Macomb Township woman leads ‘Throttle Gals’ to Autorama

MACOMB TOWNSHIP — If there are two passions in Doni Muzzy’s life, they are working on cars and print publishing.

Building cars was a necessity when growing up poor, and there were many times she helped keep the family cars running, helping her mom swap the family van’s radiator or wrenching with her father.

“Dad taught me how to fix things when he was doing them and made it fun, so I continued it even as I grew up,” Muzzy said.

Muzzy’s garage would grow to include everything from the 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier on which she performed multiple engine swaps to Harley-Davidson bikes and various other General Motors cars on which she’s left her engineering mark.

As for printing, her grandfather was the senior vice president of a printing and publishing company, and her visits to the printing shop drew Muzzy into the world of publishing. Muzzy majored in graphic technology and design at Cass Tech with a minor in photography, sending her on the path for a career in automotive publishing.

But it was in the late 2000s, when Muzzy worked for a motorcycle publication, that things began to change.

“It was the brainchild of myself and my best friend, Trish Horstman,” Muzzy said. “Her and I met in the motorcycle magazine world where I was the managing editor for a men’s motorcycle magazine, and we wanted to shine a spotlight on women. Originally, this brainchild was going to be a sub column in the magazine that I already worked for, and then we decided, ‘Let’s just take over the world and do a whole magazine that’s strictly for and about women hot rodders.’”

Work on Throttle Gals began in 2009, and the first issue was completed and sent out in 2010. Currently, the magazine’s content centers on the lives of women in the automotive world, ranging from those on the business side of the industry, to women building their own cars, to women in motorsports.

“We have product reviews, we have personality spotlights, next-gen kids that are up and coming,” Muzzy said.

The upcoming issue of Throttle Gals will be based around a feature about the Dakar Rally from a mechanic taking part in the event, while other content includes overviews of car technologies and maintenance help.

For as long as Throttle Gals has been around, the magazine has always had a spot at the Detroit Autorama — a reasonable place to promote the magazine, given Muzzy is based out of Macomb Township.

“We actually pre-launched in the basement at Autorama (in 2009), and we’ve never missed a year,” Muzzy said.

Situated in the basement at Autorama Extreme, the Throttle Gals display features five women-owned and modified cars. Kasia Jones, of Buffalo, New York, will bring her 1954 Studebaker. Andrea Wingard, of Milford — also known as Drea D’Ville — will have her 1963 Ford Galaxie 500. Sally Smith, of West Bloomfield, is bringing her 1957 Chevrolet. Amber Rossow will show off her 1954 Chevrolet.

Last but not least is Muzzy’s own behemoth of a car, the immense purple 1959 Chevrolet Custom.

“It was originally a four-door sedan,” Muzzy said. “It was one of the longest non-limousine production cars ever made. It’s a gigantic boat of a car.”

The 1959 Chevy is so big that Muzzy has been using the car to bring parts of the Throttle Gals display into Autorama. The display itself takes after the womens’ own garages and is styled with various posters.

After over 10 years in print and visiting Autorama, Muzzy has noticed a shift in how Throttle Gals has been perceived in the car world.

“When we first came out, nobody took us seriously, and now we’re taken seriously,” Muzzy said. “It changes the game. When people don’t care about something you do and you do something or make a mistake, nobody really calls you out on it.”

Muzzy’s own position in the automotive world has shifted along with the magazine’s growth.

“It is interesting now because I ... went to an event and I had somebody that I look up to tell me she looks up to me and that I am her mentor,” Muzzy said. “I know Trish has had this happen, too, where people look up to us now, and it’s neat. We’re trying to empower and encourage other women to establish a safe place for them to play, too. Ask your questions, play with your cars and motorcycles or whatever and go out and have fun with it.”

Doni Muzzy and the Throttle Gals team can be found in the basement of the Autorama show from Feb. 24-25, across the aisle from Singlefinger Speed Shop and to the right of the stage. More information about Throttle Gals magazine can be found at throttlegals.com.