Lowriders rolled into the Indiana State Fairgrounds Saturday for the Lowrider Magazine Supershow exhibition. The stop is part of a multi-city summer tour. Indianapolis was also part of the same tour last year.
Lowrider enthusiasts drove from all over Indiana and neighboring states for the exhibition. While the flashy cars are the main attraction at the shows, families and community are central to the lowrider culture.
Stories like Joseph Pollard’s of Carmel are not uncommon to hear at the exhibition.
Pollard says he got serious about cars about 6 years ago, when he purchased his first car to work on.
“You caught me in the midlife crisis,” Pollard laughed. “I picked up golfing, classic cars, and cigars and here I am.”
Pollard points at a pearl-white, convertible Buick Centurion he’s worked on since he joined the Time Machine Car Club in Indianapolis. He said it’s been important for him to be around like-minded people that are passionate about the same things – in this case cars.
“I knew nothing about cars. I knew how to put gas in them and drive them,” Pollard said, “Now, meeting with the group I’m in, we have talented guys who know body work, they know engine work, they know how to paint. They give me all those little nits and bits that get me to the next level. I know how to do detail-work and clean cars.”
Time Machine also provides mentoring opportunities for youth in the area.
“We let them know that you can have this. You can have the big rims and the candy-apple colored paint without having to look over your shoulder,” he said. “It’s what I call the fast-quarter versus slow-nickel mentality. You can go out and deal drugs, and get all this money and get a car and, ‘Oh look at me,’ or you can take your time – that slow nickel and build your way up. That’s what we teach in this culture.”
Pollard said his love of cars goes back to his godfather, who was there for him growing up. He taught him how to detail cars, a skill he’s now proud of and shares at Time Machine with the other members.
“He was that father figure to me,” Pollard said. “He taught me the ropes of life and our connection was through the cars, cleaning the cars, detailing the cars, getting them clean.”
Life’s 2 Low Indianapolis Car Club featured a few of their member’s lowriders at the show.
Co-founder of the club, Gilbert Guerra Jr., started the club 40 years ago with his brother. For Guerra, the car club is like a family. He said a lot of work goes into helping someone realize the vision for their project.
"It’s not so much the car, it’s the person, the love for the art,” Guerra said, “How can I say? You’ve gotta be about it. You gotta have the love for it, the passion for this. It’s a lifestyle."
Like Pollard, Guerra said the car clubs are important to help dissuade misconceptions about lowrider culture and gang-affiliations."We just try to keep connected, you know, with people, community car clubs,” he said. “And we just keep pushing forward. We pray that it stays in existence because this is who we are."
This year’s show included concerts and hop contests – where participants test how high their cars can hop. One of the highest reaching more than 6 feet.
Contact WFYI Morning Edition newscaster and reporter Barbara Anguiano at banguiano@wfyi.org
