And now for something completely different…
One of the best things about SEMA is the eclectic mix of vehicles at the show. One of the biggest shows of any kind in North America, you get everything from rat rods to supercars, sub compacts to lowriders.
This particular 1963 Chevrolet Impala ‘El Rey’ stood out from the crowd and this was a great opportunity to touch on a a genre that we don’t regularly cover. This was one of the stars of the show for me, even if this is not my usual car or genre of choice. You need to get out of your comfort zone sometimes and explore.
Albert De Alba Sr of ‘Cal Blast’, in Upland, California has been working on this lowrider for years. Like the Camaro I featured recently; this is another car that’s been in the family for a long time. Albert, you see, has owned this car for 20 years.
The car is dedicated to his father in law, and previous owner, Luis Padilla, who is airbrushed on the inside of the trunk lid.
Albert painted the car in various Candy colors with assistance from Mario Auto works and a Tattoo artist for the murals. The detailing on this is insane!
The long sleek 63 Impala is perfect for a lowrider. It looks as if it could glide along the outdoor show floor magically – even if those Tensa Barriers are in the way!
The interior is just as stunning as the exterior. Fantastic attention to detail by Elegance Auto Interiors.
The dashboard is something else, complete with a new fabricated centrEsection.
The engine bay continues the theme of red and orange hues with a Chevy 5.7 LTI replacing the stock unit.
The engine bay itself is very clean with all the wires and ancillaries hidden. Note the cut-out fender wells.
If we take a look at the rear, you’ll see the hydraulics and audio have also been treated to the De Alba look.
The front has a custom one-off grill that hides the headlamps. The bumper is also different; looks like it is based of a 62 Impala.
As you can imagine, this is a stunning build that has won a number of awards during the year including one of the Mothers Choice Award trophies at SEMA for Design Excellence.
So what do you think of this extreme lowrider?
There is an extensive thread on the layitlow forums. Go on, get out of your comfort zone!
– Andy Blackmore
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
not exactly to my taste but i can really appreciate the effort and time it took to make this thing look the way it does. its good to see other sub cultures make an appearance on SpeedHunters, and i wouldnt mind seeing more stuff thats out of the norm here
There goes my breakfast. F*cking hideous.
Travis i couldn't have said it better myself
Beautiful work. Anything from Elite or Lifestyle car clubs is gonna be top notch stuff.
That is a great ride . Mr Cartoon probably did the murals he is the best artist period. His shop and car collection is more than off the wall. Well worth a speedhunter trip to get out of your comfort zone
Beautiful piece of art! it takes alot of time and patience to build a masterpiece like this! well done......well done.
The workmanship is great, but imo there is nothing more tacky than a Cali style low rider.
not my taste if I am honest, but anyone who has worked on a car cannot be failed to be impressed. Amazing paintwork.
+1 what makes Speedhunters so great
The blog was absolutely fantastic! Lots of great information and inspiration, both of which we all need!
Showstopper right there. Nice feature. It aint for everyone but the attention to detail is top notch.
Love it. Lowriders are sweet
Incredible. I love classic lowriders. And this one is insanely well done.
the level of work is just insane. It's hard to believe how smooth every seam, weld, and pressed piece of steel has become. The paintwork is amazingly complex. I can't imagine trying to mask off those sections to get those patterns. and the engraving is just nuts!! that car shows a lot of workmanship, which you don't find much anymore.
There are people that like lowriders, and those that haven't a clue.
1981 Cadillac Deville convertible by Hess and Eisenhardt will be mine.
This car is the Low-rider equivalent of a top fuel dragster, it was never meant to be practical or street able. In the world of customer paint coming up with an original color scheme is extremely difficult and these guys nailed it! Candy is one of the hardest paints to spray and when you add heavy metal flake and different color tones the difficulty just keeps going up. I have a need for speed so all of my rides have to be beast but I cannot take anything away from this car. I am pretty sure this trailer queen will attract more skirts than any of our cars on its worst day. IJS
Reminds me of one of the shemes out of GTA San Andreas that you could choose to pimp your car with.
I can respect the amount of work that goes into creating one of these. Lots of hours and dollars spent in creating something like this.
How on earth do they incorporate so many shades, glitter, graphics, plating, and bodywork into one machine? I love it but more than that I wish I could create something like that.
I'll bet the hours spent on that paint are immeasurable. Its incredible! Its not over the top with modern bits like crazy gold leaf paint and disco lighting etc etc. Its exactly how the show cars were 30 years ago.
There are people that like lowriders, and those that haven't a clue.
1981 Cadillac Deville convertible by Hess and Eisenhardt will be mine.
attention to detail demands that you hide the amps alltogether, so that area of the floor of the trunk could be smooth and not interrupt the paint
but i'm just a hater, so ride on vato!
I'm sure a lot of effort went into this build and it's definitely orginial but I have one thing to say.
CAR = RIDICULOUSLY STUPID
Not my cup of tea, but I respect the quality and workmanship. But does anyone kn ow the history on wire tuck and bay shaving? Did it originate in the lowrider scene?
That car is in-freaking-credible! I'm by no means a fan of lowriders but you can not hate on something so original, clean, and well-executed. Huge props to these guys!
loving those valve covers and the engraving. anybody know the technique to do that? links please...
Day one of the Grand National Roadster Show was unbelievable, seeing the Watson cars and The Rodfather's ride were a big deal for me. So as day two started, Larry and I had our best insoles on to take on another photographic pass at this colossal
Day one of the Grand National Roadster Show was unbelievable, seeing the Watson cars and The Rodfather's ride were a big deal for me. So as day two started, Larry and I had our best insoles on to take on another photographic pass at this colossal
I'm just thinking; where they hide all the drugs on this car?????
Prety Sure, any cop seeing this car thinks the same
I'm just thinking; where they hide all the drugs on this car?????
Prety Sure, any cop seeing this car thinks the same
I'm just thinking; where they hide all the drugs on this car?????
Prety Sure, any cop seeing this car thinks the same