A Deep Dive Into Driftworks Jaw-Dropping Car Collection, One of Them Is Up for Grabs

Johnny Smith of The Late Break Show on YouTube recently featured the latter kind of car enthusiast in their Car Cave series. We are talking about Phil Morrison, one of the founding fathers of Driftworks Company.

"Some people who buy cars that probably would have been good investments if they hadn't modified them, but they decide to modify them exactly how they want to modify them, and that is what we have in this instance," Johnny said, introducing his featured guest's collection.

Phil Morrison isn't a new name in the world of car modifications – especially in Europe. As most success stories start, Driftworks began in 2004 in a tiny spare room – Phil Morrison's house, to be specific. It's since evolved over the years into a multi-billion business in a 12,000 sqft facility in Birmingham, UK, that's currently Driftworks Racing Team HQ and online business center.

Eclectic collection proof of their long-standing history in car modification

The featured cars are a showcase of Phil Morrison's splurging spree and Driftworks cars in a collection used to demonstrate to their clients the products the company offers.

You wouldn't tell it by looking at his size, but Morrison confessed to Johnny that his first two cars were the classic MINIs. As you'd expect of any young man back in their era, he had massive 22-inch subwoofers in the back.

That little piece of information says a lot about his enterprise and what it's developed into.

"I've done that with everything. Sort of throughout my life before cars from bikes, and you know, whatever it was when I was a kid. Model planes and all sorts of stuff like that was always about changing it to be my own," Morrison explained the evolution of his hobby of modifying things.

1980 BMW E30 M3 Track Car

One car that stands out in the Driftworks collection is a 1980 BMW E30 M3 Track Car. By looking at it, you'd need clarification about its specifications, but Morrison admits it was a genuine M3 when he found it. It even had genuine M3 arches before he chopped them off.

You'd confuse it for a Drift car, thanks to all the Driftworks livery, but Morrison says it's been designed for circuits. Still, that doesn't mean it won't go sideways when pushed – it is a rear-wheel-drive and a classic Bimmer, after all.

Under the hood, it packs a naturally aspirated S65B40 4-liter V8 engine out of the E92 M3, good for 444hp (450 ps) at 8,500 RPM. To harness all that power, it runs a Drenth 6-speed sequential transmission sending all the power to the rear wheels. Stick your foot on the pedal, and it'll achieve a top speed of 192 mph (309 kph).

While the performance of this track car is impressive, what's fascinating and relevant to this episode of the Car Caves series is its build setup. According to Morrison, every part of the '80 E30 M3 is modified and changed to his preference including the suspension design, front wings, rear quarters, and bonnet.

2006 GT1 LP640 Lamborghini Murcielago

But what really sets Driftworks apart from other car modification outfits and gives them massive social currency on platforms like Instagram is their Modified Lamborghini Murcielago.

Like in life, often, the best things have a terrible past. According to Morrison, their world-famous Lambo was the worst in the country when they found it. He picked it up at Coparts in dreadful condition after a bad crash damage repair job (running on half the cylinders).

It’s a 2006 GT1 LP640 Lamborghini Murcielago. It packs a 6.5-liter V12 mated to a gated 6-speed manual transmission pushing 677 hp (686 ps) at 8,200 RPM with a top speed of 211 mph (340 kph).

What makes this car iconic besides what lies on the rear is its exterior. The fenders, front bumper, headlights, part of the side skirts, back bumper, and wing are off the actual 2009 LeMans race car.

Morrison is bonkers about RGTs, specifically the GT1 versions. Motivated by their craziness and the noise they make, he modified his Murcielago's LP640 engine to run two banks of E46 M3 throttle bodies (independent).

2001 BMW E46 M3

Another bonkers build (work in progress) in the Driftworks collection is a modified 2001 E46 M3 with a V10 conversion. Anyone who loves massive power will be drooling once they look at what lies under the hood of this car.

