➜
WITHNOABS,notractioncontrol,abouta billionhorsepower
andmyownfeeble,borderingonnon-existantdrifting skills,
myimaginationassuredmeI wasdefinitelygoingtocrash this
one-off,purpose-builtToyota 86 driftcar.Andmatters were
nothelpedbythethoughtthatit notonlybelongstoAustralian
drift royaltyandthree-time champBeauYates,butthat so
muchofthebuilditselfwasdonewithhisveryownhands.
Onelookatthisheavilymodifiedracecaris enoughtofurther
triggerone’sfight-or-flightresponse.Widebodyguards front
andrearbarelyconcealbulging,heavilycamberedwheels and
tyres,the86’sexpandedfootprintgivingit a predatorystance.
Theoccasional,scarredbodyworkremindsthatthisvehicle
doesbattle,withinmillimetres,ofotherdriftcarsinproper
competition.Yetlookcloserandthiscarisalsoanengineering
marvelwithdelightful,almostartfuldetailsallover,from the
beautifulwelds,tothewayit looks– a lotofthought,and care,
hasgoneintothebuildofthiscar,andit shows.
Undertheventedbonnet,thestockboxer-fourisa memory,
replaced with a 3.0-litre straight-six (the legendary and
battle-proven2JZ)andfedwithanenormoussingleGarrett
turbocharger.A franklysillyamountofpowerreachesthe rear
wheels(537rwkW/1000rwNm)viaa sequential’box.
Timetostrapintothepassengerseat.Insidethestripped-
out, caged interior the engine is buzzy and loud at idle.
Yatesplucksfirstgear,makingasoundlikeaswordhitting
arock,andjolting thecar, hispreviouslycalmandrelaxed
demeanourimmediatelyreplacedwithfocus.Hespitson his
glovesandwhatfeelslikemomentsafterleavingpitlane, the
clutchisinandhe’srippingupthehandbrakeintoWinton’s
sweeperat about 150km/h, beforedancing thecar in one
huge,connecteddriftthroughturnssix,seven,eightand nine,
workingthebrakeandhandbrakejustasmuchasthesteering
andthrottleina frenzyofnon-stopsmallinputs.Theengine
rages with one of the angriest noises I’ve ever heard, bouncing
off its 8750rpm hard-cut almost the whole time. It’s impressive
to watch; you could easily imagine Yates drifting the whole
track, multiple laps in a row, if the car could do it. (On a warm
day, it needs a cool down every five minutes; a new pair of rear
tyres are lucky to last much longer than that.)
It’s my turn to show everyone how it’s not done. I’m relieved
to find the controls immediately easy to use; clutch forgiving,
accelerator precise, giving you a god-like feeling of control
over all that power, and whether rear tyres live or die. There is
something unbelievably cool about a sequential ’box, plucking
gears with a tug of the solid mechanical lever, and hearing the
whine. I drive a few ginger laps of the track to get a feel. With no
provocation, the car wants to oversteer into every corner. But
it’s friendly; not at all scary. Even more unexpected, however,
is seeing Yates on the pit wall, making wild arm gestures egging
me on. But I am not yet brave enough to incite wheelspin in
anything other than a straight line. And I’ve never felt a car as
eager to completely bonfire its rear tyres as this one.
We hit the skidpan and Yates lays out a witches’ hat course a
bit bigger than I’m honestly comfortable with. Almost straight
away, however, I’m able to connect the whole course in one
big, slightly wobbly, but smoky drift – which is a credit to the
car. To drive, it is, dare I say, easy – benign, fluid and not snappy
at all. Getting sideways requires no special skill, such is the
tyre-turning power and torque available; and there is so much
steering lock, if you cock it up you just steer further into what
would otherwise be a spin. It’s the ultimate flattery.
Red flashes up on the MoTeC dash indicating it’s time to cool
the car down (the radiator is in the boot). It’s only built, after
all, to do battle for minutes at a time. In my case, minutes that
will remain vivid and clear forever: Yates’s born-to-drift 86 is
easily the most exciting car I have ever driven. – DC86 DRIFT CAR
Unleashinga machinedesignedfor one brutal purpose
MAIN If Toyota
ever wanted to do
a GT2 RS-style 86,
it could save itself
a lot of time and call
Beau YatesBOTTOM Stock
FA20 is long gone;
Yates employs
the bulletproof
Toyota 2JZ 3.0-litre
straight-six. Huge
Garrett GTX3584RS
turbo (note screamer
pipe) runs 24psi,
killing rear tyres via a
six-speed Samsonas
sequential 'box94 may 2019 whichcar.com.au/motor