Well, here we are... another year and already we're on a plane to Miami, Florida, for the first stop on our 2004 Lowrider Magazine Evolution Tour. Getting caught up on paperwork here at the office just happened and Miami came a little sooner than most of us wanted.
All of this year's Tour sponsors--Quaker State, Nitto Tires, the U.S. Army, Exide Batteries, CCE Hydraulics, Player Wire Wheels and Limited Alloy Wheels--were on hand with their freebies, and things to see and buy from hydros to batteries, along with the other vendors who had you busy inside of the halls. Along with that were some of the fattest low-lows on the East Coast.
Roll in on Saturday happened under partly cloudy skies but the crowd was excited to be showing their vehicles and being a part of the Evolution Tour kickoff event. Sunday was laid out in sun and everyone was ready to get their floss on, wiping down their rides, chrome blinging in everyone's eyes. The Fair and Expo Center in Miami was filled with more than 400 cars, trucks and bikes, all showing off and letting everyone know what they are about, and the best of the best got paid for it, too.
Both inside and out, there was something for everyone and Jack's '57 Chevy Bel Air took Best Traditional and had peeps foaming at the grille. A '69 Chevy Impala owned by Luis Aviles came in Second and Jose Reyes from Obsession C.C. came in Third with his own super '64 Impala. Frank and Rosie Requena of Rollerz Only C.C. just keep the wheels of their trailer rollin', coming in from Texas to snatch up Best Bomb and $1G for their troubles.
If you read Lowrider Edge and it's compacts that you're into, Ken Karaczewski's 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser took First with Jaime Morales and his '93 Nissan Altima and Gary Ryan's '97 Mitsubishi Eclipse following him up with Second and Third. respectively. Mike Linville from Finest Kreations B.C. took Best Bicycle of Show with his "Twisted Toy," complete with a 10-foot-tall cage display. Same club, different deal: Andrew Arce rolled out his trike and blew minds and stacked points to take Best Trike with his orange three-wheeler, "Asylum," showing enough gold to make any goldsmith proud.
On the stage outside, Baby Bash and the Ying Yang Twins set it off for everyone and had the crowd singing along. DJ Lass MC'd the Bikini Contest so you know that it was a fun affair. Miami is a fun town and this trip was no exception. You can believe that we always manage to have a good time on the Tour. Next stop, Phoenix, Arizona, home of the golden sun, so we'll see ya there for more hot Lowrider car show fun.
 Paola likes Roger Rama's Sweepstakes-winning...  Paola likes Roger Rama's Sweepstakes-winning '87 Buick Regal called "Nightmare." |
 "Rollin' Malo," a Monte Carlo...  "Rollin' Malo," a Monte Carlo from East Dallas, Texas, is owned by Lil' Fabian Garcia. |
 Ryan Truxall's colorful "Kandy...  Ryan Truxall's colorful "Kandy Lincoln." |
 "Deep Impact" made one on...  "Deep Impact" made one on the crowds! |
 Sahara and Cheryle feelin'...  Sahara and Cheryle feelin' lucky. |
 Mike Linville had his bike...  Mike Linville had his bike in a cage, but it still devoured the competition. |
 Another classic ride from...  Another classic ride from Frank and Rosie Requena. |
 Jim Lay's candy root beer...  Jim Lay's candy root beer '99 Mazda on 20s. |
 Mario and Jesus Benavides'...  Mario and Jesus Benavides' '99 pickup from Unique's South Texas chapter. |
 This three-wheeling stereo...  This three-wheeling stereo Caddy is owned by Will Bright. |