Mauro Cobain can't help himself. Well, actually he can help himself, but it's really not his fault that he's obsessed with lowriding. Mauro grew up in Paramount, California, one of "the" hotbeds of the lowriding scene in the early '90s, and, like many of you, he cut his teeth on model cars. He built quite a few, cutting them up and custom-painting them, all the while dreaming, no, fiending, for the day that the scale would jump up 27 points.
Mauro's cousin Oscar was building some of the finest lowriders around and Mauro wanted in on the action. His first car was a flaked-out burgundy Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, followed by an '86 Chevy Monte Carlo. The latter car was done up enough to take to the '96 and '97 Lowrider Super Shows at the L.A. Coliseum. At the time, the sport was riding high with record attendance and just a glowing love for the cars.
A few years later, knowing that Mauro wanted a project car, Majestics C.C.-Los Angeles president "Big Rich" told him about a car for sale at his shop. The '81 Buick Regal was not a pretty sight. Even with missing parts, a blown motor and looking like a lost crack-whore, Mauro could see the potential beauty underneath. A trade of $600 for the pink slip was made and it was once again time to build a low-low.
Having gained some years and wisdom, Mauro decided that this car would be a beauty queen and no expense would be spared. Like that girl that you've been trying to get with for years now, Mauro knew that his best game possible was going to be spit at this fair lady. Chrome, paint and pinstriping are all that this car is about, with every metal part being touched by one of, if not all, of these things. The undercarriage is totally detailed and the engine compartment has most folks wanting to yank their engines out, cut the wheelwells and smooth the firewall.
A year and a half in the making, one can only wonder what J.R.'s Chrome Plating in Los Angeles made off of this guy. We get the feeling that someone just added a pool to their house, but Mauro's tilting back a shot of Casadores tequila and smiling at his wife and kids along with those other ladies wrapped around "Bare Elegance."
TechspecsBare EleganceOwner: Mauro Cobain
Vehicle: '81 Buick Regal
City/State: Paramount, California
Club: Majestics C.C.-Los Angeles
Engine/Drivetrain: Rebuilt '81 Buick V-6 with enough chrome for most any bling enthusiast. A complete chrome pulley setup, Edelbrock air cleaner, valve covers, and bolts and brackets take this ordinarily boring engine to new heights with a healthy splash of pinstriping for that tasty visual feast.
Body/Paint: Bare Elegance was touched by some of the most talented hands in Southern Cali and the car was that much better for it. J.C. and Julio at The Boulevard's Custom Paint in Paramount got to rub down this body. Bright silver in a PPG flavor was laid on in multiple coats and Javier Romo of Paramount painted the lovely ladies and the owner himself on the vehicle.
Interior: Gerald "El Maestro" of Los Angeles, California, stitched up an interior worthy of any bare bottom babe with double pillow seats cover in black naugahyde. The dash received its fair share of paint with the top being pinstriped and parts of it being painted marbleized gray to match the rest of the car. A Molina steering wheel helps keep the curb serving in the right direction.
Sound System: When trying to get a lady down to her "bare elegance," a bumping system will help seal the deal and Patrick at Iceworks Auto Sounds in Paramount froze it up for Bare Elegance. A Pioneer head unit along with mids and highs work in conjunction with two Rockford Fosgate amps while two W6 10-inch JL Audio subs dig down low. A 7-inch TV screen is in the center of the dash and a DVD player lights it up.
Setup: When you talk about simple and clean, this is what a setup like this is all about. Jerry De La Rosa of South Gate, California, put this one together. Pro Hopper Hydraulics gear is used throughout with a set of 8-inch chrome cylinders in the front and 10-inch in the rear. Two chrome pumps, two chrome solenoid blocks and a few chrome Delta dumps get controlled by four switches. When it's for the ladies, it's all about the up-and-down motion. A partial wrap on the frame, along with it being molded and then covered with marbleized paint, was done by Julio at The Boulevard's Custom Paint.
Tires: P155/80-R13 Super Ride
Wheels: 13x7 Icon wires