Lowriders — American-made muscle cars customized with chrome plates, glossy paint and pristine rims — comprise an art form that neatly represents the ideals of this country.

The cars are products of engineering and ingenuity, as well as community and culture. With candy paint and gold rims, the mobile masterpieces come from a long tradition that’s been stigmatized and even criminalized.

Now, lowriding culture is being celebrated on the highest national level.

On Friday, Sept. 26, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington D.C. will open the exhibition Corazón y vida , honoring more than 80 years of lowriding culture.

El Rey, a vintage 1963 Chevrolet Impala, has been named Lowrider of the Year three times by Lowrider Magazine. (National Musuem of American His

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