---
title: "This Supra 2JZ-Swapped 1973 Chevrolet Impala Donk Is a Cultural Crossover"
description: "The spirit of Paul Walker lives on in this Chevrolet Impala donk with a Toyota Supra engine."
date: "2019-02-19"
modified: "2019-02-19"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/26551/this-supra-2jz-swapped-1973-chevrolet-impala-donk-is-a-cultural-crossover"
categories:
  - "Car Parts"
  - "Chevrolet News"
  - "Engine & Motors"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "The Garage"
  - "Toyota News"
tags:
  - "2JZ"
  - "Chevrolet"
  - "custom"
  - "Engine Swap"
  - "impala"
  - "Paul Walker"
---

# This Supra 2JZ-Swapped 1973 Chevrolet Impala Donk Is a Cultural Crossover

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2019/02/2jz-donk-1.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

It's been over five years since *Fast and Furious* star Paul Walker [tragically passed away,](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/5189/the-truth-behind-what-caused-paul-walkers-fatal-crash>) but his spirit has never left us. It lives on in a billion-dollar movie franchise he helped create. It lives on in the numerous charity foundations he founded. And it lives on in outlandish Toyota Supra-based projects he inspired like this 2JZ-swapped 1973 Chevrolet Impala donk.

The [fourth-generation Toyota Supra](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/25788/a-stock-1994-toyota-supra-with-7000-miles-just-sold-for-an-insane-121000>) had already been discontinued North America when the car's star turn in 2001's *The Fast and the Furious* helped launch it into the wider public consciousness. Walker himself owned one, a white 1993 turbo coupe, so it's no surprise people associate him with the Supra. What is a surprise is seeing its storied 3.0-liter inline-six 2JZ-GTE turbo engine under the hood of a good ol' fashioned donk.

![message-editor%2F1550566242459-2jz.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1550566242459-2jz.jpg>)
**YouTube | Kandyonchrome**

Traditionally, the term "donk" applies strictly to a Chevrolet Impala or Caprice from 1971 to 1976 with a raised suspension, gigantic rims, and a custom paint job. There's nothing traditional about this build, though. YouTube channel KandyonChrome tracked down this unholy creation, owned by a gentleman [named Craig](<https://www.instagram.com/dam_craigyoublack/>)—but as he says in the video, you can call him [the black Paul Walker.](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBnUa1fQ-_w>)

https://youtube.com/embed/nBnUa1fQ-_w

[Along with hi-risers,](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/10464/watch-a-lifted-ford-crown-victoria-ltd-on-30-inch-rims-hit-the-drag-strip>) slabs, boxes, and every other play on lifting an old-school American sedan, donks are about the show, not the go. These cars are designed first and foremost for low-speed cruising. Engine swaps, if they happen at all, usually take the form of a modern V8 like a GM LSX, which is why seeing a sparkling 2JZ tuned to 760 horsepower under the hood of Craig's 1973 Chevrolet Impala is so striking.

"I like to do things different... I'm just hoping to surprise the streets with something new and something crazy, and influence others to do the same," he tells the interviewer.

If seeing the engine is a shock, then to hear it is to experience true cognitive dissonance. The video shows several full-power launches, with the brown Impala hard top squatting back on its haunches, the turbos spooling up, and that inline-six screaming to the redline. It almost sounds like someone dubbed the engine audio from a [drag-built Toyota Supra](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/8947/watch-these-2jz-supras-run-200-mph-12-mile-passes>) over the clip. But fear not—the 2JZ donk is real, and it looks *quick.*

![message-editor%2F1550564408185-2jzdonk.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1550564408185-2jzdonk.jpg>)
**Instagram | @dam\_craigyoublack**

Craig hints that he anticipates blowback from fans of Supras and old-school donks alike, who have never had common cause to unite over anything. But the draw of "easy, cheap power" from the overbuilt 2JZ engine was too much to resist. The engine is mostly stock, running 28 pounds of boost on pump gas to hit that 760 hp figure. In terms of obstacles, wiring was apparently a nightmare, making navigating this particular cross-cultural rubicon look downright easy.

"So, a donk and a Supra are about 800 pounds \[apart\], so I was like f\*\*k it, man, I'm gonna do what I like, and I'm not gonna do what everybody else tells me to do," he says.

There's no denying that donks have a mixed reputation in the car world. But a donk with the heart of Paul Walker inside? Now that's something we can all get behind.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)