Gypsy Rose: the Car, the Myth, the Legend
Originally published on October 14, 2024. Written by Andy Wasif.
It was 4 a.m. when a small contingent of car customizers from Florida met at Miami International Airport to board the first flight out of town destined for a car show in Phoenix, Arizona. Once they landed, they had one brief stop to make first before the doors of the show opened: Los Angeles. Renting a car and breaking speed laws to get to the Petersen Automotive Museum by lunchtime, they remained unwearied, buoyed by excitement upon arrival as this was a day they had all been dreaming of for a long time: an in-person viewing of the car widely considered to be the most famous lowrider of all-time: Gypsy Rose.
Currently displayed at the country’s preeminent car museum, Gypsy Rose is, at present, one of only 30 cars listed on the National Historic Vehicle Registry as chosen by the Historic Vehicle Association, which archives its specifications, photos, and life story in the Library of Congress. So it’s no wonder the car would garner such interest and appreciation. In fact, it wasn’t too long ago that this masterpiece, built by Jesse Valadez, was brought to the National Mall in Washington DC for all to see—fittingly overlooking the National Gallery of Art, where one might contend this work of art belongs. It represented the blossoming of a once-niche hobby into a global cultural movement.
The idea of lowriding takes its cue from the traditional Mexican paseo (or stroll) used to garner the attention and admiration of spectators on horses decked out like parade floats. Now with combustion engines, the cars go “low and slow” so as not to be missed. Turning cars into such functions of art came about after World War II when servicemen returned from overseas equipped with both training as mechanics and military salaries to allow for their expensive pursuits. By the time Valadez began his work, the movement was blossoming throughout Southern California, highlighting the Chicano culture, ancestral imagery, and its heritage.
Jesse’s story began in 1946 in the Mexican state of Coahuila across from the Texas border before emigrating to the United States as a teenager and ending up in Los Angeles in 1961. Shortly thereafter, he founded the Imperials car club with his younger brother Armando. It was around that time that Valadez began working on the vehicle that would become his legacy.
The first iteration of Gypsy Rose was done using a 1963 Chevy Impala. Impalas were the cars of choice for lowriders because they were long, flat, broad, and not Fords (the car most often used by hotrodders). He painted it a flashy pink in a tribute to Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous burlesque dancer and entertainer, especially known for her striptease and whose 1957 memoir served as the inspiration for the musical “Gypsy,” so the subject was in the zeitgeist at the time.
For the second Gypsy Rose—also a ‘63 Impala—Joe Ray, chief editor for Lowrider magazine said that his friend and rival Valadez “wanted to do a theme car, something that stood out from everything else.” He used roses because his “mom liked flowers and really liked the idea that he was putting roses on his car,” though it earned a lot of derision from others.
Tomas Vasquez of the Imperials car club said, “Jesse put up with a lot of bull from other car clubs because of that paint job.” This one debuted in 1968 in nearby Pomona at the Winternationals Rod and Custom Show. But it wasn’t until 1972 when the car appeared in one of the many offerings of Petersen Publishing, Car Craft magazine, that lowriders were officially initiated into mainstream culture. From there, all bets were off.
As is the case with many competitive endeavors, there were rivalries among the various lowrider car clubs. Bringing Gypsy Rose to the neighboring city of El Monte without removing the club’s Imperials plaque hanging in the back seat angered the local, rival club who destroyed the car as punishment.
After a brief mourning period, Valadez set out to create and build an even better version of his iconic car. This time, he used a 1964 Impala and turned to legendary striper (and noted recluse) Walt Prey to help him with it. They also employed painter Don Heckman to help create the 115 roses on the car, nearly double the number on the previous version.
For this one, Jesse “just went wild,” his friend and president of the Imperials car club Tomas Vasquez said. The interior is upholstered with crushed velvet by Jesse’s older brother Gil and contains a chandelier and even a rear-seat cocktail bar. There are even rumblings that the car is covered in 20 gallons of clear lacquer.
One interesting note to add: When you look at the roof of the car, you’ll notice one rose is slightly brighter than the rest (the “North Star” of roses, if you will). As the story goes, upon completion, a cleaning rag was left on top of the car and the chemicals soaked through to the paint. In classic Valadez style, he shrugged off the setback and set about restoring the discoloration. From there, his reputation would reach greater heights with more media exposure.
At the request of comedian Freddie Prinze, Gypsy Rose was featured in the opening credits of the 1974 TV show, “Chico and the Man,” on which Prinze starred cruising down Whittier Blvd. in East Los Angeles as Jose Feliciano’s theme song proclaims “A new day has begun.” (For those young’uns reading this, a “theme song” was present in most, if not all television shows to introduce the show providing the vibe, mood, and message for the installment of entertainment you were about to watch.) A new day for lowriding had, indeed, begun.
From its local roots, the nearly four-second clip of Gypsy Rose broadcast once a week has brought lowriders to prominence globally in myriad countries including Australia, Mexico, Belgium, and even Japan where greats like Izawa Takahiko has revolutionized the concepts of engraving by using paint instead of metal. The Petersen Automotive Museum currently features one of his cars in their lowrider exhibit.
Since the explosion in popularity, lowriders have since added hydraulics (which Jesse added to Gypsy Rose years later), large V-8 engines, and elaborate mural paintings. It’s the elements put forth by Valadez that can be seen in every lowrider since earning him respected standing as the “godfather of lowriders.” Valadez, who died in 2011, took car customization to levels of craftsmanship unseen before.
Having had their time with this, the “Mona Lisa of lowriders,” that they had come to see, the visitors from Miami left the museum to return to Phoenix, a “bucket list item” for them being checked off. It’s that kind of impression that Gypsy Rose evokes and for which Jesse Valadez, along with his work as a community leader that stressed tolerance, values, and family among other tenets, is most fervently praised.
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