What mattered most was that people cared enough about their automotive culture to spend time to share all of their collective thoughts. In upcoming editorials in Lowrider Magazine, as well as forums and blogs on the Lowrider website, I will address the concerns of our readers. It also gives me the opportunity to explain why we do certain things the way we do.
Remember that I was an outsider just like many of you for more than 30 years, and all I ever did in my day was to try and improve the images that were bestowed upon us as lowriders. As that lowrider person most of my life, I fought with society's outlook on us, and to gain respect towards the image of all lowriders, not just for myself and friends. I had to prove that we weren't only about loud flashy paint or illegal little wheels, and I never took it well when we were patronized as gang-attired youth, always rolling deep and into trouble.
I tried, like many others out there, to lead by example. I can't count the many times that we all parked, dropped our cars to the ground and swung open our doors only to have people greet us with negativity in their eyes and sarcasm in their words. Lowriding is a cultural domain on wheels, a form of sacrifice, and a bold attitude. That's all. It never mattered what color you were, or what education you had, or where you came from. As long as you had a lowrider, you were equal and one of us.
Accepting the job as Editor of Lowrider was a chance for me to get out to the masses through the magazine and the car shows to lend a hand or an ear to help build back the pride that we have lost somewhat over the years. The world needs to know that we are an army, but an army of one! Respect given first will reflect the course or direction that our magazine will go. Never judge a book or magazine by its cover; inside is what counts.