Long Beach

Uso Car Club has long been involved in countless lowrider events and they can add another successful event to...

By Nathan Trujillo

Uso Car Club has long been involved in countless lowrider events and they can add another successful event to their swashbuckling belts. On Sunday, August 12, the club dropped anchor near the Queen Mary attraction in Long Beach, California, for an exciting day of car show contest action. Los Angeles and Harbor Area club president, George Jimenez--along with Uso chapters in Los Angeles, Harbor Area, Las Vegas, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Maria, Orange County and Ventura--appreciated the fact that many local car clubs attended the show. And without supporting sponsors like Car Stereo Connection, The Dub Shop, Hi-Low and Homies Hydraulics, Jagster, Prime Wheel and WS Original, it would have been an impossible task to produce the show on such a professional level.

Seeing a car show is a lot like stopping at distant ports of call. It's like going from country to country, only these ports are a few steps away and the sights are worth every snap of the camera's shutter. Nearly 350 lowrider cars and trucks, along with hot imports and innovative lowrider bikes filled the park with an unofficial crew of 2,000 custom car enthusiasts in attendance.

It's important to note that car shows in the South Bay area pretty much bring out the who's who of lowriding. With so many rides packed inside the chain-link fence like sardines, it was very easy to get up close and see just how cruise-happy riders assault the avenue. Now there are rides that are even lower than a car believe it or not. Themed lowrider bikes offer up every custom trick in the "how-to-beat-the-next-guy" owner's manual. These two- and three-wheel marvels were given prime real estate and are respected just as much as the gasoline-powered cars.

The game's all in the points when you competing for a trophy as tall as a main mast. The judges observe craftsmanship with a keen eye and score accordingly and that's why it doesn't do any good to show a fresh lowrider bustin' out for the first time all closed up. You have to be able match or beat the ride in your class by opening up the hood, doors and trunk or it's over and you have to pull in the ropes to set sail back home.

Both the Majestics and the boys from Super Natural Car Club proved to be very dominant as did the SouthSide crew who drove in their rides like a United States Navy battle group. They cruised in near the end of the show because it was on their list of places to call home port. The Majestics claimed the Club Participation award, while New Crowd of Santa Maria, California, won the Furthest Distance trophy.

What's a car show without an action-packed lowrider hopping contest? The video cameras were-a-rollin' on high speed to capture all jumps over 10 inches and those crazy car dancers all but capsized into the park's grassy harbor. Steve Watson's '59 Chevy Impala from Super Natural C.C. won the Best Hydraulics trophy.

What a ship ride it was to sail the seas of candy paint, custom chrome and fancy upholstery. The Best Paint award was given to Victor Cordero for the sweet paint on his bomb, while Alvaro Carranza's Nissan 300ZX from Uniques C.C. earned Best Mural acknowledgment. Brent Reese's '94 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham earned the top award for Best Undercarriage and Tavo's '87 Chevy Monte Carlo from Groupe C.C. did the same in the Best Interior classification.

The annual Uso Queen Mary event was another dramatic send-off, proving that the custom car industry is as strong as an aircraft carrier and at the same time as elegant as a luxury liner. If you've never been to a lowrider show let these lowrider pros show you how it's done.