Does the word donk ring a bell for you? If not, let’s explain that first! Donk is the nickname given to the full-sized customized Chevrolet Caprice or Impala between 1971-76; the trend followed as the models from the next two decades also garnered the ‘classic’ status.
Donk refers to specific customization where mechanics outfit their cars with unique paint jobs, lift kits, and larger wheels. To be precise, a Box Chevy is a type of donk car! Donk cars are sometimes mistaken for all custom cars with big wheels, but that is not the case. Big and flashy wheels help your car be a showstopper, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a ‘donk car’.
The jury is still out on where the term came from, but the Impala logo, which looks like a donkey, seems to be the first and most relevant explanation. Some compare the rear end of the Chevy to that of the donkey, while others say it’s from the slang term for a lady’s derriere. They are also hi-risers and originated from the dirty south hip-hop culture scene in the 90s.
Each donk style has a different name, and in today’s article, we will take a closer look at the Box Chevy.
It’s safe to say that the Box Chevy is a subgenre of the donk cars. The actual donk cars are the full-sized Chevys from 1971-76, while anything built between 1977-90 isn’t a donk - It’s a Box Chevy! However, not every car from that period is a box car. The donk treatment is reserved for American-made sedans and coupes from 1971 to 1976. The long, big cars with straight lines and sharp edges, which made the vehicle look like a box, are responsible for the name Box Chevy!
The shape of the automobiles changed after 1990, and so did the name. The new models of Chevrolet had rounded corners, and these cars were called Bubble cars.
If you want to replicate the South roots of the car subculture, you will need to find a Chevrolet Caprice or Impala manufactured between 1977 and 1990. You would require a well-looked-after vehicle and not something that’s been catching dust and rust for years. Yet another critical component is the oversized wheels.
When making your own Box Chevy, you can create as many modifications as possible. There have been changes over the years. The lift kit has been replaced with flush mounts. The paint job and the upgrade to the upholstery are usually a part of the process.
Building a Box Chevy is a costly affair with the rims, the paint job, lift kits, and more. If you get the perfect wheels, their cost will run into five figures. It is easy to spend as much as you want. However, if you go by the trends, the big names in the donk car community spend over $100,000 customizing their cars, but that is on the higher side. These modifications will be heavy on the pocket and the insurance rate.
However, to put it simply, let’s check the average price of the Chevrolet Caprice. It costs about $20,000, and over that, you need to factor in all the modifications you want to get done to your Box Chevy. So, if you want to build a car on a budget, Box Chevy isn’t your go-to vehicle.
Chevrolet was producing the Caprice as a police patrol car. Still, they stopped taking orders for the Caprice PPV (Police Patrol Vehicle) at the end of February 2017, and the production ended in May of the same year.
The discontinuation of the Caprice resulted from the planned closing of the GM factory in South Australia, where the Caprice was assembled. However, the end of Caprice also meant a lot for many other models on GM’s Zeta platform, which Caprice utilized. Some models riding on the Zeta platform were Chevrolet SS Sedan, Holden Commodore, and Ute.
Simply put, the Box Chevy is one of the classic cars and is undoubtedly not the one you can forget. It will make people halt in their tracks because of the giant rims, paint job, wrapped grill, and ventless glasses. All in all, a very hard-to-miss vehicle!
The Box Chevys have also been a regular at drag race scenes and grudge race scenes. You can imagine the popularity of the Box Chevy with the number of enthusiasts it has, and this one won’t disappoint you at all!
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