Since everyone’s always saying that the whole donk thing is over, you can bet people will probably be looking for something besides Caprices to slap giant wheels on. Who knows, FWD subcompacts like this Fiat 127 in Greece might be the next likely market for 26-and-up rims. The builder here might’ve been going more for pro-touring than hi-riser, since they kept the ride height almost as low as stock. But either way, a project like this means major surgery: think five-lug conversions, elimination of front-strut suspensions, and bodywork—lots of it. More trouble than it’s worth? Definitely.

Source: Jalopnik.

I’m not exactly sure why this tranquil scene cracks me up so bad. Maybe it’s because, if you pretend the road isn’t there, it’s kind of like this Cutlass (and okay fine, it’s technically a "box," you sticklers) is sitting on 24′s out in the woods. And that’d be pretty hilarous. Check out Damien’s new ride page—I hope he gets the image-size problem sorted out so we can see more!

Like a lot companies, CarDomain runs its servers on Linux. And while that OS is still a little above my head—I’m just happy I can use my iPod—I thought it was interesting to see it’s the system of choice for F1 teams. How long will it be before it’s practical for regular users? Anyway, here’s the news:

• Stop the presses! It looks like RENNtech has made a brake rotor big enough to handle a hi-riser! At 16.2 inches, it’s more than half the size of a pair of "30s, so being donkalicious no longer means having to coast to a stop. Jalopnik
• Hillary Clinton and John McCain want to give consumers a break from the gas tax this summer, and while it sounds nice, it basically means they both think you’re dumber than you look. Carpetbagger Report
• Honda is probably the most boring company in the world, but guess what? America loves boring! Last month, the Accord was the best selling vehicle in the States, and this April isn’t looking bad for it either. Auto Observer
• If you have a few grand to spare and want to get a feel for what Audi’s burly new 420 horsepower R8 can do, you might want to check out Audi’s "driving camp" in Cali. Hey, burning rubber beats the hell out of weaving baskets. AutoWeek
• Volvo has built its reputation on safety, so it can’t be happy about having to recall 65,000 cars. The problem? A software glitch is delaying the deployment of side-impact airbags. This is one situation where late really isn’t much better than never. CarScoop

Check out this sweet eBay find–a 1974 Caprice with just 38,000 miles. So, does this car just need a lift and 26s? Or leave it alone? And who else besides me likes green?

By Rob

Editor-in-Chief

It was pretty easy to narrow it down to five hi-risers, because, well, there weren’t too many at SEMA. But those that were there made a big impression. So here are the five for today’s vote: the ’71 Riviera in the MHT booth, the ’72 Skylark vert in the DUB booth, the Rides ’85 Caprice, King of the Street’s ’89 Caprice, and the crazy Cadillac Limo. So take a look and then vote for your favorite. You can see more pics of these hi-risers over in the SEMA 2007 group page.

Brian’s Impala flashed across the homepage yesterday, and it looks really sick. Unfortunately, I have to say there’s no way I’d drive this car. It looks awesome, don’t get me wrong. But see how the springs have been stretched to the breaking point? That’s not safe. At all. And with the shocks hyper-extended, the ride quality has to be sub-awful. Honestly, I’m kind of amazed this car is even drivable. When I was at SEMA, I talked with Danny Perez and Karl Krantz—two dudes who know hi-risers—and both of them stressed the need for safety when reaching for the sky. Brian, hook your Impala up with a proper lift—this killer ride deserves it!

Someone clicked "not user’s car" under Report Abuse for this ’65 Mustang. We didn’t see any evidence to justify that claim and thought it was a pretty cool project. Kandy apple over marble paint, 26 inch wheels, 15 inches of lift. And be sure to check out his video on CarDomain.

So my buddy Ty at SEMA sent me the list of vehicle categories at the show, with the number of vehicles that they have confirmed in each (somehow I’m guessing there are gonna be more than three hi-risers). While we’re down there, we’re gonna try to highlight at least five vehicles from each category, and then let you guys vote on your favorites over the course of two weeks following SEMA. Sound like a plan?

• Off-Road – 275
• Sport Compact – 309
• Hi-Riser – 3
• Luxury – 173
• Motorsports/Racing – 68
• Street Rod/Hot Rod – 92
• Restoration – N/A
• Muscle Cars – 133
• Exotic/Other – 159