Southern Cats know that Ridin’ High is the only way to roll.

Story Maurice Bobb & Photos Ken Reid

Ridin’ big takes on a whole new meaning in the Dirty South. On the third coast, if it ain’t big and bold, it ain’t doing it, which may explain the odd but very popular recent trend of flossin’ in whips like Donks, which are clunky 1971 – 1976 Chevy Caprices and Impalas that cats are converting into funky & garish statements of street grandeur.

But Donks, Box Chevys and Bubble Chevys are nothing new in the Sunshine State. For nearly two decades, Floridians have been taking old clunkers and dropping thousands into their resurrection as tricked-out machines. Now that all eyes are on the South, these outrageous sleds are stirring up more of a buzz than a disturbed hornet’s nest.

“It all got started in Miami,” says Lance Ponting, who has been studying the culture for five years now and has put out a video, East Coast Ryders: How We Ryde In the Dirty South, that goes Donnie Brasco deep into the phenomenon. “This trend has been going on since the ‘80s. Now it’s gotten to the point where professional athletes and rappers are buying these cars and showing them off.”

Not surprisingly, Hi-Risers have been appearing in numerous rap videos of late, such as Common’s “The Corner,” Ciara’s “Oh,” and Webbie’s “Give Me That” and are becoming the car of choice for the hood because of their bold colors and huge “how the Hell did they make those fit?” chrome shoes. According to Murph of Miami, who has dropped nearly $100,000 into his ’73 Impala, the appealing thing about the cars is that there are no limits to what you can do to them.

“It’s all about taking it to the next level to be King of the Street,” says Murph. “I got the custom interior, the custom paint job, the 22” spinners, the chrome nose, everything. It’s all about upping the game and outdoing the next cat on the street.”

The idea behind these creations is to pump an obscene amount of discretionary loot into a ride barely worth $3,000 on its best day. In other words, it’s the equivalent of taking a gold-plated Seiko and lacing it with $25,000 worth of ice.

“Typically, these cars run anywhere from $3,000 to $7,000 starting out,” adds Ponting, who says the cars are so popular they are tops on the most stolen list in South Florida. “Then when you get started on the customizations, it can run anywhere from $30,000 to $60,000.”

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