Formula Drift – The Unmuffled Auto News

This is a follow-up to one of my most popular posts of all time. Japan has given us some of the most iconic, endearing, and usable sports cars ever to drive.

1959 Datsun Sports/Fairlady: It was known as the Datsun Fairlady in Japan, but over here, it was known as the Datsun Sports. It came with a 1,500 cc engine, a 1,600 cc engine, or a larger 2,000 cc engine. It started as a cheaper competitor to the MG Midget, but it had a fiberglass body instead of the aluminum used in the MG. It developed into one of the most successful road-racing cars in the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America).
This is a 1962 model, but it is essentially the same as the 1959 model.
1963 Honda S500: This was Honda’s first car. While it’s successor, the S600 enjoyed numerous class wins in the SCCA and other road racing bodies, the S500 shouldn’t be forgotten. The S500 weighed a mere 1,500 pounds, and it was powered by a tiny 500 cc dual-overhead-cam engine with a 9,500 RPM redline. It had one motorcycle influence – chain-driven wheels. It was a fast, sprightly little car that could hang with the big boys.
1965 Toyota Sports 800: This was Toyota’s first sports car, and while it wasn’t a hit in the US, it’s had a devout following since day one. It has 44 horsepower, and a removable targa top. Oh, and it’s pretty cute.
The only thing that isn’t stock about this beautiful 1965 Toyota Sports 800 are the wheels, but I think it adds a nice touch.
1967 Toyota 2000GT: Riding off of the success of the Sports 800 in Japan, Toyota decided to build a competitor to the Jaguar E-Type. The result is the absolutely stunning Toyota 2000GT. Toyota teamed up with Yamaha to develop the engine and transmission, and boy did Yamaha deliver! It’s an achingly gorgeous car that breezes well over $1 million at auction.
1968 Datsun Bluebird/1300-1600/510: Datsun essentially reverse-engineered the legendary BMW 1600, and this wonderful rally/drift machine was born. It was known as the Bluebird in Europe, the 1300-1600 in Asia, and the 510 here in America. It still holds 2wd rally records. It’s one of the most legendary sports coupes ever made, and you can buy one for a relatively low price.
This is a picture from one of the original advertisements that Datsun put out in 1968. The No. 85 car is one of the legendary rally cars.
1970 Datsun 240Z: This is certainly one of the most beautiful sports cars ever made, let alone one of the most beautiful cars ever made. My grandparents and dad used to own one, but guess who decided to sell it so I couldn’t enjoy it? It had a single-overhead-cam inline six cylinder engine, a five speed manual, and fully independent suspension. European sports cars never knew what passed them.
1971 Mazda RX-2 and RX-3: These cars were the precursors to the legendary RX-7. The RX-2 set so many records and poles in IMSA that rotary engines got banned. The RX-3 went 160 mph at Bonneville.
This is a 1971 Mazda RX-2. It’s not exactly pretty, but it got the job done.

This is the slightly larger 1971 Mazda RX-3. It’s equally homely, but it was much faster than the RX-2.
1979 Toyota Celica: The original Toyota Celica was for all essential purposes, a Datsun 240Z with icing on the cake. While it didn’t have a six-cylinder engine, it had a rear seat, and therefore, more utility. It was originally somewhat homely, but then the legendary AE86 generation came around, and it had totally ’80s styling, man.
Most teenage boys in the late 1970s and early 1980s really wanted to own a 1978 Celica notchback, like this. You can decide if they really wanted it that badly.
1982 Datsun Maxima: This is the precursor to the Nissan Maxima. It borrowed powertrain components from the 240Z, and was supposed to be a very fun car to drive.
1985 Toyota MR2: You can call it Mister Two. It was inspired by the then-fast Ferrari Testarossa. It was a break from the monotonous, boring cars Toyota had been cranking out…oh wait, they still are!
You can call it Mister 2.
1986 Honda Civic, CRX, and Prelude Si: The year 1986 was a good year for car people. Honda released the Si model for the Civic, CRX, and Prelude. It upped speed and handling prowess. These cars are still fast enough to keep up with a modern Porsche Cayman on a winding road or a race track. Plus, you can get them for very little money, as Honda made a lot of them!
This is the 1986 Civic Si, which was basically a four-seat CRX. It had more utility, but was slightly slower.

