Photos: Lowriders Collection Drops at the Petersen Automotive Museum
A new display at the Petersen Automotive Museum features lowriders, including the famous and influential 'Gypsy Rose,' custom cars and their dramatic impact on car culture in Southern California.
'Lowriders and Customs Vault Display' is open now.
The new collection is snapshot of a moment in automotive history when style and identity meant going low and slow. Lowriders marked a shift in post-World War II car culture from the built-for-speed hot rods to works of rolling art that were expressions of creativity and Latino cultural identity.
And no lowrider represents the genre like the stunning 1964 Chevy Impala known as 'Gypsy Rose.' The car intricately adorned with colorful painted flowers was featured in the opening title sequence of the 1970s TV sitcom 'Chico and the Man.'
The revered lowrider achieved icon status, even going on display at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It is the first lowrider inducted into the National Historic Vehicle Registry.
The 'Lowriders and Customs Vault Display' also features the cars below. The are displayed in the Legends Gallery of The Vault, an area under the museum that has more than 250 vehicles from around the world.
Click here for tour information.