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Shifting Gears: Champagne bottles and dry-ice fog made the l
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Posted by nwv_admin Thu Aug 11, 2005 10:55:00 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments Lowriders are another type of car interest on the hobby car spectrum.

On Aug. 7, I attended the Lowrider Nationals at the Kern County Fairgrounds.

I've been to scores of car shows, but none like this. This is the first time I had to submit to a clothed-body search prior to entering the car show.

What I learned was that having an interest in these types of vehicles is a confluence of culture, cars and style. Each aspect feeds off the other, and the end result is a lowriding lifestyle that transcends the vehicles themselves.

There were all types of vehicles in the lowrider style present at the show: bicycles, scooters, minibikes, motorcycles, cars that were driven and real cars mocked-up to resemble driven cars.

As far as the mechanics of the cars, what I was most impressed with was the excruciating detail in which all the pieces of the cars were finished; the paint jobs, the chrome and gold anodiziation and the way-out interiors.

Being a car show guy, I know how difficult it is to really detail the underside of a car, but these owners had the undersides of driven cars clean to a T.

Most were displayed with mirrors all over the underside showing off remarkable collages of chrome, kandy paint (that's the way it's spelled in this type of hobby) and powder coating.

Dirt and road grime? Not on these vehicles!

Another unusual aspect of this type of car show was how the cars were displayed. Sometimes the cars had themes. One, in particular, based its entire look around M&M candies. There were M&Ms all around the car, the seats and paint had the M&M characters on them and the car was even painted the same colors as M&Ms tastefully blended in! Remarkable.

The cultural aspect of this car hobby was evidenced in both the patrons and the participants. All wore similar clothing and many walked together in large groups, displaying their club affiliations on their T-shirts and necklaces.

It kind of reminded me of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle culture with the clothing and group dynamic. It seemed that the cars themselves were a very minor part of the whole experience.

In terms of the mechanical aspect of the vehicles, they are much the same as any other hobby car. Owners are concerned with reliability, style and safety.

Where these cars really differ is in their hydraulics: a universal term for lowering and raising a vehicle to some unbelievable heights. There are even contests to see which can hop the highest. Cars are jumped so high they sometimes tip over! You'll hear them go "PSSST," and then the cars go up or down.

Believe me, these owners have tens of thousands of dollars in their cars. One guy I talked to said he had more than $70,000 in his '59 El Camino.

What all the vehicles had in common was style, which tended toward fantasy. Some of the interiors had white, fur-like upholstery with turquoise leather seats and more items gold anodized than the costume jewelry counter at Macy's. Some even had dry-ice fog emanating from under the seats over champagne bottles and glasses displayed on the dash.

One car even had the front bucket seats fashioned like a king and queen throne!

The cars left the viewers thinking they were in another world; a place where fantasy, over-the-top style and ultimate bling-bling intersect.

Whether or not you like this style of vehicle, you have to admire the work and attention to detail. In a way, isn't this what the car hobby is all about?

The next time you hear a "PSSST" and see a kandy flake "spray," just remember how much time and money that guy spent to turn his dreams into reality.

Until next time, drive safe, have fun and happy motoring!

E-mail Landon with questions and comments via lward@northwestvoice.com.

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