Craft: An American History

by Glenn Adamson

young Latinos in East Los Angeles: the distinctive “lowrider.” This custom style is similar to that for other hot rods and was developed concurrently, in the 1940s and ’50s, though as its name implies, a lowrider is dropped down closer to the ground, so that its running boards almost scrape the pavement. In its early years, it differed from the hot rod also in its make; rather than historic Fords, big new Chevrolets were preferred. Somewhat like the zoot suits worn by Latino men in the 1940s, the lowrider is purposefully, voluptuously impractical. Exteriors are sheathed in immaculate custom paint jobs. Interiors might be lined with thick carpet and outfitted with bucket seats and smaller-than-usual steering wheels, allowing the driver to sit even lower. Smaller-than-usual tires might be fitted to the car, too, with chromed rims to complete the look. These cars are not for racing, but the contrary: moving as slowly as possible down a boulevard, for purposes of admiration. One owner, quoted in a 1975 study, explained the aesthetic like this: “You want a car that’s built long and low and sexy, so that like if you was to take a picture of you and your broad standing beside it, you’d see one long line.”32