Revved Up...

Car Clubs form of Expression, obsession

Amanda Gonzales, staff writer

It would be hard for many Americans today to imagine what life would be like without the invention of the automobile.

Since the time that the automobile was invented there have been hundreds of makes and models by corporations and teams of individuals who have make sure everything is in place.

As time progressed and automobiles became affordable and available to the public, the public owned something that was theirs. The automobile became a symbol of ownership and a characteristic that distinguished someone from somebody else.

The car owners exhibited their personalities through their car’s color, style, speed, and detail. Car painting was a way to bring art to the public rather than the public to the art.

Through the years, the placement of art on vehicles has brought a new phenomena to different parts of the country.  Low rider cars and car clubs have formed to share their love of cars and to share their common interests with others.

The term “low rider” refers to any lowered car, truck, van, motorcycle, or even bicycle. Heavy-duty hydraulic suspension systems are installed to allow the ride to be raised or lowered by a control panel. Spectators request to see a car dance by telling the driver to “hit the switches”.

Many low riders are created not to dance but for show. The low rider expression is not generally recognized for speed but for the skill and technique involved in producing visual representations of the vehicle. Owners will display their vehicles by driving at a leisurely speed in an area where others can view them from the sides of the street.

This tradition dates back to the promenade in small Mexican towns where men and women would walk opposite of each other to display themselves to the opposite sex.

The low rider culture has been found to date back as far as the 1920s, when pin striping first became available. Later, in the 1930s, painted images began to appear. The phenomenon of customizing gradually developed. In the 1970s life-like images and murals started to appear and elaborate detail could be found throughout the interior and exterior, as well as with the tires and engine.

In those days people who could not afford to buy brand new vehicles would invest what they had to fix up what vehicle they could afford. Today many low rider owners spend thousands of dollars, many times exceeding what they would have paid for a brand new vehicle. The time and money are used for elaborate upholstery, sound systems, horns and even displays to mount their vehicles for show.

Low riders use pieces of fine art, folk art, outsider art, and even street art to create an image of originality that symbolizes the most public and highly visible expression of personality.

John Aguilar from Lubbock has been restoring vehicles for many years. He currently owns a  1950 Chevy Convertible. Aguilar has been a member of the “La Raza Car Club” which originated in 1960. Aguilar has competed and won many awards throughout his involvement. He contributes his dedication and his passion to his family.

For the past 25 years, Pete Lucio of Lubbock has been working on transforming the original bodywork for more than 10 vehicles. His dedication and time on each vehicle has been primarily a hobby that has involved his entire family as well.

The Lucio family has traveled throughout many cities in Texas for different cars shows, including Vernon, Amarillo, Lamesa, Odessa, and Snyder. Many people who travel with their vehicles to car shows usually place their show car on trailers to protect the vehicle from the wear and tear of the streets. The Lucios actually drive their show cars to each and every show without the support of trailers.

Currently, Lucio owns a blue 1954 hard top Ford in that he has won more than over 35 trophies and awards. He has been working on the Ford for nine years, and has spent between $15,000 to $20,000 for restoring and customizing its features. This car has been featured in “Lowrider Magazine,” “ The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal,” and the “Fiest".

Lucio also owns a 1955 Chevy Bellaire hard top that he has been working on for five years. The Chevy has garnered him more than 10 trophies and much recognition. He started restoring the Chevy from just the frame alone and has also spent $15,000 to $20,000  restoring it.

“It’s just something I like to do,” says Lucio. “It’s a hobby that I enjoy doing and sharing with my family.”

The Lucios belong to two local car clubs, The Nifty Fifties Club and the Caprock Classic Car Club. They meet every Thursday evening at the Sonic Drive In at 82^nd Street and University Avenue. They organize a procession in the streets to display the hard work and dedication that has turned their cars into thought-provoking extraordinary works.

Lucio has also managed to pass the hobby down to his son Pete Lucio Jr., also of Lubbock.

