The Mirrored Black Image of the 1962 Chevrolet Impala that impresses on this cover, reflects the era of which it came from. This one off designed classic was a first when it came to bucket seats and the traveling body crease lines coming all the way across the side in a triangular shape. The show room sticker price was around three grand and along with it came that brand new car smell. Chevrolets designer back then felt that the Impala was a prestigious car that was within reach of the average American citizen. Back in those days, gas cost 28 cents per gallon to get you that ride home to watch Johnny Carson host his first tonight show. After that, you could watch the news and see what Kennedy would do about the missiles in Cuba. The average annual income was about fifty six hundred, and the house you lived in, could be bought for around twelve grand, just like today! The first Walmart store opened, and the very popular silicone breast implants would be put to use. It's cool to go back in the day, especially when an icon styled-car looks like that very day it came from. Though Marilynn Monroe died of an overdose back then, her legend lives on just like this legendary quality built black beauty from the Klique car club.
Today though, we are in the midst of harder economic times that the year1962 never saw. The strife in our life is caused by Foreclosure, Depression, and rising Unemployment. Depression also exists in Iraq and Afghanistan, only there is no unemployment there, just Deployment! Things are rough here in the states, but at least we don't have to put on helmets to make it through the day, unlike our U.S. soldiers do over there.
As we continue through this editorial, Lowrider visited memory lane with an insight on Steve Gonzales, who was the one and only image remembered, when it came to promoting the early stages of Sonny Madrid's Lowrider Magazine. Posters of Lowrider car shows and events, that are now memorabilia, were masking taped on to Steve's copper chopped 50's styled Merc, as he traveled around California parading and delivering cases of new Lowrider magazines to every corner liquor store and market in the late 70's, while flying his Dukes car club plaque. Hear him out as he tells it like it was.
Paying us a visit in our monthly "Originals" is the self -proclaimed Irish hooligan, Estevan Oriol. Steve O is the artist /photographer who's every picture tells a story. Hear the man out as he pushes more than camera buttons, and blatantly calls out digital photography as cheating.
Wouldn't you think that General Motors would pay more attention to the greatest designs in automotive history by noticing the love affair we have for our automobile models from the 60's and 70's? Why bring out that almost too late retro Camaro? How about a retro'65 Riviera? Sorry, I meant a '63 or a '65 Impala. We're not calling out Lincoln, Buick, or the Chevrolet motor divisions, but they stopped manufacturing nicely designed cars way back in 1976. Wouldn't it be great to go out to a dealership and buy a brand new paper plated Caprice classic, throw on some wires, take it to the pad and then lift it? Today's vehicles have no detail, or chrome accessories like the past. We have been forced to like the cars of today that we would say grow on us eventually. Compare the '09 Impala, Malibu, full size Lincoln or Cadillac two doors, to the models in the 70's and you'll come out four feet short. They say that car designers from college and all the way up to the car manufacturers like Chrysler, study Lowriders and some of their ideas. Why shouldn't they?
Every custom-built Lowrider is like a concept or prototype anyways. Go through the years of these books and check out our car makes, models, and years, and remanufacture any one of them. We don't and won't change our style, because nothing else is better! Is that the angle of the camera or is that just a Badd lowrider Interior in the centerfold section? Check it out Ford.