There isn’t much at the SEMA show that isn’t built to completely devastate the braincells of passers by. Today the Las Vegas convention center is jam packed with parts and cars that are shiny, sparkly and loud, each vying for your attention. As I walked around in disarray I finally snapped to when I stumbled upon this beautiful ’63 Impala.
It’s not exactly a secret that the Lowrider world is on another level when it comes to paint and plating, but this car totally demolishes your average Impala. Regular Speedhunters readers will probably recognize “El Rey” from a Stephen Brooks’ video we posted a while back, but seeing it in person is a different experience entirely.
El Rey takes the concept of “attention to detail” to an entirely different universe, one where only the most obsessive compulsive can survive. There isn’t a single millimeter of the car which hasn’t been completely customized and flawlessly detailed. My brain hurts even trying to fathom one corner of the suspension, much in the same way that the concept of infinity is completely beyond grasp – I know it exists, but I refuse to accept it.
While I’m not exactly an expert on lowriders, I’ve admired them from afar for years and have a pretty healthy collection of Lowrider magazine’s, so I know they don’t give the lowrider of the year award to just anyone. My encounter with this amazing car has instantly rekindled my interest in this segment of car culture and seeing as how I live in Los Angeles I think it’s high time I start further investigation into this world.
But what was probably more astonishing to me than the work on this car was how it seemed to transcend any connotations of the scene it was spawned from. All day there was a rather large and eclectic group surrounding the car, gawking and shooting photos. At one point an older gentleman whom I’d peg as a hot rodder turned to me and said “holy $#*&, this thing is *#^$ing amazing isn’t it?”
Indeed.
More from SEMA 2012 on Speedhunters
-Sean
photo by Sean Klingelhoefer
photo by Sean Klingelhoefer
photo by Sean Klingelhoefer
photo by Sean Klingelhoefer