Even though Gabby Downing never set out to be a drift racer and content creator, her steadfast attitude, willpower, and strong sense of self would make you think otherwise. As a former high fashion model and aspiring artist, her first car, a first-gen Honda CRX Si, led her to where she is today.
“I just fell in love with it,” she says. “It was the one thing in my life that I felt like I could control because in modeling you’re at the reign of everybody else’s decisions on where you live, what you look like, and what you do.”
She didn’t have the money to pay for car fixes, and when things would break, as they do on a nearly 30-year-old car, Downing turned to her late father’s tool set, the service manual, and forum threads.
“I felt so fulfilled and accomplished when I would fix something that I thought, ‘What else can I fix?’ And it snowballed to bigger and bigger projects.” Now she’s sharing her curiosity and passion full time on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok with a growing community of followers.
I felt so fulfilled and accomplished when I would fix something that I thought, ‘What else can I fix?’
clarity, goals, and donuts
Downing’s slogan is “Clarity, goals, and donuts.” Clarity is knowing what you want and why you want it, she says. Goals are the steps that you take to get there, and donuts (the confection and driving maneuver) are her reminder to enjoy the journey.
“I try to be the person that I needed when I started,” she says, “I aim to inspire my audience to believe in themselves, that they can do whatever they want, no matter what they look like, where they come from, where they're born, or how much money they have.”
If you scroll through Downing’s Instagram you’ll find her mostly working in the shop on cars like her Ford Bronco, C5 Corvette, and BMW M3 E46, as well as racing, and camping. Her art background has come in handy when painting and wrapping her vehicles, like her BMW which is satin black and pink chrome which, she says, “You can see from Mars.”
Looking to the future, Downing says she wants to continue racing and “driving anything under the sun.” She’s determined to keep telling her story and having fun with her content. She’s also trying to find ways to bridge the gap between social media and her audience and engage with them more in live streams or real-life events.
In an industry that still deals in negative female stereotypes, she’s extremely intentional with her content and strives to lead by example. “I hear everything from ‘That's her boyfriend's car,’ or ‘She doesn't actually work on her car, her boyfriend does it and she just takes the pictures,’ or ‘She's only doing it so that the guys will like her,’” Downing says. And while she doesn’t get many of these types of comments anymore, it’s a testament to how much she’s had to overcome to find success in both the racing world and as a full-time content creator.
“I try to be the person that I needed when I started”
gabby's work shoes
THE OVERTON
check out chapter one ft. will knox
FASHION MEETS FUNCTION
“Feeling good in whatever outfit I'm wearing is a must,” Downing says. The Overton’s throwback vibes fit the bill while delivering slip-resistance, toe-protection, and all-day comfort thanks to the KEEN.ReGEN midsole cushioning which returns up to 50% energy with each step.
HEFTY, NOT HEAVY
Overton’s non-metallic carbon safety toe offers a 15 percent weight savings over steel toes. “They look very similar to the shoes that I wear day-to-day — but it’s good to know I have that protection in the toe,” says Downing.
MADE FOR HER FEET
“I have extremely high arches, so having good footwear is a must,” Downing says. Built around a woman’s biomechanics and foot structure for improved fit and comfort, the Overton keeps Downing’s feet comfortable during long days in the shop.
gabby downing | Car builder and racer salt lake city, ut
proof in passion
While researching these bigger projects, like engines and transmissions, Downing realized that she could “go faster,” which led her to discover racing. Her competitiveness tempted her to try rally, drifting, time attack, and autocross. Due to its lower barrier to entry, Downing pursued drifting.
“You can just take your car in, try to do some donuts, and then drive it back — you don’t need a truck or trailer” she says. “I like to say that it's a mix of dancing on the edge of spinning out and crashing, and driving the car.”
Like most other things in her life, she found content creation by accident, she says. After researching mostly in forums and feeling alone throughout the build process, she wanted to share her creativity and learnings with others. While Downing says she loves how forums let people share their journey, find a community, and help other people learn, she wanted to make her own version of a forum thread. “I hate words, I'm a creative and visual person, so I was like, why don't I just do that on Instagram?”
Her following has grown steadily since she first started posting seven years ago, which she attributes to keeping her content fun, authentic, and community-driven. “I was trying to find community and sharing what I was doing, and I wanted to keep it purely fun-based,” she says. That formula appears to have worked, and content creation is now Downing’s full-time gig.
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A versatile, throwback-inspired work shoe with energy-returning cushioning, lightweight safety features, and dependable traction.
FROM THE FEED
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These industrial makers are also digital creators. Their careers — and their trades — are better for it.
Built Different
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