What Is a Donk? It Has To Do With Customized Chevy Models
Hannah DeWitt
· 3 min read
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Classic cars
span a wide range of brands, styles, and model years. Some brands or time periods especially stand out. Donks reference both a specific brand and time period.But what is a donk? “Donk” is a name for a type of souped-up Chevy, though not just any Chevy. According to
Autoweek
, a donk needs to be either a Caprice or an Impala, and only one from six different model years.
What is a donk?
A “donk” is a modified 1971-1976 Chevy Impala or Caprice. Many consider that vehicles outside of these models don’t qualify as a donk, no matter what modifications are made.
As for the name “donk,” its beginnings are a bit of a mystery, though there are many theories about what coined the title. Some believe that bouncing lifted Chevys look like a bucking donkey, leading people to the term. Other people think the Impala logo looks a bit like a donkey, and some think it might be hinting at a “badonkadonk,” or a woman’s rear to put it more politely.
Donks rose to popularity in
Florida
around the 1990s, initially centering around pumping up cars’ height. The automotive subculture started small but is now a nationwide phenomenon with events and shows in multiple cities across the U.S. Donks have their own auto shops and organizations for people to join. There’s even a new documentary coming out about the history of donks.
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How has the term evolved?
MORE: What's More Classic Than a 1977 Red Corvette?
There can be a lot of confusion swirling around what is and isn’t a donk. Many people mistakenly use “donk” to refer to cars that are modified with certain characteristics, rather than just cars within the technical constraints.
Because of this, there is a lot of debate surrounding what can be called a donk. Those entrenched in donk culture will usually stick to the traditional constraints, some going even farther and cutting the model years off at 1973. Some consider a donk to be any 1971-1976 Chevy Impala or Caprice, regardless of how customized they are.
Most donks have specific modifications that can serve as easy identifiers. They have large wheels, often with eye-catching rims, clean paint jobs using bright colors, and lifted bodies. Cars that have these mods but aren’t Chevys are called high-risers.
Donks are celebrated across the country
There are a wide variety of donk-centered car shows based throughout the U.S. One of the biggest is Donk Day based in Miami, which was started in 2017. Others include Donktober Box Chevy & G-Body Round Up in Louisiana and an annual Donk Contest held in Austin, Texas.
Donks are very customized high-quality vehicles, meaning buying one that’s already modified can get expensive, spanning anywhere from $30,000 to over $100,000. For this reason, many choose to do their own modifications. Though original Caprices and Impalas are less expensive on average, having a solid foundation is important, otherwise you might end up paying more than you bargained for to repair it.
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