LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Lowrider Cars: Ground
built 638 days ago
Nobody knows exactly what inspired these original lowrider owners to lower their cars. The rear end and front suspension are lowered, its tires are skimpy and its motor is usually left untouched. Another mark of a lowrider is its extravagant amount of accessories, such as chrome pipes, wheel skirts and window visors that can be costly. In 1957, Gov. Edmond Brown outlawed lowrider cars. The California law prohibits drivers from lowering the frame of the car past the lowest point of the wheel rim. Because back then they had only stock tires, the car was usually about 5 inches off the ground and that just wasn't low enough.
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In the first decades of the hobby, lowriders fixed up used cars that were cheap and plentiful, like the now-iconic Impala, which was one of the bestselling cars of all time. But the more money artisans poured into their cars, the less likely they were to take them cruising on the street. By the mid-'70s, "Gypsy Rose," as well as Joe Ray's groundbreaking 1971 Buick "Dressed to Kill," started showing up, and winning, at car shows.
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One popular variation of the lowrider bicycle is the lowrider tricycle. This variation was popular because it allowed designers to lower the frame so that it was closer to the ground, while not sacrificing performance. The tricycle configuration ... allowed a second seat to be installed between the back wheels. Other options included putting a storage rack between the back two wheels or installing a boom box in that space instead.
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