Longmont can be found about 45 minutes north of downtown Denver, and we were in the Mile High City the week before Thanksgiving for family stuff. In addition to enjoying that big meal on Thursday, we’d gathered to celebrate milestone birthdays for both my sister- and brother-in-law. Yes, there was cake.
I had to do my part in wrapping up an issue, so in between making a magazine and singing “Happy Birthday,” my wife and I managed a few quick getaways. We didn’t have enough time for a day in the mountains, but I could justify a “long lunch” or two away from the computer for a bit.
We first planned to spend that free time taking in an exhibit downtown showcasing the costumes from “Star Wars,” but the night before we saw that it was sold out. Sorry, R2, maybe next time.
Then my wife spotted the announcement for the lowrider exhibit. That would be just as cool, right? According to the website that promotes the show, Longmont is home to 200-plus lowriders and this is one of the first exhibitions dedicated to that scene. Call our interest piqued.
We set the coordinates into our navicomputer and made the drive, facing little traffic; perhaps everyone else was home preparing for Thanksgiving. We arrived to find a largely empty parking lot. Admission for the lowrider exhibit was $8 per person. Fine, we’re here, I thought, so let’s check it out. The Smithsonian museums are free, but I figured this was supporting a good cause. How often do you find a museum exhibit dedicated to cars, especially ones that are a bit out of the usual?
Inside we found about half a dozen cars on display. Okay, so it wasn’t the Air and Space Museum, but what it lacked in size it made up for in heart.
First, the cars were immaculate–clean, perfectly detailed, quintessential lowriders, including a candy apple red ’64 Impala convertible, an intricately detailed ’79 Monte Carlo and a ’48 Suburban which I learned, in lowrider culture, is known as a bomb. Plus, they had lowrider bikes, lowrider pedal cars and lowrider toys. (Plug: You can find photos and videos on my Instagram.)
As we took it all in, we realized that this was more than just a few cars parked in a room. This was a doctoral thesis on the culture. Displays took visitors behind the fancy paintwork, explaining the how and the why of things like hydraulics, bespoke interior work and aftermarket wheels. How did the forefathers of the scene weave these features into their creations?
The bodywork display chronicled the work needed to transform the entire side of a Lincoln Towncar from a wreck to a show car, showcasing the tools of the trade: hammer and dolly, metal flake paint and sandpaper–lots of sandpaper. Yes, the implements that so many of us have in our shops have, at least in this case, been categorized as an artist’s tools. Congratulate yourself on being the next Picasso.
Ever see a five-spoke Supreme mag wheel displayed in a museum, complete with written history? We did, and to be honest, it was pretty cool to see something so iconic gets its due. The right wheels can do more than just support a tire. They can also make a statement.
But the exhibit went beyond chrome and hydraulics. It also showcased the music, dress and family that tie the scene together. The room featured zoot suits, Pendleton plaid work shirts, and stories about resurrecting a wreck into a family heirloom.
The take-home message: This was more than cars, it was culture.
Don’t think that our little motorsports world is any different? Next time you’re at an autocross or track event, count the number of Blipshift and GRM T-shirts–and watch how people get nostalgic discussing Panasport wheels, Kamei spoilers and SuperTrapp mufflers. We might not be lowriders, but in the end we’re all branches of the same tree.
