The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) is made up of many cultures. Every culture plays a unique role in the structure of El Valle (The Valley). For example, you may be driving home and see many cars parked outside a restaurant with their hoods popped open. You might see a vast crowd outside too. Now you’re wondering what is happening. It can’t possibly be that all these people are having car troubles simultaneously. So, what is going on?
Don’t be scared. This is the car/truck culture in El Valle, celebrating what is known as cruise night. Members of this culture commonly get together and have car shows, festivals, or cruise nights. Everyone who loves cars or trucks gathers and shares their passion on cruise night. On cruise night, people also show off their cars or trucks to others. They might show off their fixed-up motor or the accessories they added to their vehicles to make them look fancy. One car owner, Bobby Soto, shared what his car means to him and why he brings it to car shows. According to Soto, he takes his car, called “La Iguana,” after a pet iguana he had, to these shows. “Her name was Mary Jane, and she used to live in my car. So that’s how I came up with “La Iguana” for my car,” he said.
Soto has had “La Iguana” for a while. He explained that he “started working on the car when I was 27 years old, and I started reinforcing my frame. Then I came up with the hydraulic system, front, back, side-to-side three way motion, and all that maneuvers. Then everything came up together with the color.”
According to Soto, the car culture has evolved from car hopping, but it all stemmed from people breakdancing. “So, we used to get together in the city parks and listen to music and breakdance. Then we came up with the cars, you know, with the low riders who can go up and down. We used to make cars dance, and then we started hopping the cars. We used to use a 12-ounce can, and whatever [car] jumps higher than the 12-ounce can wins, you know.” Soto also explained how the people he has seen in the culture have changed. “Pretty much from back then to now, I see much more love for cars, much more mature classic cars. People that own these cars have from hot rods to old trucks to low riders to big trucks.” Soto added, “it’s the cultura. It’s the culture of us here, the raza (the people) in the Valley. We love to get together and show off our cars to the public.”
The car/truck culture in the Valley also consists of two groups; those who belong to car clubs and those who do not. People like Soto who do not belong to car clubs are called solo drivers.
One well-known car club in the culture is South Texas Speed (STS). Chris Ho, the club president, said a group of friends started the club. “It started with me and my boy, Jesse. Then it was like four or five of us that were into cars, so we just started like that at the beginning of the year (2022).” Today, the club has about 300 members.
“One thing for sure. Valley people like cars and trucks, but it can be a little toxic. You know, a little negative. A lot of hate. So we’re trying to change that,” said Ho.
For Ho, the meetups are about connecting with the group. “We come out, and everybody does their own thing. We ride together as a group.” Ho added, “it’s more than just about cars, you know, just the vibe and how you can bring like, a whole community together.”
South Texas Speed does not only meet in one place. They have car meets in large parking lots, usually around the McAllen, TX area.
Baby Arcade is one of the local RGV shops that host car meetups. Sasha Bradley and her boyfriend. Jose de Leon, own Baby Arcade and organize meetups for car clubs every last Sunday of the month. They are originally from Houston and said they usually attended car meetups there and in the Valley. After opening their shop, they decided to start hosting events. They have been hosting car meetups for about two years.
“I tell people it’s really for fun, just to hang out. We love hanging out and just like chilling and doing cool stuff,” said Bradley. “I think the Valley has really, like, really cool cars and really cool people. And slowly, just more people started coming and telling their friends.”
Bradley also said that the most significant difference between Houston’s and the Valley’s car meetups is that Houston’s meetups have more participants because its population is bigger than the Valley’s. However, both areas are similar in how they bring people together.
“There’s just tons of people in general,” said Bradley. “But I would say it’s pretty chill, honestly.”
Bradley also said that she and her boyfriend participate in car meetups and take their white Acura Integra 1993 Japanese car to the events. In addition, most of the vehicles brought to Baby Arcade’s car meetups are imported Japanese cars. However, Baby Arcade’s meetups are open to any car brand from any country.
“I like meeting new people, meeting you guys, like just people finding other people who really enjoy it and keep coming,” said Bradley. “Like, every time I meet somebody new, and they really like it, I’m like oh my god, thank you! Like, it’s just like, little stuff.”
Another car club in the region is Zelocity. Zelocity members meet at different locations to talk, meet new people, and see new cars. In these meetups, there are racing cars, vintage, imported cars, and others. However, anyone with a car who wants to join the club can participate in the meetup.
Besides car clubs, individuals who want to show off their cars can also participate in these events. Car meetups can happen anywhere and at any time. Sometimes it can be for a holiday, such as Halloween when Zelocity members gather to provide candy for the children in the community. Robbie Hoffman, a member of Zelocity, said the car culture in the Valley is family oriented because car club members know each other and are close.
“We’re really close. Like some groups are so large that they don’t really get to connect with their other members. But our group has a pretty big number of members. But we’re all really close and connected,” said Hoffman.
Hoffman added that respect is another crucial aspect of car culture in the Valley. Marcus De La Garza, another member of Zelocity, added that no matter the type of car or how much money is invested, everyone treats each other with respect.
Considering members can also build their cars, Hoffman said respect is also earned from building vehicles because it is a long, tedious process that takes a lot of time and money. “Every car guy here knows exactly how hard it is to build a car,” said Hoffman. “And how much money we wasted on car parts that don’t fit, or they break repeatedly. There is no jealousy. It’s more of an admiration.” Therefore, cars generally should not be looked down upon.
“What I love about car meets is most of the time, a lot of the people treat each other like family,” said De La Garza. “We love coming together just to appreciate what everyone has, all the work they put into each car. And that’s just my favorite part about it.”
JC Marquez