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Drift Cars: This 2JZ-Powered Opel GT Belongs to the "Troll", Is One of a Kind

Many have argued that drifting isn't a real kind of motorsport since the competitors aren't actually racing against the clock, and the winners are established by judges who can be more or less subjective in some cases. Some argue that drivers with more horsepower automatically have a better chance at winning a race, but that's not always the case, really.
Maybug Pawel Trela 27 photos
Photo: Maciek Zon Photography
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It was the early 2000s, and Formula Drift was just introduced into the United States as the premier series for professional drifting. Just one year after, a few series emerged in Europe as well. And the phenomenon really took off from that point, especially with the Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift movie promoting it as well.

Back in the day, Polish born Pawel Trela was already into cars as part of the family legacy, and his mind was more focused on rallying. He did pretty well in his Mazda 323 GTR, alongside some other cars, but the cost of these events was becoming bigger and bigger, and with no corporate support behind him, he was open to alternatives.

And along came drifting, at a time when he was already sliding around in a Ford Sierra. He was introduced into the world of drifting by his friend Tomek Marciniak, and he started off with the idea of building a Volvo 240 Station Wagon, which could have been a very interesting car indeed! But his newly found sponsor suggested a more capable machine, so he eventually debuted in a Nissan S13 200SX.

Opel GT Drift Car \- Maybug Pawel Trela
Photo: Maciek Zon
Over the next five years, this car quickly became known as the "Powerboat" due to the way it would squat while drifting around corners at speeds that seemed impossible to most normal drivers. In this car, Pawel Trela became a sort of legend among European pro drifters, as his rally acquired skills definitely played a role in his development as a driver. At the same time, he also became known as the "Troll," for reasons you'd understand if you saw his driving - he's got the right helmet as well!

Pawel initially wanted to stay true to the Nissan brand and used a Nissan RB unit, coming out of a Skyline, but the increased costs of building and repairing this kind of engine eventually led him to swap in a unit that would see most of the world's top level drifters rise to fame: the Toyota built 2JZ-GTE.

A unique fact about this car was that Pawel was both driving and building it. While most people would be surprised to hear that it had "only" 560 or so horsepower, the engine development was at the highest level, and horsepower figures were not just a marketing aid, but the real deal.

Opel GT Drift Car \- Maybug Pawel Trela
Photo: Maciek Zon
After becoming Polish Champion in the "Powerboat" and striking fear into the hearts of his opponents all across Europe, Pawel decided to come back to the idea of building something more original, something that would challenge both his driving and fabricating skills. He went on and bought an Opel GT chassis for just under $2,000, and that's how project Maybug was born.

In the past, only two other drivers have ever attempted to drift in this chassis: Darren McNamarra in the Saturn Sky, a project which basically ended after a high speed crash at Formula Drift Long Beach in 2021, and Rhys Millen in the Pontiac Solstice, which he campaigned for almost two whole seasons.

2013 was the first active season for the Maybug, and it was going in hot, with 640 horsepower on tap and a whole lot of custom fabrication done by Pawel himself. Over the past seven years the car has continued to run on the same power unit, though with constant upgrades made to further increase its competitiveness. The car is now running a JRspec GTX3582 turbo, and as a result, it is capable of delivering 860 horsepower to the rear wheels.

Opel GT Drift Car \- Maybug Pawel Trela
Photo: Autsider
Torque figures aren't all that bad either, with 700 lb-ft (950 Nm) available throughout the most important part of the rev range. Of course, a sequential gearbox was also installed, a quick change differential from Winters, and some very high tech Ohlins shock absorbers. As with any other drift car, you'll see mods which aren't all that conventional, like a custom built steering rack coming off a Ford Transit.

Looking at the extent of the build, we asked Pawel if there are still Opel parts left on the car: "Actually the only Opel parts left are the windshield, lamps, floor plate, mirrors and handles. The rest are my own solutions and parts from other cars such as Nissan 350Z, Toyota Supra, Saab 9.3, Volvo 480, Nissan 300ZX, Audi A6, Iveco Daily and Ford Transit."

While some drift cars have made use of anti-lag systems in the past, that doesn't always seem to be a good choice in this sport. In order to reduce turbo lag, Pawel is also making good use of a nitrous system, but just for spool purposes.

Opel GT Drift Car \- Maybug Pawel Trela
Photo: Rafal Kurek Fotografia
Looking at his results in the Maybug, we could write a whole new article just about that, but you might be better off looking at his personal stats on Pawel's website. We asked him what kind of tracks suit this beast best, and how it feels driving such a machine.

"It can basically drive on any kind of track. It took some time to find a nice suspension setup, especially that Maybug is one of the cars with the highest levels of grip around the paddock, but also pretty aggressive and hard to drive. But I love it. I don't have many panels behind the rear wheels so I need to be careful and precise when touching the wall.

Sometimes that doesn't work and I end up touching the concrete with the back bumper and same second with the rear wheel destroying the steering arm, but that's the way how it is. I like the feeling when you have to drive the car with a strong hand. Not like Nissans where you can eat sandwiches and drink some tea while drifting. All the other car I've drifted before were boring compared to the Maybug
."

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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.
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