Espanola, New Mexico, Lowrider Show 2013 Revisited
You could tell instantly that Ricardo Monzanares, 2, was the leader of the pack. He held his mother’s hand, and there was the family entourage accompanying, but with his jaunty fedora and lively walk, Ricardo was definitely into this year’s Mainstreet Showdown car show: watching the people and gazing at the cars.
I could easily identify with Ricardo, although I am certainly no leader of the pack as he is. I really enjoy watching people and I love old cars. So this was the place to be on Saturday.
There is something about a car show that brings diverse people together in a very positive way. You walk up to a car owner that you have never met before and it doesn’t take long to realize that no matter how different your lifestyles may be, you have something in common — the love of the auto. Owners are quick to point out how old the paint is on their cars, or the fact that the model they have, a two door, is much more rare than the same car with four doors. They are eager to share the story about how they found the car in Florida, a complete wreck with seawater damage, and how they resurrected it from the dead. The stories are great and the bonding that goes on refreshing in a time when it seems to most intimate communication people experience is with their smart phones.
Let’s face it, there is something about cars made in the ‘40s and 50s. It was a time when American automakers ruled and extravagance was king. Hood ornaments on some cars outweigh Smart cars — OK, I exaggerate. And the bumper on a ‘50s Caddy is more substantial than a lot of cars made these days — I don’t think that is an exaggeration. You got into a fender bender and you didn’t have to total the car. The metal was thick. The cars were heavy. When you swung a door closed you heard a reassuring "thunk.” Granted they were not the most ecologically sound or gas-friendly machines, but boy did they have style.
And you realize when you go to a show like the Mainstreet Showdown just how long and strongly that style endures.
Frank Chavez’s ’48 Chevy convertible. Mel Garcia’s Fleetline. The elegance of the dash in Tony Gallegos ’41 Checy. Andrew Padilla’s ’61 Impala.
You could walk around and it was like being in automotive dreamland.
When Jake Martinez rolled in with the old school “ Pojiquit Loco Garage” logo on the side of his ‘46 truck, you knew you had to talk with him. His daughter, Jennifer, came along and Martinez also brought a second vehicle, a ’41 Chevy Panel. And like other owners, he is enthusiastic about sharing his stories.
One of the things he stresses is that he likes to keep his cars and truck fairly simple. No fancy glitter paint for Jake.
Martinez has owned, or does own, a ’37 Chevy pickup. A ’31 Ford sedan. A ’48 Ford F100 pickup. A ’58 Yeoman wagon. A ’54 Chevy wagon. And a ’40 Studebaker. He’s retired after 31 years doing environment surveillance at LANL. He tells his wife that he was born too late (sort of like that ‘50s lament song about being born too late for a love), but being born too late hasn’t kept Martinez from having a number of automotive mistresses throughout the years.
He says he has a few acres in Los Luceros and decided to create a replica garage. Old gas pumps. Gas station sign, etc.
Then there are those oddities that always surprise at these shows.
Take Liz Cohen for instance. She brought a 1987 Tranbant from Detroit for this show. It was the first time she had shown the car. For those of you (myself included) who are unfamiliar with the Trabant, here is a quick course.
The Trabant is a car that was produced by former East German automaker VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau in Zwickau, Saxony. It was the most common vehicle in East Germany, and was also exported to countries both inside and outside the communist bloc. The main selling points were that it had room for four adults and luggage in a compact, light and durable shell; it was fast (when introduced); and it was durable. With its poor performance, outdated and inefficient two-stroke engine (which returned poor fuel economy for the car's size and produced smoky exhaust), and production shortages, the Trabant is often cited as an example of the disadvantages of centralized planning; on the other hand, it is also regarded with derisive affection as a symbol of the failed former East Germany and of the fall of communism (in former West Germany, as many East Germans streamed into West Berlin and West Germany in their Trabants after the opening of the Berlin Wall in 1989). It was in production without any significant changes for nearly 30 years, with 3,096,099 Trabants produced in total. In 2008, Time magazine rated the Trabant as one of the 50 worst cars ever made. In the West, much has been written about the Trabant, mostly negative: to comedic effect, emphasis was placed on the shortcomings of the Trabant, rather than its good points, such as that it was simple to operate and easily repaired. However, many of the former owners of the Trabant still emphasize advantages such as high capacity—the Trabant being able to carry over 1000 kg of cargo, and in some cases it has become trendy for collectors to import older models to the United States due to their low cost and easier import restrictions on antique vehicles.
