Goodguys to Showcase Lowrider Exhibits in Pleasanton & Del Mar this Spring
Low, flashy, colorful, and bold, lowriders bring a distinctive character to the world of custom cars and hot rods. Goodguys has long embraced the lowrider community and is celebrating this unique American automotive art form with a special lowrider exhibit at two California Goodguys events this spring.
Deadend Magazine will be teaming up with Goodguys to host a special lowrider exhibit at the 37th All American Get-Together at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, March 30-31. This indoor display will feature more than two dozen lowriders from around the greater Bay Area.
A week later at the 19th Del Mar Nationals in Del Mar, participants and spectators will be able to check out the PPG Lowrider Palace inside the exhibit hall on the Del Mar Fairgrounds. This gathering will welcome more than 60 mind-blowing, low-riding customs from all over Southern California.
Characterized by low ride heights – often achieved using hydraulic suspensions – lowriders can take on a wide range of styles. On one extreme are the early-style “Bombs,” often built from fat-fendered ’30s and ’40s cars or early-’50s cruisers, and typically painted in solid, stock-style colors and adorned with accessories. Impalas from the ’50s and ’60s are favorites of many other lowriders and are frequently dropped over wire wheels with skinny whitewalls. The most flamboyant lowriders are often built from ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s GM products and, in addition to wire wheels, will frequently incorporate wild metalflake paint, detailed paint panels and striping, murals, custom bodywork, etching and engraving, and other decorative touches.
Lowriders are as much about culture and community as they are about cars. With both of these exhibits, you’ll witness Latino pride, families, car clubs, and generations of lowriders from old-school veterans to those relatively new to the scene. More than any other sector of the old car hobby, the lowrider community is family.
Ray Garcia, who is helping organize the PPG Lowrider Palace in Del Mar, sums up some of that sense of community and legacy when he describes his own ’71 Monte Carlo. “The 1971 Monte Carlo was my dream car since I was young,” Ray said. “I purchased my Monte Carlo in 2014 and began building my dream. It took me almost two years and support from many people, including my wife Rose. I love the lowrider community and all the great times that Rosie and I have had attending the shows. I have been a lowrider since I was 15 years old and I will always be a lowrider.”
Beyond the cars and community, you’re bound to see the lowrider touch on other vehicles in these exhibits – bicycles, trikes, pedal cars, strollers, and anything else that will accept some metalflake, panel paint, pinstriping, and chrome.
These lowrider displays are sure to be highlights of the All American Get-Together and the Del Mar Nationals. Both events will also feature thousands of hot rods, customs, classics, muscle cars and trucks, plus exhibits, a swap meet, cars for sale, entertainment, and more. For more details on these great West Coast events, visit www.good-guys.com.
