Lowrider (magazine)

Lowrider is 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. As of 2007, it is published out of Anaheim, California, and part of TEN: The Enthusiast Network (formerly Source Interlink Media).

Lowrider focuses on all aspects of lowrider culture, from cars to music and fashion. It also covers political and cultural issues related to Chicanos, and funds an annual scholarship program. The magazine has also released a series of music videos through their label, Thump Records.

Lowrider's monthly circulation is about 50,000, but the magazine sells more newsstand copies than any other U.S. car magazine — probably due in large part to the bikini-clad women featured on the cover every issue. (In 2000, the magazine's monthly circulation was more than 200,000.)

History

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." The first issue debuted in January 1977. Essentially self-distributed, the magazine struggled until the November 1979 issue, when it began pairing bikini-clad women with lowriders on the cover each issue. During this time, it also featured cartoonist David Gonzales' monthly comic strip The Adventures of Hollywood, which eventually morphed into the Homies line of toy figurines. Even so, after being taken over by its printer, Lowrider folded in December 1985.