So, when I arrived early, when people were still setting up, I wandered by the east side of the old Hunter Ford building and saw Cohen with a helper starting to set up. The Trabant, at that point, looked like a small economy car. I figured, OK, it’s stock with some custom rims. Cool. I took a few photos and moved on. When I came back in the early afternoon, it was like seeing a child’s transformer. All of a sudden the mild mannered Trabant and had taken off its horned-rimmed glasses and turned into Super-Trabant, car show entrant! The body was all elongated and if you stood in the back, it actually looked as if the car was levitating! Those tricky communist car makers!
Cohen teaches photography at upscale Cranbrook Academy near Detroit, and it just goes to show that the allure of cars really crosses a lot of boundaries. She’s been working on the Trabant for 10 years and admits that there are still things she needs, or feels she needs, to do.
Which is a common refrain of the car owners. “I thought I was done but realized I have one more thing I need to do.” And then there is one more thing and one more thing…
Inside the Hunter building, Martin Maldenado was setting up his ‘36 Chevy Cabriolet. A convertible, of course, with a jump seat. A very sweet ride.
Ray Sandoval was there with his Impala. He said restoring it was two years of frustration, since he had to restore it from the frame up. But on display you don’t notice any of the frustration, you just notice an immaculate car and the small display details that Sandoval and his wife, Virgie, have added, like a car hop tray sitting in the driver’s window as if you have encountered the car at a drive-in.
This was the second year that Cultura Promotions have put on this event. The atmosphere was lively. The cars incredible. And the interaction between the owners and visitors invigorating. I’d love to see more events like this in the Valley.
I could easily identify with Ricardo, although I am certainly no leader of the pack as he is. I really enjoy watching people and I love old cars. So this was the place to be on Saturday.
There is something about a car show that brings diverse people together in a very positive way. You walk up to a car owner that you have never met before and it doesn’t take long to realize that no matter how different your lifestyles may be, you have something in common — the love of the auto. Owners are quick to point out how old the paint is on their cars, or the fact that the model they have, a two door, is much more rare than the same car with four doors. They are eager to share the story about how they found the car in Florida, a complete wreck with seawater damage, and how they resurrected it from the dead. The stories are great and the bonding that goes on refreshing in a time when it seems to most intimate communication people experience is with their smart phones.
Let’s face it, there is something about cars made in the ‘40s and 50s. It was a time when American automakers ruled and extravagance was king. Hood ornaments on some cars outweigh Smart cars — OK, I exaggerate. And the bumper on a ‘50s Caddy is more substantial than a lot of cars made these days — I don’t think that is an exaggeration. You got into a fender bender and you didn’t have to total the car. The metal was thick. The cars were heavy. When you swung a door closed you heard a reassuring "thunk.” Granted they were not the most ecologically sound or gas-friendly machines, but boy did they have style.
And you realize when you go to a show like the Mainstreet Showdown just how long and strongly that style endures.
Frank Chavez’s ’48 Chevy convertible. Mel Garcia’s Fleetline. The elegance of the dash in Tony Gallegos ’41 Checy. Andrew Padilla’s ’61 Impala.
You could walk around and it was like being in automotive dreamland.
When Jake Martinez rolled in with the old school “ Pojiquit Loco Garage” logo on the side of his ‘46 truck, you knew you had to talk with him. His daughter, Jennifer, came along and Martinez also brought a second vehicle, a ’41 Chevy Panel. And like other owners, he is enthusiastic about sharing his stories.
