Lowrider Lifestyle Part 3 – Vintage Photos
Story and Photos by Mike Harrington
Lowrider Lifestyle is more popular than ever. In this third installment of our low and slow series, we look at some long lost vintage Lowriding images.
It’s difficult to imagine that the snapshots we take today could be of any value to future generations, but that is exactly the premise of photography. There are moments in time when a picture is taken that it instantly becomes historic and has an immediate immeasurable value. As is often the case, when a photo is taken, it’s quickly forgotten and filed away in a shoebox, or in today’s case a hard drive whether on a photo card or a smart phone.
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Photographs record moments in time that would have otherwise dimmed from our collective memories. They record who we were, what we were and even indicate to us where we might be going. A photo taken decades ago and filed away in a shoebox may now be deemed by some to be historically significant. Take for example the photos in this segment. A young man named Howard Gribble for whatever reason at the time took his camera to car shows all over southern California during the 1960s. He took what may have been considered ordinary snapshots of the cars, and people of the times. Today Gribble’s photos are of cultural significance to the custom car world and Lowriding community. They document, the colors, the style and the people, they tell us a story of where Lowriding came from and more importantly where it is going. They ground us, and give us an anchor point in history to refer back to. Thank-you Mr. Gribble.
The Imperials Car Club graciously provided the other photos in this section. The Imperials have been an active car club since the early to mid-1960s and opened their photo album up to us for scanning. The photos they provided not only show what the clubs members and cars looked like back in the 60s they also capture the most historically significant Lowrider ever built, The Gypsy Rose. Take a look at young Jessie Valdez in his Gypsy Rose Impala. While he may have passed away, his Impala is currently on display in the nation’s capital at the National Mall. Score one for Jessie and those who live the lowrider lifestyle everywhere, a Lowrider on display in a glass case in Washington, D.C. Thank-you Imperials CC.
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More Lowrider Lifestyle Stories
Lowrider Lifestyle Part 1 – Raising the Bar on Chrome and Banana Seats
Lowrider Lifestyle Part 2 – Hanging out on Whittier Blvd
