5 Most Impressive Formula Drift Liveries for 2024

I spend time gawking at JDM wheels on various markets, planning out my next set of the RX-7 for when I finally buy a wide-body kit for it. The problem is that a nice set of rims will cost at least $1,000 (used ones). And they're also not as easy to store when you're not using them. Having the right "shoes" for your car can define how nice it looks.

In the world of professional drifting, you must go several steps further to ensure you have the coolest car on the track. You'll score points for multiple elements: chassis, wheels, engine, sound, innovation, and overall look. If you'd like to capture the attention of spectators, sponsors, and media alike, you must have a top-notch livery to show off. Over the past 15 years, I've seen thousands of designs, and the good ones never grow old.

It works for tiny Hot Wheels cars and the real thing, too. As the 2024 Formula Drift season kicked off in Long Beach earlier this month, we got to see what everyone has been up to during the off-season. Some drivers have opted to keep the same design as last year (Simen Olsen, Odi Backchis, Kazuya Taguchi, Matt Field).

And I understand why that's a thing: changing liveries yearly could confuse people. Just think about your favorite brand: you'll recognize McDonalds, Coca-Cola, or Red Bull regardless of the country you're in.

Of course, most drivers have revealed a new design scheme, and today, I'm listing my five favorite ones. I do have some honorable mentions. Taylor Hull's blue and yellow Comp Cams Chevrolet Corvette C6 is one of them. While Aasbo's new paint scheme for the GR Supra is pretty clean, I enjoyed the previous one a lot more.

Dan Burkett's Toyota Supra is "RAD," but I'm unsure if I'm more excited about it being the only MK IV Supra in the competition than its design. Then there's Ken Gushi with the GREDDY GR86 and Chris Forsberg with the NOS Energy Z, so I'm sure each one of you would rank these cars differently. I've also included a video showing the highlights from Round 1 in Long Beach, but let's look at my selection of five cars first.

Ford Mustang RTR

Vaughn Gittin JR has been of the game for so many years that his name is almost synonymous with driving. Building his brand was smart, as no pro driver can keep at it forever. RTR Vehicles has grown immensely since its inception nearly 20 years ago.

Chelsea Denofa won his first and final FD title last year, using the Penzzoil RTR Mustang. Since he has decided to move away from competitive drifting for a while, Ben Hobson stepped in to fill those shoes. But I like last year's iteration of the car a lot better. James Deane's machine is pretty cool, though.

But it's not quite on par with Vaughn's Monster Energy Mustang. The livery is complex without being tiresome, and I love how the wheel color matches the green accents on the car. I can't wait to see if Mattel comes up with a Hot Wheels variation of this!

BMW 3-Series E36

Conor Shanahan's 3-Series E36 is the only BMW on my list today. Anyone who lives in Europe or at least has been following the Drift Masters Grand Prix series knows how big of a star Conor has become.

He has been drifting since he was just a kid and is now one of Ireland's heroes alongside James Deane. Conor had a tough battle against Ryan Tuerck in the Top32 in Long Beach; some called it "controversial." I won't comment here, but these debates always happen in drifting.

He made a name for himself in the past few years, driving Japanese cars (a GT86 and an S15). But his Formula Drift debut came with a switch, and he looked comfortable enough pushing that E36 to the limit. If he scores some podiums this year, he'll undoubtedly upgrade to something even more impressive for 2025.

Nissan Silvia S15

Ryan Litteral used to drift a Toyota Corolla AE86 in the day, but has mostly resorted to Nissan models for competitive drifting. I still remember his Powerstop S14—it felt like a genuine D1GP machine.

My heart still lies with the Japanese Drift series, which kickstarted my love for the sport. I didn't enjoy his 350Z quite as much, but I'm somewhat indifferent to that chassis. Last year's design for his new S15 was formidable, and it once again reminded me of the old-school style that most fans enjoy.

The three-spoke wheels played a big role in it, too, and I'm happy to see Ryan opt to keep them for 2024. This season's Simagic/Sunoco blue and white livery is simple yet highly effective. I feel sorry that he lost his Seeding Bracket battle against Diego Higa, but maybe he'll get more seat time at Road Atlanta in May.

Cadillac XLR

Johnatan Hurst has tried a few different cars for drifting since his debut, including an Infiniti G37 and a BMW 3-Series E46. But he left most fans speechless when introducing his weapon of choice for 2024: the Cadillac XLR.

I've spoken to him about an interview, and it might happen soon if he can find the time in between Formula Drift events. He's come a long way since sliding around in a twin-turbo, LS-powered Nissan 350Z in 2017. The 30-year-old finished P14 out of 36 drivers last year, a decent performance for someone who hasn't been part of the sport for so long.

I have mixed feelings about the MRCOOL in black, white, and blue, but they're mostly favorable. I love that he opted to use a different car from everyone else, even though some will say it's mostly a Corvette C6 underneath.

Mazda RX-8

Kyle Mohan is the only man still repping for the rotary community in Formula Drift. Doritos should have been his main sponsor by now, but instead, he is sporting Renewable Lubricants graphics for 2024.

It's a considerably improved version of last year's design, and my friend Andrew from AWS Graphics did a great job on it. It has the same Japanese-drifting vibes as Litteral's S15, and thanks to the turbocharged 3-rotor engine underneath, it sounds the par.

I'm slightly surprised he opted for black wheels instead of white ones, as in the original design. But I guess it also boils down to personal preference and logistics.