the lowrider show is tonight so that probably means the lowriders will be crusing around in maryvale, and that means tons of pigs will be shaking them down this sat and sunday. anybody want to patrol this. the past two times we have done it it was almost non-stop video taping of pigs from 10 pm to 2 am. the people cruz on mcdowell, thomas, and indian school from 43rd ave to 63th ave. they also cruz on 43, 49, 55, and 63 avenues between indian school and mdcowell. Original Article Lowriders are a family tradition Cars handed down through generations Jacqueline Shoyeb The Arizona Republic Mar. 5, 2005 12:00 AM Every Saturday afternoon, souped-up Chevy Impalas dipped in chrome rolled into Jaime Martinez's east Los Angeles home. Martinez, a boy then, watched wide-eyed as his father and uncles worked to make their babies purr for that smooth ride out on Whittier Boulevard, the east LA street famous for cruising. Now 36 with sons of his own, Martinez is another lowrider devotee who is passing the increasingly mainstream tradition to his children. But before Martinez lets go of his own cherry red '62 Impala, he's setting out to win a few awards at the Lowrider Magazine 2005 Tour, which rolls into Phoenix this Sunday at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. "My mind-set is that I'm going down there to compete against other guys (from different states)," he said. "They're not going home with a trophy from here. They can get one from someone else, but when they come into my stomping grounds, they ain't getting it from my state." And from many states they'll come. About 500 modified vehicles and bikes will hit the fairgrounds from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's one of the most popular lowrider shows in Phoenix and draws contestants from all over the nation, tour manager Jon Henriquez said. Most of the entrants are from Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, California and Utah. Between 10,000 and 15,000 spectators also are expected to attend the show, organizers said. "There are even people from Kentucky coming for this show," he said. "They're probably some of the most beautiful cars in the country that come out to the show." Phoenix is home to thousands of lowriders and about a dozen car clubs, everything from Christian lowriders to an all-women's club. About half of the contestants will be from Arizona and New Mexico. The tour started about 30 years ago and now makes 14 stops from California to Florida. The event will include a hip-hop concert and hydraulics show. Despite the bad-boy image that lowriders have, the sport is a family thing, with cars being passed down through generations, Henriquez said. "These kids actually are the third generation of families whose grandparents started building lowriders," he said. "The kids who were building bikes are now building cars." That's how it was for Martinez. He got hooked on lowriders as a kid in east Los Angeles. His father owned a chocolate brown '64 Impala with cut springs that raised the front and lowered the back of the car. "I would always see my dad and all my uncles and all their friends. They would come over and they would all be working on their cars," he said. "Impalas everywhere." Since then, Martinez, a fiber-optics technician, has worked to make his own "six-deuce" dreams come true. Nine years ago, Martinez's friend spotted a beat-up '62 hardtop in a barn. It was without doors and interior. Most would have forgotten the car, but Martinez saw it as a diamond in the rough. He slapped down $1,500 for it, bought another '62 to help with restoration, and worked on the car every spare moment. Today the shiny, chromed-out Impala has had about $35,000 poured into it and 15 first-place prizes behind it. "It's the passion," Martinez said. "I love these old cars. These cars are a work of art. They don't make them like that anymore." At the show, Martinez will open the hood, trunk, doors, remove a tire and place mirrors underneath the body, all to rack up show points. The more features you show on your car, the more points you're awarded, he said. Martinez doesn't ever plan to sell his El Sancho, Spanish for "man-on-the-side." He will pass it on to his 15-year-old son. "I'm very serious about lowriders. I want it real bad," son Justin Martinez said. Lowriders started as tradition within the Latino community in Southern California but has since spread to the mainstream and includes all ethnicities, said Ralph Fuentes, editorial director for Lowrider Magazine. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0305lowshow05.html Lowriders forever Devotees pass love of cars down to kids Jacqueline Shoyeb The Arizona Republic Mar. 5, 2005 12:00 AM Every Saturday afternoon, souped-up Chevy Impalas dipped in chrome rolled into Jaime Martinez's East Los Angeles home. Martinez, a boy then, watched wide-eyed as his father and uncles worked to make their babies purr for that smooth ride out on Whittier Boulevard, the East LA street famous for cruising. Now 36 with sons of his own, Martinez is another lowrider devotee who is passing the increasingly mainstream tradition on to his children. But before Martinez, of west Phoenix, lets go of his own cherry red '62 Impala, he's out to win a few awards at the Lowrider Magazine 2005 Tour car show, which rolls into Phoenix on Sunday at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. "My mind-set is that I'm going down there to compete against other guys (from different states)," he said. "They're not going home with a trophy from here. They can get one from someone else, but when they come into my stomping grounds, they ain't getting it from my state." About 500 modified vehicles and bicycles will hit the show from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's one of the most popular lowrider shows in Phoenix and draws contestants from all over the country, tour manager Jon Henriquez said. Most of the entrants are from Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, California and Utah. From 10,000 to 15,000 spectators also are expected to attend the show, organizers said. "They're probably some of the most beautiful cars in the country that come out to the show." The Valley is home to thousands of lowriders and about a dozen car clubs, everything from Christian lowriders to an all-women's club. About half of the contestants will be from Arizona and New Mexico.The tour started about 30 years ago and now makes 14 stops from California to Florida. Because lowriding