The streets of Southern California have long been a breeding ground for the lowrider culture. A constant blend of sunny days, stunning sunsets, and warm summer nights make Southern CA, the perfect backdrop for cruising. You can almost feel the history of it all around you. This is where it all started. Generation after generation has passed down this love and appreciation for cars and chrome to the younger enthusiasts, progressing it, all the while maintaining the integrity of the original style the culture represents.
Like most lowrider enthusiasts, Mario Muro was born and raised in an inescapable environment. At the tender age of 12, Mario knew that his destiny was to carry on this tradition. And he knew that building a car to grace the pages of Lowrider Magazine was one of his ultimate goals, something he considered to be a lifetime achievement. The influence of the older generation of lowrider builders in his neighborhood was not lost on Mario, as he learned how to work on his own car by watching his neighbors put countless hours into their rides, prepping them for endless nights of cruising. Mario gained valuable work ethics by helping to build a few cars for his close friends, learning the ins and outs of building and customizing through hours of trial and error. After a few years of paying his dues, he finally came across the car he wanted to make his own--a 2000 Lincoln Town Car that he purchased from one of his closest friends.
Once he envisioned his theme and color scheme, Mario took the car to Evan at Evan's in San Bernardino, California, to take the Lincoln apart to have it painted. Evan painted the body a rich, royal blue color and Mario's car was given the nickname, "South Side Blues." The exterior work gave the car that unique attitude Mario was looking for. The interior needed to be designed to complement that same theme. Once again, he called on Evan to reupholster the interior with a perfect mixture of grey vinyl and blue suede inserts to add a touch of elegance to this already clean machine. Cosmetically the basics were in place, and Mario saw his idea come to life. The car now had an identity, but it still needed some extras to really take it to that next level. The Lincoln was then taken to the crew at Homies hydraulics to give it an edge with one of their well-known custom hydraulic setups. Mario decided to finish off the car by chroming the suspension and painting the undercarriage. "South Side Blues" was finally complete and Mario has truly earned his stripes with this Southern CA, bad boy.
This luxury class beauty became Mario's obsession. He only made time for his car on the weekends, even sneaking in a day off here and there from his day job to put in some extra elbow grease. Dedicating all his time and money was no problem for Mario, and his passion for building led him to finish the car in less than a year.
A true product of his environment, Mario Muro has come full circle and is now a proud member of the Majestics Car Club. A sense of brotherhood drew Mario to Majestics; a club known for showing full support at shows and looking out for one another through the good times as well as bad. Much like how his childhood influences helped to shape him, Mario's friends and family are currently his biggest source of inspiration. Mario would like to thank his wife, the crew at Homies Hydraulics, ET from Audio Xtreme and his car club members for helping him out with the creation of his 2000 Lincoln Town Car, "South Side Blues," a true Southern California original.