A Morning of Cars, Donut, and Coffee

An event attendee (Left) at the Donut Media Cruise-In 2025 exhibit, shakes hands with the owner of a burned-out 1985 black Porsche (Right), at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, Calif., on Sunday, March 30, 2025. The vehicle, which was damaged in the Eaton Fire in Altadena in January 2025, is marked with the number '205E' and labeled 'Not EV' by first responders. Donut Media, an American automotive digital content brand, is known for its YouTube channel and online merchandise store. (Jiale Xian | The Corsair)

The Croud at the 2nd Annual Donut Media Drive In at the Pederson Museum Los Angeles Calif, On sunday March 30th 2025 (Jordi Garcia Sosa | The Corsair)

An attendee on the left maneuvers a remote-controlled off-road truck inspired by Ken Block’s Hoonigan liveries, while classic models, including a vintage Ford Model A (far right), a custom Nissan Silvia S12 (middle), and a modified Nissan Silvia S14 (left), are showcased in the background at the Donut Media Cruise-In 2025, held at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, Calif., on Sunday, March 30, 2025. (Jiale Xian | The Corsair)

Donut Media Host Justin Freeman talking to the Croud at the beginning of the 2nd Annual Donut Media Drive In at the Pederson Museum in Los Angeles Calif. On Sunday March 30th 2025 (Jordi Garcia Sosa | The Corsair)

Subaru owner cleans his car after a short rainfall came through the Pederson Museam duing the 2nd Donut Media Drive In, In Los Angeles Calif on Sunday March 30th 2025. (Jordi Garcia Sosa | The Corsair)

The Petersen Automotive Museum's signage is displayed at 6060 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 30, 2025. The museum is renowned for its extensive collection of classic and contemporary automobiles. (Jiale Xian | The Corsair)

At 9 a.m. on Sunday, March 30, the smell of coffee and donuts filled the parking lot as Donut Media started their second annual Cruise-In at the Petersen Automotive Museum. 

Donut Media is a Youtube Channel that is focused on cars - the culture, mechanics, and anything that has to do with them.

As guests walked up the stairs to the upper levels of the parking lot, music poured into the staircase, accompanying sounds of engines entering and leaving the parking lot. On the upper levels, cars lined up for viewing, some with their hoods up so one could see the internals of the engine bay. 

People walked around seeing the car designs, talking about what they liked and how much time they thought had gone into it. 

A variety of cars were there— old, new, clean, rusted, all lined up and ready to be seen. Some had tall exhausts, some had popular pop culture wraps on them. Red Bull was there showing off some of their vehicles for their upcoming Soapbox Race.

In addition, Donut Media displayed their own cars that have been featured in their videos. There was the 1995 Honda Civic that they paid $500 for and added $50,000 worth of parts into, as well as the BMW E36 which they turned from a rally car into a drift car. The Toyota AE86 from their video “We Drove Every Car from Initial D” was there. The car’s owner, Vincent Chan, said that Donut invited him out there to show it off. 

When asked for advice to give to people who wanted to build cars, Chan said, “Take your time with it, save up and don't rush,” also adding the slogan from his shop, the Fujiwara Tofu Cafe: “Everything starts with a dream!”

As time passed and the clock reached 12 p.m., Justin Freeman, a host from Donut, got on a microphone to thank people for showing up and making the Cruise-In a fun time.

When asked about the Cruise-In, Freeman said it's a good way for him and other Donut hosts to interact with their community, not only being there in person but also bringing the cars shown on the channel. Freeman gave advice to people who want to build cars, saying, “If you love cars, go for it. Just don’t act like you're bigger than anyone else.”