From heavily modified import tuner cars to the beautiful women working at the event, the 2005 Lowrider Magazine Tour car show brought all races and faces together to sample the subculture of custom cars Sunday at the Arizona State Fairgrounds.
As I walked in, I saw there were a great number of bright, neon-colored automobiles scattered throughout the room. The infamous sound of hydraulics launching sheet metal off the ground on 8-inch wire rims was picked up by my sensitive ear. Walking around, I could hear earth-shaking bass tones coming from the numerous subwoofers.
Seeking a place to find out more about this event, I went up to the Power 92.3 booth. I talked to Deon of the "Flava Unit" and he hooked me up with the information about the show. This was the third year that this show had rolled around, he told me. I thanked him for the information and started my adventure through the sea of tents.
I visited the Nitto Tire and Lowrider Magazine tent and then went nextdoor to the IGX, or Interactive Game Experience, booth. All the sample game systems were occupied, so I started looking around again.
I made just a few steps across the pathway to see a custom airbrushed Scion xB, one of the three byproducts of the highly reliable Toyota engineering that has appealed to the youth (and youth at heart) of the world. However, this Toyota creation has also sparked the minds of many creative people. An entire following steeped in the hip-hop culture has boosted the Scion's popularity.
A shining example at the event was a burgundy masterpiece on four wheels. On the hood were highly detailed designs of women on both sides of a somewhat tribal icon. Sitting on red and chrome wire rims, the car was just starting to be the center of attention.
Wandering off into the still traffic of local show cars, the creativity of many minds was obvious. From the baby-blue Honda Accord with Nissan Skyline R34 front and rear taillights to an all-suede Datsun truck, I was amazed. On the suede car, even the bed had suede seating on some parts and the engine had suede housing.
Although the cars were incredible and unique, I remembered that my heart always leaps with happiness when I see a Japanese car on the domestic market. So of course I had to look at an older-generation Lexus SC. It was black on silver, 17-inch rims.
Pitbull, N.O.R.E., and NB Ridaz helped pump up the crowd. Even Baby Bash made an appearance at the show. Nearly 12,000 people left the show in a good mood for Monday, and the rest of the week.
Omar Rehman is a contributor to the Web Devil. Reach the reporter at omar.rehman@asu.edu.