The 1986 Prelude Si was a sporty, yet very refined car. It had tuned port fuel injection, which was rare for the time. Yet, it was still affordable to the everyman.

This is the infamous 1986 Honda CRX Si. It’s still fast enough to keep up with a new Miata.
1988 Honda Prelude: Honda took the already-impressive Prelude Si, made all of it’s equipment standard, and then added four-wheel steering to it. It was a speedy little car.
1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata: It’s a sprightly Lotus-inspired roadster that is now the world’s favorite roadster out there. It took all of the fun charms that British and Italian roadsters had, and added bulletproof reliability to the mix. It’s also the world’s most popular race car. Need I say more? I really want one (hint, hint Zayzee)…
1991 Acura NSX: Acura’s NSX is still one of the most amazing supercars ever. It’s so reliable that you can daily drive it without having to worry about overheating it. It has a sleek aluminum body that looks fabulous in red (just to rub it in to Ferrari), and it’s 3.0-liter V6 revs to 8,000 RPM. It’s V6 has the original VTEC system, which is just a variable timing and lift valvetrain. VTEC comes from motorcycles, but it first appeared in 1989 with the Acura Integra GS-R for Japan only.
It’s 24 years old, yet it’s still incredibly fast, and has styling that is superb.
1994 Toyota Supra: The Supra finally matured in it’s fourth generation. It’s still one of the most legendary sports cars around. It’s twin-turbocharged 2JZ-GTE engine further catapulted the Supra into fame. Most have been tuned to within an inch of their life, so it’s rare to see a stock fourth-generation Supra.
1992 Mazda RX-7: The third, and final generation of the legendary Mazda RX-7 arrived in 1992 with sequential turbocharging, beautiful bodywork, and vastly improved handling. It’s been successful on the racing circuit, and is still winning awards in Formula Drift.
2000 Honda S2000: How does Honda celebrate their 50th birthday? By building an incredible successor to the S600, that’s how! The S2000 was powered by a 9,000 RPM 2.0-liter VTEC four-cylinder engine that screams to the heavens. It’s supposed to be one of the most visceral and engaging cars ever to come out of a factory’s doors.
2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII: It’s a cross between a road-racing machine and a rally car. It had massive Brembo brakes, Bilstein shocks with lots of travel that somehow allowed for perfect car control, and a massive, provocative carbon-fiber rear wing. It’s instantly recognizable.
2004 Mazda RX-8: The Mazda RX-8 was the last dying gasp for rotary engines. It had doors like an extended cab pickup truck, and a backseat. It drank fuel like a sailor, and ate oil like a long-haul trucker. If you started driving it before the engine was warm, you’d flood the engine. If you turned it off without letting it idle for a few minutes, you’d cook the rotors. Yet, people still love them.
2009 Nissan GT-R: Nissan took the GT-R to uncharted heights in terms of performance. It has a twin-turbo V6, AWD, and a video-game dashboard just for kicks. It’s performance is truly astonishing. It can grip like nothing else out there, and it’s acceleration is only rivaled by hypercars like the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder. And a garden-variety brand-new one costs about $100,000.
It’s Godzilla! The nickname came around after an automotive journalist looked at all of the races that the original GT-R had won, and proclaimed it “Godzilla.” It’s a fitting nickname.
2012 Lexus LFA: Lexus took a stab at the supercar market with the clunky and odd LFA. They brought a butterknife to a minigun fight. They built 500 LFA supercars that are somehow coveted right now. They aren’t fast by supercar standards, and they aren’t very much fun to drive. Their transmission can never replicate a shift, so you either get slammed back into your seat, or you don’t notice it shifting at all. There is no in between. That being said, it’s 4.8-liter V10 sounds spectacular, and revs to the heavens. Lexus likely lost money selling each LFA. Building supercars is an expensive, risky business.
2012 Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT86: This might just be the best Subaru/Toyota pairing ever. It’s certainly an odd pairing – Toyota and Subaru are competitors, but their collaboration resulted in a really fun car. The Scion FR-S is a bit more loose, as it’s meant more for drifting, whereas the Subaru is a bit tighter, as it’s meant for canyon carving and track duty. They’re really affordable – a well-optioned one comes in about $30,000, and they have a lot to offer: RWD, fuel efficiency, fun-to-drive factor, reliability, standard manual transmission, etc.

Those are what I think to be more of the best Japanese sports cars ever made. I’d love to hear more of your stories about any of these cars, or which one is your favorite.

