SAN DIEGO, March 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Postal Service held a first-day-of-issue ceremony for its new Lowriders stamps today at the Logan Heights Library. With this issuance, USPS celebrates lowrider car culture, rooted in working-class Mexican American/Chicano communities throughout the American Southwest.
"A lowrider is a masterpiece of engineering and artistry, a rolling canvas of art. They are often painted with murals that tell stories of family, faith and history," said Gary Barksdale, the Postal Service's chief postal inspector, who served as the dedicating official. "The lowrider culture is about creating a space to celebrate pride, a sense of belonging and building a community that is always there for each other."
What, precisely, is a lowrider? It is a customized automobile outfitted with smaller-than-factory wheels — or "rims," preferably with wire spokes — that reduce its height. Many include dazzling paint jobs, crushed velvet upholstery and welded-chain steering wheels. In addition, a special hydraulic system allows the driver, at the touch of a button, to raise and lower the chassis or run the vehicle through tricks, such as driving on three wheels or "hopping" (bouncing).
Lowriders reflect the owner's imagination, craftsmanship and "Chicano ingenuity," a trait associated with using unconventional thinking to solve problems. With a considerable amount of time, effort and expense, an older American car model, can be transformed into a one-of-a-kind rolling masterpiece. Traditionally, groups of owners show off their rides by driving slowly — or "cruising" — along a commercial corridor in a neighborhood or around a park.
Lowriding took off in the 1970s, but it was born in East Los Angeles and the Southwest borderlands in the 1940s. Discrimination at the time caused some young Chicano men to rebel and flaunt their differences. Mimicking the African American hipsters of the jazz world, they decked themselves out in zoot suits, two-tone shoes and broad-brimmed hats and called themselves "Pachucos." Some of them lowered their cars chassis, becoming the first lowriders.
During the 1960s Chicano Movement, lowrider culture became one small but highly visible display of Chicano pride in the fight for dignity and self-respect. The car made a statement for its owner: I am here, I am somebody. Car clubs thrived, each with their own special plaque that members displayed in their car's rear window. Most were male-only organizations, but in the late 1970s women started their own clubs, too, and today lowriding is a family tradition. Clubs continue to represent belonging and pride, and club members help raise funds for various causes while they showcase their lowriders in car shows and parades.
Lowrider culture has captured the attention of people around the globe. Clubs have formed in Japan and numerous other countries. At the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, a gorgeous lowrider model stops visitors in their tracks, when they visit the third-floor exhibit.
The stamps are available at Post Office locations nationwide and online at usps.com/shopstamps.
News about the stamps is being shared on social media using the hashtag #LowridersStamps.
Stamp design
Eager to show different lowrider styles, vintages and colors on these stamps, Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, found that photography would best capture the essence of lowrider culture. "Photography helps honor the hard work that goes into the creation of each car," he explained. "Using illustrations would possibly be more about the artist's imagination than about actual lowriders."
These stamps feature photographs by Philip Gordon of "Let the Good Times Roll/Soy Como Soy," a blue 1946 Chevrolet Fleetline, and "Pocket Change," a green 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme; and photographs by Humberto "Beto" Mendoza of "Eight Figures," a blue 1958 Chevrolet Impala, "The Golden Rose," an orange 1964 Chevrolet Impala, and "El Rey," a red 1963 Chevrolet Impala.
To show the cars in as much detail as possible, Alcalá made these stamps one-third wider than the usual commemorative size. Other design elements pay further tribute to lowrider culture: The Gothic-style typography suggests the shiny chrome lettering found on many cars to show their affiliation with a particular club. Danny Alvarado's custom pinstriping in the corner of each stamp and on the selvage evokes the detailed decoration on the most celebrated lowriders.
Lowriders stamps will be issued in panes of 15. As Forever stamps, they will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.
A video about the stamps will be posted after today's event on the Postal Service's Facebook page at facebook.com/USPS and on X, formerly known as Twitter, at x.com/usps.
Postal products
Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through The Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon. Additional information on stamps, first-day-of-issue ceremonies and stamp-inspired products can be found at StampsForever.com.
Please Note: The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to more than 170 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is celebrating its 250th year of service to customers amidst a network modernization plan aimed at restoring long-term financial sustainability, improving service, and maintaining the organization as one of America's most valued and trusted brands.
The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
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National contact: Albert Ruiz
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Local contact: John Hyatt
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SOURCE U.S. Postal Service
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