autoevolution
 

BMW 330ci Thinks It's a 1969 Johnson Surfer Boat, Goes Drifting

I've concluded that scrolling through your Social Media feed is not only addictive but also a waste of time. But once in a while, it will provide you with some interesting information. Back in the day, automotive enthusiasts used to spend time on forums, but now they're on various Facebook groups. And that's how I came across something I never thought I would see during my lifetime.
BMW 330ci Thinks It's a 1969 Johnson Surfer Boat, Goes Drifting 15 photos
Photo: Brandon Tothero
BMW 330ci Thinks It's a 1969 Johnson Surfer Boat, Goes DriftingBMW 330ci Thinks It's a 1969 Johnson Surfer Boat, Goes DriftingBMW 330ci Thinks It's a 1969 Johnson Surfer Boat, Goes DriftingBMW 330ci Thinks It's a 1969 Johnson Surfer Boat, Goes DriftingBMW 330ci Thinks It's a 1969 Johnson Surfer Boat, Goes DriftingBMW 330ci Thinks It's a 1969 Johnson Surfer Boat, Goes DriftingBMW 330ci Thinks It's a 1969 Johnson Surfer Boat, Goes DriftingBMW 330ci Thinks It's a 1969 Johnson Surfer Boat, Goes DriftingBMW 330ci Thinks It's a 1969 Johnson Surfer Boat, Goes DriftingBMW 330ci Thinks It's a 1969 Johnson Surfer Boat, Goes DriftingBMW 330ci Thinks It's a 1969 Johnson Surfer Boat, Goes DriftingBMW 330ci Thinks It's a 1969 Johnson Surfer Boat, Goes DriftingBMW 330ci Thinks It's a 1969 Johnson Surfer Boat, Goes DriftingBMW 330ci Thinks It's a 1969 Johnson Surfer Boat, Goes Drifting
Brandon Tothero is a 34-year-old casework engineer from Reading, Pennsylvania. Three and a half years ago, he got the bug that led him to this story. At that point, he bought a 2002 BMW 330ci convertible to take up grassroots drifting.

This would allow him to experience the joy of going sideways in a car without spending insane amounts of money every other weekend. So, during his first year of drifting, he gradually upgraded the Bimmer while also polishing his driving skills.

And it's always more exciting to do the things you love when you're surrounded by friends. Brandon and his buddies started coming up with various ideas to make things more exciting. At one point, they had painted their cars to look like The General Lee and Sherrif Rocco's police car from the Dukes of Hazzard.

And that works well with Evergreen Raceway's decorating contests for holidays like Halloween and Christmas. In the past, Brandon had decorated the 330ci to look like Santa's Sleigh. For another year, he covered it completely in Christmas lights.

But all that would pale in comparison to his most recent creation. He had already seen people using PWCs on land after adapting them to scooter or motorcycle frames. And he's about to build a pit bike based on that concept quite soon.

Trying to figure out a solution to decorate his car for the most recent event at Evergreen Raceway, he decided to build what might be the world's first drift boat. He was lucky enough to find a 1969 Johnson Surfer boat for free, just two miles (3.2 km) from his house! And he wasn't going to pass on that kind of an opportunity!

It took him an entire weekend to cut the boat up and have it sitting around his BMW. Looking at it, you'll realize that changing tires might not be so easy anymore. But it seems that he only needs two people to help lift the back of the boat and prop it up so that he can perform the aforementioned operation.

Taking it out for its inaugural voyage, Brandon expected that it would be destroyed by the end of the first day. Several wall taps later, the hull was still intact. All that weight has made the driver's job a whole lot more difficult, so it might need a big V8 for next year.

That's right, the drift boat will be back in action, and it's going to perform even better than it did the first time around. Until then, here's a short video of it going sideways. It might be the craziest thing you'll see all week.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
Dragos Chitulescu profile photo

The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories