What is a donk? And what is not? | Enthusiast 101

Background: Is a donk just a jacked-up sedan on big wheels?

What is a donk? As with many terms in the automotive space, the definition is somewhat fluid and dependent on who you ask. Lifted bodies and over-sized wheels, from the slight to the extreme, are the common denominator. Purists will tell you that a true donk can only be a 1971-1976 Chevrolet Caprice or Impala. But others are more lax with the definition and will gladly apply the term “donk” to any car with big aftermarket wheels.

Generally, our position on these sorts of matters tends toward being more inclusive. But we also value and respect automotive and car-culture history. We won’t razz anyone for using the term “donk” loosely, but we do think it’s worthwhile to understand the term’s origin and context.

Origins of Donk Culture

If you look into the tradition, the case is clear that the term “donk” does indeed apply more accurately to ’70s Caprice and Impala builds. For the general category of lifted cars with over-sized wheels, the term “high-riser” is more appropriate.

The donk tradition originated in Miami “between the late 80s and early 90s,” according to the donk-enthusiast website Donk Planet. The website also even implies that a lift and over-sized wheels aren’t necessarily requirements:

A true “donk” car refers specifically to 1971-1976 Chevrolet Impalas and Caprices whether it’s stock or customized.

So by that definition, the entirely stock 1973 Impala that I owned for five years was a donk, and I didn’t even know it. Cool!

Now this Crown Vic, on the other hand, is a high-riser. But, despite its jacked-up stance and ginormous wheels, it isn’t a donk. It isn’t a Chevrolet and it’s also too new to be a traditional donk.

Origins of the Term

When it comes to the origin and meaning of the term, things get more uncertain. Does a heavy car propped up on big wheels resemble the proportions of a donkey, with its bodily bulk elevated on relatively thin legs? Others say that the term was coined by those who thought that the classic Impala logo looked like a donkey.

The explanations you’ll hear if you ask donk enthusiasts where the term came from seem rife with speculation and lore. It’s as if donk subculture has given rise to its own niche mythology. But that speaks to the subculture’s organic nature. It’s as if the appellation has come to feel so natural that to ask why we call a donk “a donk” is almost as absurd as asking why, in English, we call the sky “the sky.”

Customized and Showcased with Pride

Customization is clearly a focus of the culture, even though Donk Planet does say that stock Caprices and Impalas qualify. One of the top websites covering the niche is “Riding Clean,” and that points to a key element of the donk aesthetic. As the GQ article notes, “it’s all about building the cleanest custom donk you can.” Owners pour their money into pristine paint jobs, insanely meticulous detailing and, especially, eye-catching wheels with flashy, expensive finishes.

And they tend to be just as committed to showcasing the results at donk-centric “clubs and car shows around the U.S.,” according to Autoweek. In addition to Miami’s Donk Day, held annually since 2017, among the lineup of shows are:

• The annual Donk Contest in Austin, Texas.
• The annual Donktober Box Chevy & G-Body Round Up in Shreveport, Louisiana.
• The Ridin’ Durty Car Show in Green Bay, Wisconsin, which includes a Donk Mild/Wild category.

Now the Miami show, tied closely to donkdom’s roots, is a strictly ’71-’73 Impala/Caprice event. Many of the events, however, including the three listed above, welcome lifted, big-wheeled cars that are outside of the purist’s domain.

It seems that the basic appeal of taking what began as a nondescript dadmobile and transforming it into something with stunningly exaggerated proportions creates an urge, too strong to resist, to spread the fun around to other platforms.

And that really brings us back full circle to the definitional issue with which we began. To put it simply, it’s hard to talk about donks without bringing other types of high-risers into the discussion.

For one thing, it seems that the further outside the purist’s domain a high-riser build strays, the crazier the builds get. So let’s leave maximum room to acknowledge the creativity have a conversation that includes not only donks but other categories of high-risers as well.

The Appeal of High-Risers

High-risers clearly aren’t to the taste of every car enthusiast. Yet they have some alluring dimensions that are difficult to ignore:

• They’re contrarian. A high-riser takes the notion of a practical car and upends it. It’s almost like an automotive twist on the “art for art’s sake” concept. Generally speaking, high-riser mods don’t enhance performance or driveability. They aren’t built for the track, but as a rule they aren’t optimized for the street, either. They’re all about creating a look that turns heads and defies conventional notions of what a car is supposed to be.
• They exude self-referential irony. Like Magritte’s non-pipe or Jean Tinguely’s self-destroying, purposeless sculpture–machines, donks and high-risers can make an even louder statement: “This car cannot possibly exist.” And yet it does. With some exceptions among the most extreme builds, you can maneuver yourself in (although in some cases that might be a little difficult) and drive them.

The Pitfalls of High-Risers

With donks and other high-risers, an old cliche rings true: “You have to take the bitter with the sweet. The strengths that make them captivating to look at are also their weaknesses. Among the pitfalls are:

• Larger wheels look cool but don’t make for a smoother ride. Traditional donks are built from cars that were originally engineered to be smooth highway cruisers. But adding larger wheels can change these driving dynamics. The aesthetic benefit of big wheels is that they leave less gap between the bottom of the wheel arch and the top of the tire. But large, low-profile tires also generally mean a rougher ride.
• Larger wheels are detrimental to handling and cornering. Shorter, wider tires offer superior grip, according to Consumer Reports—and that means better agility when it comes to navigating curves and turns.
• The alterations can raise engineering and mechanical concerns. To name just a few, a larger-than-stock diameter of a wheel-and-tire combination can throw off speedometer calibration. Even worse, however, is that, according to the transmission service franchise Aamco, using larger rims and tires can also put more strain on a powertrain by “changing the ratio of all the components involved in making your vehicle stop and go.” Brakes and suspension can also be affected. Tighter engineering tolerances of newer cars are likely to make such issues more problematic if you’re building a high-riser on a later-model platform.

So have fun with your donks and high-risers

There you have it—our brief overview of donks, high-risers, and the history of the car-culture niches they occupy. If you’re currently rocking a ’71-’73 Chevrolet Caprice or Impala—stock or customized, riding high or cruising low—or giving some thought to buying one, we’ll warmly embrace your decision to call it a donk.

Now, if you have or want to build a Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, or any other vehicle that’s reaching toward the heavens on over-sized wheels and you have a strong urge to call it a donk, well, heck—we won’t take issue with that either. But we’d still prefer that you call it a high-riser.