Smiley's Lowrider

1977 Pontiac Grand Prix

Color:  Brandy Wine

2 Lexor pumps - Front, Back and side to side

Alvaro Natividad from Pecos, Texas.

at G & G Upholstery

"What the stories and the cars reveal is that these men are hard working Americans with steady jobs and who give back to the community by belonging to car clubs.  They also have a voracious appetite for cars like other auto enthusiasts, but most important they are aware that they are keeping a tradition alive which began in the Mexican American barrios a long time ago.

To understand low riding is to see it as the connection between people who share not only your passion for cars, but a commitment to la familia / the family.  Low riding is about remembering....remembering the pachucos who rode on the boulevard before you, in the 1940's, or celebrating the good times of cruising the boulevard.  Lowriding also involves giving back to one's community, whether it be through activism or teaching the next generation of lowriders the skills of their ancestors.  Just as the Aztecs have taught us about complex civilizations and spirituality, lowriders teach us about the reality of urban life, the importance of family and the need to continue a tradition that has its roots in the barrio.  Every time a lowrider cruises the boulevard...bajito y suavecito...it is re-enacting a ritual which honors the past and celebrates a multicultural future.  Family, honor and respect are the key themes that anchor the tradition of community and continuity.  Low riders are a perfect example of how the practice of every day life creates art -- an art that is full of life and stylized -- a living, a ritual that feeds one's soul and the soul of the various barrios throughout Aztlan and beyond.

Another important facet of lowriding is the connection which is made between people and it is these relationships which result in the many memories that lowriders can hold dear to their hearts.  It is a life long history of great people and great friends.  When I asked Ernie ruelas of the Dukes to tell me about the role the car club has played in his life he said, "Every day I wake up and remember certain friends.  That is most important.  That is what makes the car club, the people bottom line."  Some other lowriders have had their lowriders longer that their own children.   As Mike Lopez told me, "I would never sell my child, so I will never sell my lowrider."  These men have a special relationship to their cars and to their clubs.  Lowriding is alife long passion that will continue after death or these men, as the next generation of lowriders cruise  the boulevards bajito y suavecito keeping alive the low riding tradition.

Bajito y Suavecito:  The Lowriding Traditon

By Denise Sandoval

   http://latino.si.edu/virtualgallery/Lowrider/LR_SandovalEssay.htm  

Smiley has involved him self in every detail on this classic lowrider.  From installing the hydraulic system to doing the prep work for the paint job.  Hundreds of  hours and buckets of blood, sweat and tears have gone into making this motorized work of art.  This labor of love continues as each years new ideas and more improvements are made to Smiley's G-Ride.

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