Hitting stores today is an issue of NZ Performance Car that’s looking a little different to what you would normally expect to be picking up at your local. Not only is there the blatantly obvious hand-drawn cover art, but it’s packed on a little weight as we have added an extra 38 pages. Why so big? Because drift — this issue is 100 per cent dedicated to the art of counter steering and the cars that come with it.
‘Fanga Dan’ Woolhouse gives us the rundown on what is arguably one of the best-built drift cars in New Zealand, his VE Commodore. Getting a VE to be competitive is certainly not as easy as ordering a ton of bolt-on components, but to us that’s what makes this machine so impressive.
Kawato-san of TCP Magic in Japan has been at the grindstone piecing together his new twin-turbo 26B FD RX-7 for ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett to pedal in the Asia-based rounds of Formula Drift. What happens when JAPBUL and RADBUL combine? An RX-7 that has the makings to take the scalps off the competition.
It’s not often we tell an owner not to clean the car before bringing it into the studio — in fact I think this was the first — but we really wanted to showcase the toll competitive drifting takes on the car. Especially when your name is Darren Kelly and you have just battled your way to the 2014–’15 Demon Energy D1NZ National Drifting Championship.
Nissan 350Zs don’t come much cooler than the Mercury FD Asia machine. With a 3.4-litre 2JZ under the bonnet and some of the coolest aero components we have seen fitted to a Z33, it’s fair to say we believe that this is one of the coolest drift cars to come out of Japan throughout this last year.
It’s certainly not all big-budget competition machines — we take a look at Sean Jone’s 13B PP KE30, a car that can certainly hold its own on track. Built almost entirely by Sean, it’s a true champion of that Kiwi can-do ethos, and a great antidote to the S-chassis phenomenon.
Joe Kukutai, one of the most aggressive drivers on the Demon Energy D1 grid, checks in with us on what it’s like to go up against the big guns of New Zealand drifting, and the hardware needed to get the job done.
A lesson in less is more, we check out an 86RC that is now rocking a very simple, yet effective, LS swap and some very nice owner-developed aero components with an Australasian connection.
Buckle up for a ride in a rear-wheel drive WRX wagon that’s been a regular at Ruapuna for many years. We also take a look at Sky Zhao’s drift school trio of 180SXs all with different engine combinations, a super-slammed S13 street drifter from Japan, and our usual Weekend Warriors and Daily Driven.
If you’re driving something modified in New Zealand then the LVVTA cert process is something you will have been through. We thought it was time to go behind the scenes in their Wellington base to find out about the importance of the LVVTA and exactly what they do.
With this issue dedicated purely to drift machines, we showcase how to string align your car at home, or at the track, and the effect these adjustments can make to how your car slides. We repair a beaten and damaged cooler, and we give you helpful tips for getting prepared for a track day.
Like always, this is only a taste of what you will find in the magazine — it is 152 pages after all. If your not in New Zealand, or you’re too lazy to shoot down to the shop, you can purchase the magazine directly from us, just click on the link below. It couldn’t be easier.