It's running an S85B50 V10 engine with a 6-speed manual transmission good for 542 hp (550 ps) with a theoretical top speed of more than 200 mph (322 kph). You'll notice the custom widebody exterior that adds an aggressive demeanor to its looks.

It's not the most effortless setup to get running right, but believe it or not, Morrison drove it daily for a while before taking it to the Nurburgring.

"Obviously, a complete work in progress. There's so much more to go in here to make it work. The most common question is how are you going to heat insulate that etc. It's all work in hand. But yeah, this work of art is made by Celeritech, and this was part of a 3D scanning process," he said about the massive Medusa hair-designed manifold under the hood.

Driftworks Toyota AE86 (7.4-liter LSX engine)

No car collection is complete without a JDM classic. In the Driftworks collection, a familiar orange ripper exists. The Driftworks King Rolla, a Toyota AE86. Sorry to burst your bubble, but this legend here doesn't run the legendary 4AGE engine but a built 7.4-liter LSX engine paired to a Quaife 6-speed sequential transmission good for 671 hp (680 ps) at 7,500 RPM.

On the exterior, it runs a custom Kevlar widebody kit. According to Morrison, it is an integration of NASCAR parts.

"It's a spectacle every time this car comes out. People like watching it because it's either going to do something incredible, or I'm gonna crush it. People love that kind of stuff," Morrison said about Driftworks AE86 Toyota.

1992 Porsche 911 964 Turbo

Porsche makes fantastic collectibles. Their iconic design is built for the runway, and as you'd expect, Driftworks has a neat 1992 JDM-inspired Porsche 911 964 Turbo with a wild body kit and an obnoxious rear spoiler.

He got it from Japan, and the widebody aero is a dead giveaway. He was initially looking for a 911 project. He hoped to do a Rotary swap before he found the 964 Turbo and fell in love with it.

It packs a 3.3-liter Promodet Turbo engine mated to a G50/52 manual transmission sound for 631 hp (640 ps) with a top speed of 200 mph (322 kph).

Fun fact: it was the Porsche that ran away. He lost the bid during the auction but had his friend chase it down for four months before buying it from the new owner.

2021 Porsche 992 GT3 Clubsport

It doesn't matter how much of a modification buff you are – at one point in your life, you'll meet a car that'll impress you so much you wouldn't dare change its appearance. That car for Phil Morrison is a 2021 Porsche 992 GT3 Clubsport. He admits the GT3 is essentially a modified car when you buy it. He has a lot of love for this car, but he's letting it go. It's currently up for sale.

Morrison's Porsche 992 GT3 packs a 4-liter flat six on ITBs with Fabco long tube headers mated to a 7-speed PDK transmission making 503 hp (510 ps) at 9,000 RPM. It has a top speed of 198 mph (319 kph).

2001 Nissan S15 2JZ

Another bonkers JDM build in the Driftworks collection is a 2001 S15 2JZ. Yes! We are talking about the Nissan S15 Silvia with a drift-recipe Toyota Supra heart transplant.

The 2JZ (push-back engine) is paired with a V160 6-speed manual transmission making 710 hp (720 ps) at 7,400 RPM. It has the iconic T&E Vertex Ride aero on the exterior.

Morrison initially owned this S15, and he's just repurchased it. It had been away for 11 years, but still in the condition he let it go (preserved in Greece).

There's also another S15 (conservative) in the Driftworks collection. A 2000 Nissan S15 that resembles Driftworks' famed AE86 on the exterior. It packs an SR20DET mated to a BMW 5-speed manual transmission making 434 hp (440 ps). It's also dressed in a T&E Vertex Ridge aero on the exterior. He's also thinking about selling this unit.

Also part of the collection is a vintage 1972 Toyota Hilux (MX-5 turbo running gear), GR Yaris, and a 1964 Impala SS ( built to be a wedding car). We'd love to tell you more about these cars, but we'll let you enjoy the grand tour in the video below.