The great American lowrider "factory" is in full production all across the land! Quality traditional lowriders are busting out of shops and garages all over the place as you can witness yourself on the following pages of Lowrider. Even while gas turns close to five bucks a gallon on us overnight, frames are still being reinforced, engines are being swapped, chrome shops are polishing, upholstery sewing machines are running on 240 volts, bodies are being blocked, and if there's any spray booth out their laying down custom paint, you can bet that there's a lowrider in it!
From the Pacific to the Atlantic, Lowrider Magazine's 2008 Tour is in full swing, and this month we bring you coverage of the festival atmosphere at the lowrider art exhibit/car show in Tampa, Florida. Car show coverage is imperative in this magazine as it shows to all the strength of the thriving lowrider world, while also allowing us to get a gauge on the pulse of what you're building and cruising in out there.
Styles, trends, and fads pop out from everywhere through these pages. Designs may differ in some regions, but as soon as anyone takes that star wrench and turns those lugs on 5.20 tires and wire wheel adapters, it doesn't matter who, what or where. It only matters when, as in when they become one of us. Check out why Florida is no different from Fresno, California! We're all just lowriders, spreading this sickness across the land!
The Lowrider Hall of Fame committee recognizes Kita Siliva Lealao from Uce C.C., who will be awarded this year's Leadership Honor. You'll never meet another man in the lowrider industry who personifies the meaning of our culture like Kita. The Samoan word "uso" (the club's original name) translates to "brother," and this brother is the man with the formula that mixes loyalty and respect together. This mixture has bonded the car club as it continues to grow. Congratulations, Kita!
Will someone please tell me where our automotive manufacturers are when it comes to advertising support for this magazine? You'd think that certain car makers would appreciate the loyalty that lowriders have for their products. Not only do we care about our classic traditional lowriders that hang out in our garages, but check out our driveways too! They're full of newer model SUVs and trucks. Scion/Toyota are in here; they appreciate us and identify with us.
Some people complain about the wheel ads in this book. You should come out and see any lowrider car show parking lot. There are 22s on everything, and while I'm just kicking things around, where is comedian George Lopez and why isn't he in the pages of the magazine? He does an HBO stand-up act that features the popular Lowrider song, "All my friends know the lowrider." Why can't we be friends and arrange a photo shoot or interview?
Los Angeles Car Club claims the front page with "The Game Don't Last Forever." The candy blue '64 Impala convertible appearing on this month's cover features some masterpiece artwork inspired by the movie Scarface. Finally claiming notoriety in the centerfold section is the overdosed quality of a '57 Chevy Bel Air called "Lethal Injection," owned by Aaron Hodgson from Oxnard, California, and the prized possession of Connected Car Club out of Ventura. Take a peek at this baby.
Okay, let's open up that garage and get those yellowed whitewalls white! Bring out the depth in your exclusive paint job, put the right sounds in and hang onto a beer at the same time; just enjoy the moment as we bring you the best guide in car care products so that you can demonstrate the pride that you have in your ride.
Hey guys, remember the first time, that special day, your very first time?
You know, that day when you got your car "cut out."