Upon first glance, this story might seem fit to be the perfect movie script; a tale of career success and Lowrider happiness. Sadly, the tragedy and reality involved might be a little too real for the Silver Screen. Southerner “Suddy” Lewis was born and raised in Marrero, Louisiana, just fifteen minutes from New Orleans. As a kid, Suddy was a happy child who looked forward to one day taking over his father’s heavy equipment and construction business. Fate had different plans however, and Suddy’s parents lost their lives when he was just seventeen. Now 33 years old and looking back, Suddy recalls, “It doesn’t get much harder than that.” Thankfully the situation made him stronger; strong enough to use the bulldozer and excavator his father left him to propel himself as business owner of one of the most successful excavating services in Louisiana. Running his own company has been more than just satisfying to him as an individual, it has been rewarding to his Louisiana community as well. Suddy’s company played an integral role in the emergency cleanup work during Hurricane Katrina, as they were responsible for the repair and replacement of many of the levees surrounding the town.

Model: Queen Esther

The city of Odessa, TX., is filled with decades of Lowrider history, with many of those memories occurring down West Clements Street. The late ‘80s were no exception, as a young Chris Melendez would see the neighborhood lows cruising down this infamous south side boulevard. Those heavy cruisers included his brother, Jonell, who proudly sat behind the wheel of his 1970 Chevy Monte Carlo. Back then, it was all about the cruise, as the initial inspiration for this future car builder.

Model: Ralina Lia

As the son of one of the Bomb Brothers of Greeley, Colorado, nine-year-old Angel “Litoboy” Ramos has a lot to live up to. Most nine-year-olds are at a playground or playing video games, but Angel often finds himself in the garage, adding the finishing touches to his Lowrider bicycle. His father, Frank Ramos, knows quality and wanted his young son to learn responsibility as well as enjoy the Lowrider culture. They say the apple never falls far from the tree, and Angel has taken to his bike building hobby wholeheartedly, dedicating himself to creating something that both he and his father can be proud of.

Model: Cynthia M. Orozco

Model: Halina Miranda

Model: Elle Navarro
Makeup: Tomas Trejo

As we have for the past two issues, we continue with our throwback segment, focusing on 35 years of the blood, sweat, and tears that is Lowrider Magazine. In this issue, we bring you flashbacks from 1981 and 1982, a time of great expansion within the culture and the country, respectively. After all, a former actor was elected President, New Wave music was the pulse of the street, and the process of downsizing began among many automakers as the country began focusing on efficiency, rather than the bigger-is-better approach that influenced the ‘60s and ‘70s. Gone were the giant Glasshouses, huge V8 engines, and rear seat couches. In came the concept of miles per gallon, and the term “compact car,” which would go on to dominate the era. Even Cheech and Chong traded in their classic Impala to hit switches in a modified Chevy Van in 1980’s “Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie!” While Lowriders have always kept up with the times, these changes didn’t keep us from scraping our land yachts on the Boulevards back then; as you’ll see in this photo spread. This was a really fun era and while many of you reading this may not have even been born during this time period, we are grateful to have these archival images for some of you to live vicariously through. We are humbled to have been around for 35 years, and while Lowriding has seen many changes and spread all across the map since our humble beginnings three and a half decades ago, we’ve enjoyed every minute of it!

Aftermarket vehicle customization has long been car enthusiasts' favorite pastime. Ever since Ford rolled that first Model-T off the assembly line, car buyers have turned to vehicle customization to showcase their own individuality, as well as to add eye appeal and dollar value to their rides. From this inception, the Automobile Aftermarket Industry was born. Through the years, a seemingly endless list of options have become available to the public, from custom paint jobs to souped up motors, plush interiors, trims, lights, lenses, sound systems, and so forth. The changes in this industry have been numerous and the options plentiful, but one form of personal expression via vehicle customization has withstood the ages, and remains the most popular of all; custom rims and tires.

We spend hours in our respective garages, building, sanding, and painting our dream machines in the hope that they will become an extension of us; our hope is that they will one day define us and give us our “identity.” One such car club also understands that your group of friends defines you in the same way, and this Phoenix, Arizona club, Identity Car Club, has again risen from the ashes, just like the legend of the majestic bird their city has taken its name from. The Identity Car Club was born back in 1984, with a group of like-minded individuals who found each other because of their shared love for Lowriders, car shows, picnics, and family.

The early 1970s is considered by many to be the inception period of the culture we all know and love, Lowriding. This was also an important time in the life of Tony Valadez for that very reason. He was there in the beginning, growing up in Orange County and feeling the urge to ride slow and low. He hung out with the older guys in his neighborhood, who would take him along to cruise all of the hot spots in Orange County. Tony and his group of friends would cruise Santa Ana, Anaheim, Stanton, and Buena Park, and on Sunday nights, they even ventured out of Orange County to cruise the legendary Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles with the masses of Lowrider enthusiasts.

