From barrios in the American Southwest to the halls of the Smithsonian on the National Mall and even the streets of Japan, lowrider culture has become part of mainstream car culture around the globe. The US Postal Service is joining the club with a new series of stamps dedicated to the low and slow rolling works of art. The stamps—complete with pinstriping—are being unveiled Friday in San Diego, reports the AP. For the lowrider community, it's validation of the vibrant artistic expression that blossomed in the 1940s in the working-class communities of Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas as everyday cars were transformed into one-of-a-kind masterpieces. Lowriders are known for their dazzling paint schemes, glistening chrome, luxurious interiors, and gravity-defying hydraulic systems.
Antonio Alcalá grew up in San Diego admiring the cars from afar, so it was an honor for him to design the stamps. The challenge was finding the right mix of cars and colors to represent the lowrider world. He pored over tons of photographs before whittling it down to five: a 1946 Chevy Fleetline, three classic Chevy Impalas, and a 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Each brings its own flare, from curvaceous body lines and low stances to a hint of the mechanics that make the cars hop. "It's a real thrill," said Alcalá, the postal service's art director. The stamps are "a way that the United States signals to the rest of the world these are things that we find important about our people, our accomplishments, our culture, etc."
Alcalá watched a video of Danny Alvarado pinstriping a car, and his heart stopped as the brush effortlessly glided over the metal flake paint leaving behind intricate swirls. He knew that would be the final touch for the corner of each stamp. Alvarado, an illustrator and sculptor, has spent about 50 years perfecting his craft and is now teaching others how to spin the brush just right. For him, the stamp project has special meaning—his father worked as a mail carrier for more than 20 years and it marks another corner turned as lowrider culture gains new fans and more respect.
In the 1980s, some cities imposed anti-cruising laws and height restrictions, often seen as targeting Chicano youth and associating lowriders with gangs. Founder and president of the San Francisco Lowrider Council, Roberto Hernández began cruising in the late '70s when cruising was banned in California. With the stamp unveiling, Hernández feels "like we got the final stamp of approval as lowriders." Alvarado agrees, adding that widespread recognition of the positive aspects of lowriding has been a long time coming. "It's a big hit. I mean the lowriding community is so excited about these stamps," Alvarado said from his home in Monrovia, California. "Everybody I've talked to already knows about them, so they just can't wait till they come out."
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