Ladies and gentlemen sliders, since we are now living in the era when even the Toyota Prius and the all-time-attack Porsche 911 are officially drifted by their makers, we want to take some time and talk about what is the coolest slip angle shenanigan of the year.
This obviously requires us to return to the place where it all started: Japan. This is where one of the country’s top drifters, Daigo Saito, has strayed off the beaten JDM metal path and is now running around sideways in a Lamborghini drift car.
While those of you who follow the D1GP have seen the world’s most exotic drift battle ever, which included the Murcielago battling the world’s only Lexus LFA drift car, we were eager to see this tail-happy Bull being manhandled outside the track.
The battleground
Don’t worry, nobody’s street drifting today. Instead, Daigo Saito headed over to an abandoned Russian village. Yep, the Japanese are funky enough to have built the Niigata Russian-themed village and amusement park.
Unfortunately, they’re not crazy enough to visit this on a regular basis, which means the slab of Mother Russia is now abandoned. However, this makes for the perfect opportunity when it comes to a drift battle.
The oponent
Saito’s opponent is Vaughn Gittin Jr. and the Mustang RTR he drives isn’t exactly your average drift car, either.
The two pull a series of drift battles that will keep you on your toes, so try not to start the video right now if you happen to have clicked this while waiting at the traffic light. Trust us, this piece is worth the wait.
The 2016 incarnation of the RTR Mustang is animated by a 5.0-liter Ford crate engine. Aptly named “Aluminator,” the V8 delivers 550 atmospheric ponies.
As for Daigo’s Murcielago, the first Lamborghini drift car in the world has kept its naturally aspirated V12, which has been slightly massaged and now delivers 650 hp. The Murcie has gone RWD and has gained all-custom suspension, required to sort out the less-than-perfect Lamborghini handling.
While the supercar was fitted with the mandatory extreme steering rack and hydraulic handbrake, the six-speed manual has remained in place.
The clip also serves as a bit of a promotional video for one of Japan’s top three crazy (car) body builders, namely Liberty Walk, whose pieces are all over the place, Daigo’s Lamborghini included.
Throttle-steering a Lamborghini is no easy feat
Our favorite part of the clip happens to be the final action scene. Thanks to the view from above, this allows us to see how natural the IRS Mustang feels during the drift battle, while the Lamborghini always seems to be willing to get rid of its slip angles.
Sure, seeing Daigo wrestling the Raging Bull into sideways submission is drool-worthy, but we can’t wait to see if the twin-turbo and sequential gearbox proposals become a reality next year.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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