Lowrider (magazine)
 August 2003 issue of Lowrider Magazine | |
| Editor-in-chief | Carlos "Los" Fernandez |
|---|---|
| Categories | Automobile magazine |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Publisher | Carlos "Los" Fernandez |
| Total circulation | 200,000[1] (December 2015) |
| Founded | 1976 |
| First issue | January 1977 |
| Company | Lowrider Ventures LLC |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Website | www |
| ISSN | 0199-9362 |
Lowrider was an American automobile magazine, focusing almost exclusively on the style known as a lowrider. It first appeared in 1977, produced out of San Jose, California, by a trio of San Jose State students. In 2007, it was published out of Anaheim, California, and part of the Motor Trend Group. The magazine was closed in December 2019.[2]
Lowrider focused on all aspects of lowrider culture, from cars to music and fashion. It also covered political and cultural issues related to Chicanos, and funded an annual scholarship program.[3] The magazine also released a series of music videos[4] through their label, Thump Records.
In 2000, the magazine's monthly circulation was more than 200,000.[3] Lowrider's monthly circulation was less than 56,000 at the end of 2011.[1]
Publication history
[edit]Lowrider was founded in the mid-1970s by San Jose State students Larry Gonzalez, Sonny Madrid, and David Nunez, "who sought to present a voice for the Chicano community in the Bay Area."[3] The first issue debuted in January 1977.
Essentially self-distributed,[5] the magazine struggled until the November 1979 issue, when it began pairing bikini-clad women with lowriders on the cover each issue.[3]
An early artistic contributor to the magazine, David Holland, split with Lowrider to found his own Teen Angels Magazine in 1979, with the first issue published in 1981.[6][7]
In the early 1980s, Lowrider also featured cartoonist David Gonzales' monthly comic strip The Adventures of Hollywood, which eventually morphed into the Homies line of toy figurines.[5]
Even so, after being taken over by its printer, Lowrider folded in December 1985.[3]
The magazine was revived in June 1988 by original co-founder Larry Gonzalez along with brothers Alberto and Lonnie Lopez.[3] They moved the magazine's headquarters to Fullerton, California[3] (closer to the heart of lowrider culture), and began featuring customized trucks on the cover.[3]
As the magazine increased readership through the late 1980s and early '90s it spun off other titles, established a merchandising division, and began sponsoring multi-annual lowrider shows which took place all over the Western U.S.[3]
Lowrider Publishing Group was acquired in 1997 by automotive periodicals conglomerate McMullen Argus Publishing, which was itself acquired in 1999 by PriMedia (now Rent Group).[3] In 2007, Lowrider was taken over by Source Interlink Media, now known as TEN: The Enthusiast Network.[2]
Offshoots
[edit]- Roll Models: The Lowrider Magazine YouTube Channel which features driver profiles
- Lowrider Arte: quarterly magazine featuring the art of lowrider culture
- Lowrider Bicycle: established 1993, it is marketed to preteens and young teens who customize their bicycles
- Lowrider Euros: Volkswagen and Toyota lowriders; eventually merged into Lowrider Edge[citation needed]
- Lowrider Truck: lowrider pickups; eventually merged into Lowrider Edge[citation needed]
- Lowrider Japan: Tokyo-based Japanese-language version, published under license
- Lowrider Edge: "New Age Custom" lowrider cars, bikes, and trucks[8]
Awards
[edit]Lowrider Magazine established its awards program in 1978, with the highly coveted "Lowrider of the Year" title. The competition grew into a national program through the magazine's famous Super Show circuit, recognizing top automotive artistry and hydraulic builds across the country.[9]
In 2023, Lowrider Magazine named Tina Blankenship-Early, a longtime member of the Los Angeles-based Super Natural Lowriders car club, its first Woman of the Year and the first woman elected to the magazine's Hall of Fame. [10] She appeared on the magazine's cover the following year for a special edition honoring women lowriders including Jacqueline Valenzuela (Whittier, CA), Sandy Avila (Pasadena, CA), and Angel Romero (Sunnyvale, CA). [11]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "eCirc for Consumer Magazines". Audit Bureau of Circulations. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
- 1 2 Greg Dool (December 6, 2019). "TEN Publishing Is Shuttering 19 Car Magazines". Folio. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 O'Dell, John. "Lowrider Magazine Riding Higher Than Ever," Los Angeles Times (April 19, 2000).
- ↑ Low Rider Magazine Video Series
- 1 2 Mendoza, Beto (June 18, 2013). "David Gonzales Art - Creator of the Homies: Lowrider Draw the Line". Lowrider. Archived from the original on January 3, 2015.
- ↑ Coleman, Johnny (February 20, 2017). "Searching for Teen Angel, the Mysterious Man Behind the Zine That Defined Chicano Youth Culture". LA Weekly. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ↑ "Teen Angels | The Exhibition | Rvca". rvca.com. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ↑ Lowrider Edge website (Deprecated link archived 2015-01-03 at archive.today). Accessed Jan. 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Lowrider all Time Greats - Hall Of Fame - Editorial - Lowrider Magazine". MotorTrend. September 1, 2007. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
- ↑ Baime, A.J. (December 1, 2023). "This Lowrider Bounced From Hollywood to the Hall of Fame". Wall Street Journal.
- ↑ "Lowrider Magazine Special: Dedicated to Women Shaping the Culture". MotorTrend. March 7, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
