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.