developed in the barrios, it has long been saddled with image problems. But Henriquez said that lowriding has become a family pursuit, with fathers and sons working and spending time and money together on their cars. "These kids actually are the third generation of families whose grandparents started building lowriders," he said. "The kids who were building bikes are now building cars." That's how it was for Martinez. He got hooked on lowriders as a kid in East Los Angeles. His father owned a chocolate brown '64 Impala with springs that raised the front and lowered the back of the car. "I would always see my dad and all my uncles and all their friends. They would come over and they would all be working on their cars," he said. "Impalas everywhere." Since then, Martinez, a fiber-optics technician, has worked to make his own "six-deuce" (a 1962 car) dreams come true. Nine years ago, Martinez's friend spotted a beat-up '62 hardtop in a barn. It was without doors and an interior. He slapped down $1,500 for it, bought another '62 to help with restoration, and worked on the car every spare moment. Today the shiny, chromed-out Impala has had about $35,000 invested in it and has 15 first-place prizes behind it. "It's the passion," Martinez said. "I love these old cars. These cars are a work of art. They don't make them like that anymore." At the show, Martinez will open the hood, trunk and doors, remove a tire and place mirrors under the body, all to rack up show points. The more features you show on your car, the more points you get, he said. Although he has put a lot of time and money into the Impala, Martinez doesn't ever plan to sell his El Sancho, or Other Man. He plans to pass it on to his 15-year-old son. "I'm very serious about lowriders. I want it real bad," son Justin Martinez said. Lowriding started as tradition in Southern California's Latino community, but has spread to the mainstream and includes all ethnicities, said Ralph Fuentes, editorial director for Lowrider Magazine. The low-suspended vehicles date to the 1930s and 1940s, created by Mexican-American youths - pachucos, or zoot-suiters - as a form of self-identity, he said. Impalas and Monte Carlos were the main rides because they lasted the longest and were easy to trick out. But since the peak of the lowrider craze in the 1970s, lowriding has taken on a new sports-like image, Martinez said. It's now about major modification, hydraulics and candy paint. "It was a subculture. It wasn't as noticed and recognized, and it always had a bad history behind it as a cholo (barrio guy) thing," he said. "But once it went mainstream, everybody has gotten into it to what it has evolved to today." Even though Martinez will miss grooming El Sancho, he's looking forward to transitioning to another vehicle when he is in his mid-40s. By that time, he'll leave the glitz and glamour to the kids and their tricked-out cars. "These are the older, mellow, laid-back vehicles cruising by," he said with a wide grin. "When you're this age, you should have your old lady with you, watch the boys and sit back." http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/wheels/articles/0305wheels05autoreport.html 'Lowrider Magazine' Tour hops into state fairground Mar. 5, 2005 12:00 AM The exotic art of lowrider custom cars and trucks, with its extravagant forms and colors, will be on display Sunday with the annual Lowrider Magazine Tour. Lowriders from throughout the Southwest and entries from local car clubs will be shown from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Arizona State Fairground, 19th Avenue and McDowell Road, with music, vendors and food. The high point of any lowrider show is the hydraulics competition, known as car hopping or car dancing, in which owners and their vehicles compete in contests of style and jumping height. The lowriders also are known for their richly painted motifs, sometimes with religious or story-telling themes. The lowriders also span generations, with younger customizers picking up the "old school" styles and techniques of their parents and grandparents. There are also newer versions of lowriders that focus on sport compacts, SUVs and luxury cars. Even bicycles get the lowrider treatment, and will be on display at Sunday's show. Tickets are $30 with children 10 and younger free with a paying adult. Information: (714) 769-7474 or www .lowridermagazine.com. Cars, clubs and events Arizona Classic Auctions presents a three-day collector car and motorcycle auction starting next Friday at DeWitt Farms, 2211 E. Quince Street, east of Gilbert Road and north of Loop 202. Information: (602) 234-9226 or www.arizona classicauctions.com. The eighth-annual Corvettes on the Green auto show happens 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at Julio G's Mexican Restaurant, 7633 E. Indian School Road. Information: (480) 423-1600. Classic Cars, Classic Wines, a high-end display and competition of Jaguar and Ferrari sports cars, will be at the Boulders el Pedregal Festival Marketplace, Scottsdale Road and Carefree Highway, next Saturday as part of the weekend's Wine and Jazz Festival. Information: (480) 488-1072 or www.elpedregal.com. A St. Patty's Day Car Show happens 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. next Saturday at Highway Cafe, 1405 W. 89A, Sedona. Information: (928) 282-2300. The Cruisin' to the Tunes Car Show to benefit the Deer Valley High School band will be held 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Saturday at the school, 18424 N. 51st Ave. There will be music, food and prizes, and trophies will be awarded. Information: (602) 843-5690 More than 200 antique tractors, engines and trucks will be on display 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 12 and 13 at Rodeo Park, Lost Dutchman Boulevard and Tomahawk Road, Apache Junction, with a parade at 1 p.m. each day. Information: (480) 518-1735 or (623) 435-3955. The Wheels of Britain car show for all British vehicles starts at 10 a.m. March 13 at Heritage Square, Sixth and Monroe Streets, Phoenix. Information: (602) 971-7807 or (480) 985-2531. Shangri La Ranch presents a Nudist Resort Car Show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 13 at the resort, 44444 N. Shangri La Lane, New River. As always, clothing is optional. Information: (623) 465-5959. To list your automotive event, send the information two weeks in advance to Bob Golfen, Auto Report, The Arizona Republic, NW19 200 E. Van Buren Street, Phoenix, AZ. 85004.