Riding Low – The Chevrolet Impala

Most, if not all of you will have heard the term lowrider before. It’s a movement that is deeply embedded in American car culture (particularly Chicano/Latino where it originated). There has even been a song written about this phenomenon in 1975 by American funk band War, such was its influence – a clear indicator of something’s cultural or historical significance. And that’s not to mention the myriad songs and music videos that would later come to feature lowriders in the future. Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit and U2’s Sunday Bloody Sunday come to mind if you needed other, non-automotive examples but for those of you not au fait with the term, and indeed the importance of the Chevrolet Impala within that sphere of influence, then let us enlighten you.

First of all let’s define exactly what a lowrider is. A lowrider is a customised car fitted with varying degrees of modified suspension, usually hydraulic, that permits the lowering of the chassis nearly to the ground. It can also be used to define the drivers of such vehicles. Now, arguments abound over the true origin of this classic car curiosity but it’s generally accepted that its roots can be traced all the way back to the 1940s when car culture as a whole was beginning to take its first fledgling steps across the pond in the US.

Post World War II America saw more and more people buying cars, including the not insignificant Mexican American contingent living in California at the time. Using skills ostensibly accrued during the war, this minority group would begin tinkering and customising their cars as a push back against nationwide assimilation that would eventually blossom into a beautiful expression of cultural identity that has since expanded internationally.

Low and slow is the name of the lowrider game with vibrant, audacious paint jobs being par for the course, too; the cars providing rolling canvasses for owners to express themselves and display their identities, beliefs and interests to accompany the insane hydraulic suspension systems fitted to most examples, although early attempts to lower the cars consisted of simply adding weights to the boot. A primitive solution but a solution nonetheless.

With technological advancements came more innovative ways of modding and thanks to a California law passed in 1958 (and since repealed, thankfully) whereby it became illegal for a car’s body to be lower than its rims, an intrepid engineer by the name of Ron Aguirre bypassed the ruling by using hydraulics to adjust the height of his ride at the flick of a switch. Where there’s a will, there’s a way and the rest is history.

Bolstered by the Chicano movement of the ’60s that began pushing for a new identification for Mexican Americans through the advocation of social and political empowerment and cultural nationalism the lowrider scene went from strength to strength, culminating in its incorporation into popular culture, notably aided by the evolution of West Coast Hip Hop in the 1990s which helped to blur lines of race and culture, bringing lowriders, and particularly the Chevrolet Impala, to a wider audience as a striking and unique visual backdrop to this emerging musical craze.

From heavy hitters like Cypress Hill and Tupac to Ice Cube and Dr. Dre (to name but four) all featuring the Impala in various songs and music videos, the Chevrolet has played a vital role in the lowrider movement, and not just from a Hip Hop perspective. What made the Impala so popular was the ease with which it could be slammed to the ground due to the unique layout of its chassis.

The Impala has been around since 1958, acting as Chevrolet’s flagship passenger model until its discontinuation in 2020. However, its first appearance was as the top of the line incarnation of the Bel Air model. It wasn’t until the second gen a year later that it became its own model range but, as mentioned above, all model years up to the fourth generation in ’65 featured an X-frame chassis in place of the then traditional perimeter type, whereby the chassis rails were laid out in the form of an elongated X shape that not only offered increased torsional rigidity but also made these early Impalas perfectly suited to lowering.

Combine that with plenty of boot space for all of the hydraulic gubbins and you have yourself the ideal candidate for lowrider action. There are countless other makes and models that have been given the lowrider treatment of course, but the Impala is king of the hill when it comes to customisation.

Of those initial three generations of Impala though, the third, particularly the ’64, seems to be the sweet spot for lowriders across the globe. Its long, flat body panels make it ideal for those intricate paint jobs mentioned earlier and the addition of the SS, or Super Sport performance version was the icing on the cake, with the largest 6.7-litre V8 chucking out 425bhp in top spec, making for quite the cruiser. Or should it be bruiser? Comfortable, well specified and available in myriad different model types and trim levels the Impala was all things to all people, making it the perfect blank canvas to appeal to all tastes and levels of lowrider customisation.

Lowrider culture isn’t just a niche pursuit as part of the wider classic car scene, or an LA specific curiosity. For many it’s a way of life and the Chevrolet Impala has become an intrinsic and integral icon of that particular movement, and for us that description is archetypal of any club, scene, or classic car collective within this wonderful obsession we call home. They don’t use no gas and they don’t drive too fast so if you fancy picking up a Chevrolet Impala for yourself, whether it be a stock model or a fully kitted out lowrider then start your search with Car & Classic today. Take a little trip and see, no doubt we have just what you’re looking for. Like this ’66 Impala SS convertible for instance…