Some cars are just born to be demons on the track. The track doesn’t necessarily need to be a road course – it could be off-road also. These are the cars that deserve to be stripped down to the basics for maximum fun.

Audi TT: The Audi TT has always been a decent sports car, but it’s always cried out for more power and aggression. This is why it deserves to have the sound-deadening materials yanked out. Audi being Audi will never do this, but who’s to say that some very smart person won’t? In my humble opinion, I think it is perfectly sized for rallycross, which is like autocross in dirt or gravel. It’s awesome. Just add a vented hood, a spoiler, more power, beefy tires and suspension, and a rollcage, and you’re good to go. Audi has a history of legendary rally cars, so it seems fitting to me to introduce it.
Chevrolet Corvette: Yes, the new Corvette ZO6 is truly a monster at the track, but it also weighs more than it should. I love supercharged engines, but they end up with heat soak after about 20 minutes, and then what? If Chevy put the C7.R endurance race car’s engine in, it would weigh less and have as much power. My idea of a ‘Vette track special would borrow heavily from the C7.R parts bin, and would utilize carbon fiber and titanium. It wouldn’t be cheap, but it would beat just about anything this side of a race car.
Jeep Wrangler: Jeep needs to build a pickup again. Several aftermarket companies will sell you a kit to turn your Wrangler into a regular cab pickup. It’s time for Jeep to do that…from the factory. If Jeep put the 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 under the hood, the Wrangler pickup could actually tow and haul. Better yet, Jeep could put the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6 under the hood. Now, that would be something that would sell like crazy! It would be big enough to haul dirtbikes, an ATV, firewood, camping gear, and other important off-road items. If Jeep offered a toolbox where you could store stuff, that would be awesome. I’m starting to get carried away with this now. I’m going to let your imaginations continue your dream Jeep pickup.
Chevrolet SS: The Chevy SS is Chevy’s big performance sedan. It has the LS3 V-8 from the Camaro, and it comes with a stick! It’s a stealth tire shredder, but it’s not very fast around corners. If Chevy put the trick suspension and computer electrickery from the Camaro Z/28 or ZL1 in, talk about a real sleeper! It really doesn’t need more power – it just needs less weight.
GMC Canyon/Chevrolet Colorado: The new Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon are great little trucks. The Canyon just doesn’t stand out all that much from the Colorado. Here’s my idea: Make a street brawler version of the Colorado available only in 2WD (jam the 5.3-liter EcoTec V-8 from the Silverado in, along with the Corvette’s 8-speed automatic), and make an off-road monster version of the Canyon that would compete with the Jeep Wrangler and Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. It would be about the same size as the Wrangler, yet have more utility. It would also come with the V-8, but it would be the big Duramax diesel V-8 and Allison 6-speed automatic from the heavy-duty pickups. It would be loud, and have the perfect gearing for bombing around the desert or rock crawling, thanks to the big tranny.
Jaguar F-Type: The Jaguar F-Type is already a holy drifting terror. If you go onto YouTube and find hotlap videos of it, you’ll see what I mean. It’s too much engine and not enough tire. Jaguar should start a Formula Drift team with this car. If they put on less-sticky tires, increased the steering angle, and put in super high gearing, they would have a drifting beast. I would buy it.
Ford Mustang: It’s the first mass-produced Mustang to come from the factory with independent rear suspension. Recent reviews haven’t been exactly kind to it, however. They say that it’s chassis is still slightly hairy. Well, let me tell you something, grumpy overworked people: GET OVER IT! This is one of the best Mustangs to come out of the factory doors in recent years. If Ford irons out the suspension kinks, the Mustang will be a much better car. I know, I’m harshly critical too, but the Mustang desperately needs to impress. It’s already got plenty of power from it’s 302 cubic-inch V-8, which I might add, is the second most-popular crate engine sold in America. I would take it out and put out Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6, which has twin turbos, but turbos do not a car make, Fast & Furious fanboys. The reason I would choose this engine is that it is much lighter than the V-8, can easily be tuned to make as much, if not more power, and meets smog requirements with ease. Oh, and I can mention that it has a race pedigree in endurance racing.

Those are the cars that I think really need a track makeover. They are all amazing cars in their own right – you should own or drive at least one of them before you die. Let me know what you think deserves to give other cars a beating on the track.