San Francisco’s Carnaval Parade starts with nearly an hour of beautiful, glossy, colorful, classic American cars, primarily from our local Lowrider scene. In some cases, I’ve been seeing the same lovingly maintained cars for decades, and the children or grandchildren of the owners who first drove them past are now in the drivers’ seat.
Here’s a collection of my favorite cars from the parade, photographed with my iPhone.
Pink pearl, gray pearl with red flecks, and fuschia paint job details on American classic cars
Pearly teal Chevy with a white roof and highly polished finish
A white Bel Air with gold and silver trim, front and tail fin views
Shiny, pearlescent red car with rear suspension; deep red-brown Impala rear detail
Royal blue paint on two different American cars, with elaborate detailing on portions of each
Elaborately red pattern car with unusual suspension and costumed dancer passenger; bright green car with unusual suspension
Peach, gold, white, and chrome Bel Air from the front and fin detail.
Three American cars with unusual suspension (peach and gold, black and gold, black and silver)
Powder blue classic Chevy, front and rear fender detail
Emerald green paint job on a classic American war with elaborate lighter green and gold patterns.
Classic American Car rear driver side details (pearl green, red/brown, pale slate green)