Angel’s 1964 Impala Sedan on Astro Supremes  | LRS

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Double the Doors, Four Times the Fun.

In a world dominated by two-door coupes, this four-door Impala is a sight to see.

Story & Photos: Daniel Jarasa. | Feb 6, 2023 10:30am PDT

If you’ve been around the lowrider scene long enough, you’ve most likely heard one of the following statements muttered from a spectator. 

Man. It’s on bags.” 

“It’s a four-door.” 

“It’s on 14’s.”

“It’s not a rag”

You’ll hear it from lowrider purists, you’ll hear it from back seat drivers, but often, these statements come from Jordan brand-wearing bus pass holders or the homies who decades later are still searching for their “project” car. But hey, to each their own. In lowriding, individual creativity is what truly defines each custom build and in the end just know that you can’t please everyone. 

As for me, I respect every build even if I’m not feeling the style. I tend to look for cars that stand out, and when I spotted this ’64 Impala sedan laid out on Astro Supremes, I couldn’t pass it up. With traditional organ pipes sandwiching the “Contagious” car club plaque, this ’64 Impala sedan set itself apart from the sea of two-door ’64 Impalas on display at the park.

Owned by Angel Vara, he bought the car in 1994 and has had it ever since. “I bought the car with fat rear tires and skinnies up front. I had no intention of keeping it,” he says. “As I got more familiar with the lowrider scene, I decided to start collecting parts for it, and that’s when I decided I wanted to make it a cool four-door.” Once his collection of parts was in, Angel shipped the car to a paint shop in Tijuana to bring it back to its former glory.  

 

One fun fact about the car is that at one point, he was rocking the last set of Astro Supremes ever produced. According to Angel, his friend at Wheel City in Corona knew the guy who owned the original blueprints and copyright of the Astro Supreme wheels. Angel asked him to get in touch with his friend, and a month later, Angel was surprised with a call and an offer to make one last set for $200 before the blueprints were sold for good. With such a rare set of wheels, he eventually took them off and used another set which is seen on his car here.

At the end of the day, Angel’s ride is one unique Impala sedan built using his vision, money, and time. If there’s anything to take home with this story, it’s the fact that lowriding is all about creating a car that’s built to your liking because no matter what you build, there will always be someone poking holes in it from their sinking ship. So if you want a rag, go build it, if you don’t like four doors, don’t look at it. It’s really that simple. 

In 2018, Angel decided to throw a little remix into his build, and that’s when he opted for the addition of suicide doors. To do this, a custom hinge assembly had to be installed to the rear quarters and to see the doors open is a trip, especially for a dead on side angle. The suicide doors are a good touch, and the vehicle is powered by the original 283 engine fitted with standard chrome accessories.  Built to drive, Angel recently took the Impala to San Diego with no problems, and its ground-hugging stance comes by way of an air system that’s been neatly installed in the trunk.