“I just started getting into this,” Lucio says. “It’s something that my father passed to me and hopefully one day I will be able to pass it down to my son as well.”

Pete Lucio Jr. recognizes the importance of family support and guidance. He acknowledges the dedication and recognition gathered from what his family views as a hobby. His son Josh Lucio, a devout Christian has managed to take his hobby of relaying positive messages to today’s youth through Christian Rap. His hobby has managed to save a local boxing ring from being closed down. This was a place that many kids would come to when they had no other place to go.

Pete Lucio’s wife, Dolores Lucio, has also found a distinctive hobby by collecting artifacts from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. The Lucio home is decorated from floor to ceiling with all types of memorabilia. Her collection includes a serving bar with spinning stools, an old jukebox, a real tail end of a 1950 Mercury that has been converted into a love seat, and a display case filled with dozens of model cars from that era. Lucio started her collection nearly three years ago and has collected her pieces through garage sales, department stores, though she also has received many of her items as gifts.

“We all have our hobbies, “ Lucio says. “ We all support one another, although sometimes I have to turn the back lights out on my husband in order to get him in.”

The Lucio family finds that the low rider is a true piece of art that creates family unity and interaction with one another.

Just miles away is the low rider family known as “Low Intensity.” The car club was established a little more than three years ago. They have traveled as far as Odessa, San Antonio, California, and Colorado for shows with their 13 vehicles. Every Sunday evening, they meet at “Tommy’s Burgers” on Fourth Street and University Avenue to socialize and to display their vehicles. The group also encounters other people who share in the same hobby that seek to join the low rider family.

Romeo Guajardo has been transforming vehicles for spectator purposes for more than eight years. Like the Lucio family, he has also worked side by side with other members of his family. He has invested over $30,000 renovating and altering the structure and style of vehicles into his own vision of art.

Guajardo has won trophies and cash prizes for competitions in car hopping, exterior paint jobs, and interior design. Car hopping techniques are available to him through a system of 10 batteries and any one to four hydraulic pumps.

“ What inspires me to do all this is for the excited look I receive from the kids,” says Guajardo. “I love to see their faces light up, and I love to hear them yell for me to make my car dance.”

Guajardo has also volunteered his time by allowing Poncho Clause to ride in the back of a 1963 Chevrolet Impala to a local fundraiser for some kids in his neighborhood. The kids were able to visit with Poncho Clause and enjoy a day full of entertainment that also included several low riders on display. The fundraiser was a success, bringing in $20,000 in gifts to the community.

On the other side of town, another type of art and passion exists for the Caprock Corvette Car Club. The club meets the first Sunday of each month mainly to socialize about cars, family, and life in general. The club has participated in several charity events in order to help raise money for specific purposes.

Randy Edwards, director of The Caprock Corvette Car Club, has been collecting and fixing cars for the past 42 years. Edwards currently owns a 2001 Corvette convertible and a 1978 Ferrari model 308GTS. He started his fascination with British sports cars in the 1960s primarily for the enjoyment of the drive and because they were affordable.

Edwards has competed in drag racing competitions, with his car accelerating from 0 to 60 in a minimal amount of time. He has traveled from the East Coast to the West Coast, as well as throughout Texas and Oklahoma.  He has also participated in road racing and has completed a course in 13.9 seconds at 102 miles an hour.

“A driver has to be smart and responsible,” says Edwards. “If you’re not smart about it you can end up killing yourself or someone else.”

Edwards has won numerous trophies and awards that he proudly displays in his home. He has received his awards in wheel-to-wheel racing and for the detailed work on his vehicles. He also has competed and won awards in Auto Cross, which consists of a confined area zoned with cones where cars race against the clock.

“I found something that I like to do and am able to share it with others,” says Edwards.

The Caprock Corvette Car Club will be hosting the third annual, “Cars For Kids”, an event that provides money for research and aid to the heart program at Covenant Medical Center.

“We like to socialize, do good things,” Edwards says. “Were just a group of men that love to play with what we call our toys,” Edward says.

 

 

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