Drifting has always been one of our favorite motorsport genres. Little do we know about it, it’s abundantly clear that the driver and the car play equally important roles in this tire-sucking ballet. The best part is that there are very few restrictions when it comes to racing engines compared to most other motorsports categories. You can basically assemble all kinds of monsters and race them as long as you have enough power, the right suspension angles, and a decent cooling system.
But what if you want to reuse an old racing car and turn it into a new drift car? This was an idea Aaron Losey had after always trying to make drifting more sustainable. In a new video from Run Chen on YouTube, Losey tells the story of how he converted an old circle track race car into a drift machine. Absolutely crazy drift machine.
It’s an excellent mix of components, to begin with. It features a tubular chassis from a Nascar race car combined with a Chevrolet Chevelle front subframe. A V8 engine and four-speed manual transmission were included with the donor car that Losey purchased and he admitted that he had to make minor modifications to the engine and axle as they were properly tuned. Will it ever get a Nascar-inspired body? Most likely yes, but for now it is used in this stripped form.
However, a great deal of work has gone into the suspension. This machine was originally a one-way race car and Losey had to convert it to two-way. Additionally, substantial changes have been made to the steering geometry to allow the car to drive sideways and compete with other drift cars. All the springs (which are highly adjustable), shocks, brakes and more. In this form, the suspension is highly adjustable.
The V8 engine was kept pretty much aside from the new carburetor because the original was too small. This minor tweak gives the 5.7 liter mill an additional 40 horsepower for a peak of around 370 hp at the wheels. With a few other mods, Losey expects his strength to increase significantly.
