In broad strokes, a donk car is any car that has had its usual wheels removed and swapped out for wheels of a substantially larger size. Because the wheels are so much bigger than the ones the body is designed for, it creates a distinctive image of the wheels carrying the body high over the pavement. While any typical car can technically get the donk treatment, the original donk cars, and the ones most readily accepted by enthusiasts, are the 1971–76 Chevrolet Impala and Caprice.
The precise origin of the donk, both the word “donk” itself and the practice of turning vehicles into donk cars is a bit murky. Enthusiasts generally agree, though, that the practice entered the public consciousness sometime in the early 1990s. The first donk cars were spotted on the sunny stretches of south Florida, with the vehicles making a particular splash in the local drag racing scene.
As for the name, there are a few theories, mostly of the belief that the hiked-up cars resemble a donkey getting ready to buck. Some believe the animal logo present on the Chevy Impala looks like a donkey as well, though there is no authoritative evidence for this claim.
