How lowrider custom cars went global without being main-street hot rods in the meantime

Abstract

In the Southwestern United States, during the mid-twentieth century, Mexican Americans introduced a genre of custom cars known as lowriders. They were unique compared to other American custom cars, such as hot rods and other fast cars on American main streets; lowriders rode low and slow and only inches from the ground. In fact, lowriders became central to Chicano culture and to the lives of car owners and their families. The car owner and the rest of the family also drew part of their self-identity not only from the car itself, but also in the act of driving – or lowriding as it is known. The story herewith tells how lowriders, lowriding and car clubs emerged from the heart of Chicano culture in ways that established and supported community building, expanding eventually to worldwide popularity.