Model: Jennifer Zaragoza

Model: Marissa Johnson

Model: Tanya Love

As some of you may be aware from our January issue, 2012 marks the incredible 35th Anniversary of Lowrider Magazine. We are not only humbled but excited to commemorate this occasion with you, as it has been our proud duty to serve the Lowrider community with the coverage that it fully deserves. We were there on King and Story, and there on Whittier Boulevard; we’ve been there in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas; we’ve even been there in the streets of Tokyo! Needless to say, Lowriding has seen many changes and spread all across the map since our humble beginnings three and a half decades ago, and we’ve enjoyed every minute of it!

Many Lowriders get their start in the culture thanks to growing up with family members already in the scene, but every once in a while, a lone maverick makes his mark, just like Martin Maldonado of Albuquerque, New Mexico. You see, Martin didn’t have anyone to guide him in the Lowrider scene; he started by building model cars on his own. “I started making my own wire wheels and hydraulics for the models cars,” Martin says. Even though he had no family members to share this hobby with, Martin remained dedicated to his blooming passion, and he kept building model cars. “Lowriding just came naturally to me,” he says with a grin. As he began to forge his own path in the culture, Martin began to take his Lowrider model cars to car shows and put them out on display.

There’s an old adage that says, “success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get.” For thirty-four year-old Larry Benavidez III of Thornton, Colorado, success hasn’t always been something within his grasp. Lowriding proved to be something that would help to change that, as Larry’s love affair with cars was a family tradition that would ultimately guide him down a prosperous path. The son of a hard-working railroad man, it would be a Buick his father found on a job site that would turn Larry’s life around. One day while working on the railroads, Larry’s father happened to come across a 1970 Buick Riviera in the driveway of a house in Rawlins, Wyoming. He spotted the car from a nearby section of railroad and strolled over to the house at quitting time to inquire about the Rivi; he wanted to know if it was for sale. After some negotiating, the Riviera was brought home, but the passion and the time to maintain the classic beauty wasn’t there for Larry’s father, who spent every waking moment providing for his family and working. Eventually, sour economic times fell on the Benavidez family, forcing Larry’s father to sell his prized Buick to his own father, Lorenzo. At least this way, he thought, the car could still remain within the family. Lorenzo and his wife only drove the Buick on Sundays, and Larry can remember watching his grandfather and grandmother enjoying this amazing weekend cruiser.

Lowriders come from all different types of professions, and one of the greatest things about our culture is that you never know who might just be a die-hard Boulevard scraper. It could be your doctor, your child’s teacher, even a police officer; you just never know who might be holding the keys to the baddest Lowrider on the block. Take the case of NBA great Cedric Ceballos, for example. Yes, that’s right; the former L.A. Lakers and Phoenix Suns legend has been involved in the culture for years. Who would’ve thought that one of the NBA’s highest flyers would prefer being as low to the ground as possible?

Model: TK
Makeup: Kim Bui
Wardrobe Kandy Shop Bikinis
Kandyshopbikinis.com

This Year Lowrider Magazine turns 35 Years old! And to celebrate the now cultural automotive sport of our lifetime with our faithful and supportive readers past and present, we present twelve months of magazine Issues that will commemorate archived photos of magazines past. This Collectible edition of Lowrider classic memories will demonstrate why and how we were all impacted for decades by the artistic flavor and style that was and still is personalized on American early year and traditional cars today. Lowrider magazine in its early times was San Jose, Boyle Heights, and Espanola New Mexico. Now Lowrider is Miami, Australia, and Japan. From cragars to wires, visors to skirts, we will go back to the old-school times and see how we as enthusiasts have grown and changed. The Future of Lowriding is in the past! And Lowrider magazine wouldn’t have it any other way. Turn the pages and celebrate who and what we are. The staff at Lowrider Magazine past and present thanks you for your patronage.

Model: Rachel Salorio
MUA: Sara
Wardrobe: KandyShopBikinis
kandyshopbikinis

George Vera, of Montebello, CA., is no stranger to the world of the unique automobile. Privileged enough to be around them for most of his life, this aficionado’s car blood runs deep. As a child, George’s remembers riding with his brothers to their baseball games in his father’s 1937 Ford Deluxe. The ‘37 had suicide doors, a split windshield and was low to the ground, so you can imagine that George and his brothers were the coolest little leaguers in their city!

The mid-1970’s can be considered the golden era of the Lowrider scene. It was a glorious time in which parks throughout California would be brimming with Lowrider activity, and picnics would be filled with the sights of chrome and custom paint. As the sun set, these park attendees would trade the green lawns and picnic parking lots for the backdrop of the Boulevard, scraping pavement until the wee hours of the morning. This booming time period also saw the formation of many Lowrider car clubs, some of whom are still around to this very day. One of those few surviving clubs is Oldies Car Club, a club that has endured for nearly four decades!

Model: Chrissy G.O.