Photos by Leo Mayorquin. [/caption] In a book release party unlike any other, the new automotive coffee table book Vochos Unidos by Rodrigo Gaya Villar melded Volkswagen Beetles, Mexican heritage and community strength as only Los Angeles car culture can.
Carrara Media partnered with Vintage Motor Union to host the event at VMU’s automotive clubhouse in the historic Boyle Heights neighborhood, welcoming over 100 people and dozens of vochos to celebrate.
The event doubled as a Cinco De Mayo party, which commemorates the Battle of Puebla in which the Mexican army drove out French forces in 1862. Puebla is special to the vocho community, as well. Volkswagen built more than one million Beetles there for over 35 years until 2003.
To ring in Cinco De Mayo in style, the Aztec performers Xipe Totec joined to share their captivating ceremonial dance and music. There were also mariachi, folk singers and vendors serving incredible mariscos and al pastor tacos.
All of this lent an authentic Mexican experience to Vochos Unidos. The book celebrates Mexican culture through the lens of vochos, or the Mexican term of endearment for VW Beetles. Each car depicted across the book’s 300 pages represents the country’s resilience, resourcefulness and spice for life.
This character could be seen at the L.A. event, as well. Many of the Volkswagen owners in attendance were of Mexican descent, so the two cultures are naturally intertwined. Owners saw themselves and their families reflected throughout the pages of Vochos Unidos, depicting a joyful approach to life no matter the circumstance.
Author and photographer Rodrigo Gaya Villar captivated guests with stores about the process of shooting the book. Gaya Villar spent five years living in Mexico and chasing vochos wherever they could be found. Since then he has exhibited his photos in Mexico City art galleries, with plans to return for in-store book events.
The release was made possible by Vintage Motor Union and their deep roots in the local car community. Since opening in 2024, founder Savant Young has cultivated a welcoming space where enthusiasts and locals alike feel invited.
Young is spreading the Vintage Motor Union mission, too. The space is part of the L.A. Car District, a collective of automotive business which includes the YouTube channel BigTime and the enamel pin designers Leen Customs — all located on the same block. In fact, Leen Customs produced two custom pins to celebrate Vochos Unidos. Both were met with high demand throughout the day, further cementing the book’s cultural credentials.
All together, the Vochos Unidos party further established publisher Carrara Media as a premier voice in car culture — both celebrating it in print and fostering it in real life. With a premium construction and authentic cultural connection, Vochos Unidos raises the bar when it comes to automotive photography books. That’s a winning combination for future Carrara Media titles to follow.
Vochos Unidos is available now in the Carrara Media store or wherever books are sold. See more photos from the event on our Instagram page.