I’m not the world’s biggest lowrider fan. I’ll admit I went through a phase in my early teens where I liked the look of a clean, otherwise stock Impala with impeccable chrome trim on Dayton spokes. As a result I had a few copies of Lowrider magazine hanging around my room. Today, most of that phase is behind me, but I still have a deep appreciation for the absolutely stunning, high-dollar and high-quality paint jobs that some of the top builds anywhere sport, and SEMA is usually good for a couple of these over-the-top lowriders somewhere on the convention center grounds. So far this year, we’ve found two: “El Rey”, Albert De Alba’s 1963 Chevrolet Impala convertible, and the wild Ford LTD we found near Ford’s display inside. From the bright colors and deeply intricate patterns to such touches as engraved wheels and engine details, the craftsmanship that has gone into these cars’ appearances has to be seen to be believed and appreciated. These aren’t just quick spray jobs, these are the kinds of paint jobs that you can dive into, the luster is so deep, and we don’t even know where to start with the metalwork detail. Lowriders might not be your thing, but look past the cars and appreciate the artwork for what it is.