One of the things he stresses is that he likes to keep his cars and truck fairly simple. No fancy glitter paint for Jake.
Martinez has owned, or does own, a ’37 Chevy pickup. A ’31 Ford sedan. A ’48 Ford F100 pickup. A ’58 Yeoman wagon. A ’54 Chevy wagon. And a ’40 Studebaker. He’s retired after 31 years doing environment surveillance at LANL. He tells his wife that he was born too late (sort of like that ‘50s lament song about being born too late for a love), but being born too late hasn’t kept Martinez from having a number of automotive mistresses throughout the years.
He says he has a few acres in Los Luceros and decided to create a replica garage. Old gas pumps. Gas station sign, etc.
Then there are those oddities that always surprise at these shows.
Take Liz Cohen for instance. She brought a 1987 Tranbant from Detroit for this show. It was the first time she had shown the car. For those of you (myself included) who are unfamiliar with the Trabant, here is a quick course.
The Trabant is a car that was produced by former East German automaker VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau in Zwickau, Saxony. It was the most common vehicle in East Germany, and was also exported to countries both inside and outside the communist bloc. The main selling points were that it had room for four adults and luggage in a compact, light and durable shell; it was fast (when introduced); and it was durable. With its poor performance, outdated and inefficient two-stroke engine (which returned poor fuel economy for the car's size and produced smoky exhaust), and production shortages, the Trabant is often cited as an example of the disadvantages of centralized planning; on the other hand, it is also regarded with derisive affection as a symbol of the failed former East Germany and of the fall of communism (in former West Germany, as many East Germans streamed into West Berlin and West Germany in their Trabants after the opening of the Berlin Wall in 1989). It was in production without any significant changes for nearly 30 years, with 3,096,099 Trabants produced in total. In 2008, Time magazine rated the Trabant as one of the 50 worst cars ever made. In the West, much has been written about the Trabant, mostly negative: to comedic effect, emphasis was placed on the shortcomings of the Trabant, rather than its good points, such as that it was simple to operate and easily repaired. However, many of the former owners of the Trabant still emphasize advantages such as high capacity—the Trabant being able to carry over 1000 kg of cargo, and in some cases it has become trendy for collectors to import older models to the United States due to their low cost and easier import restrictions on antique vehicles.
So, when I arrived early, when people were still setting up, I wandered by the east side of the old Hunter Ford building and saw Cohen with a helper starting to set up. The Trabant, at that point, looked like a small economy car. I figured, OK, it’s stock with some custom rims. Cool. I took a few photos and moved on. When I came back in the early afternoon, it was like seeing a child’s transformer. All of a sudden the mild mannered Trabant and had taken off its horned-rimmed glasses and turned into Super-Trabant, car show entrant! The body was all elongated and if you stood in the back, it actually looked as if the car was levitating! Those tricky communist car makers!
Cohen teaches photography at upscale Cranbrook Academy near Detroit, and it just goes to show that the allure of cars really crosses a lot of boundaries. She’s been working on the Trabant for 10 years and admits that there are still things she needs, or feels she needs, to do.
Which is a common refrain of the car owners. “I thought I was done but realized I have one more thing I need to do.” And then there is one more thing and one more thing…
Inside the Hunter building, Martin Maldenado was setting up his ‘36 Chevy Cabriolet. A convertible, of course, with a jump seat. A very sweet ride.
Ray Sandoval was there with his Impala. He said restoring it was two years of frustration, since he had to restore it from the frame up. But on display you don’t notice any of the frustration, you just notice an immaculate car and the small display details that Sandoval and his wife, Virgie, have added, like a car hop tray sitting in the driver’s window as if you have encountered the car at a drive-in.
This was the second year that Cultura Promotions have put on this event. The atmosphere was lively. The cars incredible. And the interaction between the owners and visitors invigorating. I’d love to see more events like this in the Valley.
To contact Bob Eckert for assignments, consultations or workshops, please email bobeckertphotography@yahoo.com
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