DOWNTOWN DONK
Ha ha ha ha YES! I already love writing this post because it's going to be controversial.
Recently I was on the border of Tribeca and the Financial District when a little bit of the Dirty South appeared. In my New York? Yes!
Recently I was on the border of Tribeca and the Financial District when a little bit of the Dirty South appeared. In my New York? Yes!
This is a 1975 Chevrolet Caprice convertible in what might be Medium Red. For the uninitiated this is a Donk. A Donk is almost always a rear wheel drive full size American car jacked up on super huge wheels with low profile tires. Where even hot rodders will putt 22" wheels on their ride they will usually try to keep the car low. These might be 28", 32", or even 40" wheels (they go all the way up to 50"!).
If you dropped this down on factory wheels most of the classic car trade would love it. Donks grew out of the hip hop community in Texas and Florida, quickly spreading across the entire South. Being the most ostentatious display of flash and incorporating beloved classics in the process they are reviled by most. I'm completely into it because why the hell not? Do what you want with your ride!
The only exterior customization besides the ride height is this glitzy grill insert. The factory Caprice grill had mostly vertical fine chrome bars and a Chevrolet emblem on the right side.
From this angle you can see the Caprice as it left the factory. The headlights are stepped backwards where the outer set is further back then the inboard ones. I won't say aerodynamics were the goal of this massive brick but it does make the grill the forward most feature.
This generation Caprice proved wildly successful for Chevy with only mild changes since 1971. The popularity of the Caprice predated this body style as it was the best selling domestic lineup from the mid '60s through the early '70s when you take into account the Impala, Biscayne, and Bel Air trim levels.
This was the last year for a Caprice convertible. In fact the only GM drop top that survived past 1975 was the Cadillac Eldorado which bowed out after '76. There were rumors that there would be federally mandated rollover guidelines and as a preventative measure convertibles were phased out. Those rules never came to pass and as a result you started seeing domestic factory built convertibles again in the '80s.
This was the last year for a Caprice convertible. In fact the only GM drop top that survived past 1975 was the Cadillac Eldorado which bowed out after '76. There were rumors that there would be federally mandated rollover guidelines and as a preventative measure convertibles were phased out. Those rules never came to pass and as a result you started seeing domestic factory built convertibles again in the '80s.
Well that's where I'll leave what is probably the most polarizing ride I've featured to date. In the Donk world this is a very subdued example. Some of the more outlandish ones have Lambo doors that open forward on an angle like those on the Lamborghini Countach. Colors run the gamut with some brutal combinations like bright yellow and lime green common. A quick search of the word Donk is totally worth your while whether you love them, hate them, or are just intrigued. To see one in the Northeast was as unexpected as it gets!
Now if you'll pardon me I've got to get back to watching some of the best and the worst Donk videos.
Now if you'll pardon me I've got to get back to watching some of the best and the worst Donk videos.
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