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It Takes a Particular Set of Skills to Drift in an 850-HP Hot-Rod and Not Spill Your Coke

This “rocket ship,” as the builders call it, is a street rod specially designed to go around a track, and not in a straight line. Although it won’t win any drag races against a Chiron anytime soon, it will still pack a punch in a 1/4 mile. An 850-hp (862 ps) punch, to be exact, outputted by a Roush Yates NASCAR V8 engine.
Street Rod with NASCAR V8 engine 12 photos
Photo: Barcroft Cars YouTube channel
Street Rod with NASCAR V8 engineStreet Rod with NASCAR V8 engineStreet Rod with NASCAR V8 engineStreet Rod with NASCAR V8 engineStreet Rod with NASCAR V8 engineStreet Rod with NASCAR V8 engineStreet Rod with NASCAR V8 engineStreet Rod with NASCAR V8 engineStreet Rod with NASCAR V8 engineStreet Rod with NASCAR V8 engineJoey Logano drifting
It’s hard to put the spotlight on just one element from this story because each of its parts is individually special. First off, we have the modified body of a 1935 Ford pickup truck that just looks dreamy.

Then, there’s the NASCAR star who actually ordered the thing, Joey Logano. In case you’re not up to speed with his track record, Logano has 29 Cups on his shelf, among which is the 2015 Daytona 500, the Super Bowl equivalent from NASCAR.

He also won the 2009 Sunoco Rookie award. However, no rookie will be driving this V8-powered street rod. And speaking of power, this rod packs the Ford FR9 EFI V8 engine, made especially for NASCAR vehicles.

As stated by NASCAR rules, it can’t be larger than 358-cubic-inches (5.86-liters), so that’s exactly its volume size. The V8 alone costs $80,000, according to the hot rod builder.

The truck weighs in at 2,550 lbs. (1,157 kg), it’s 57.5 inches (1,460.5 mm) tall, 14 ft. (4,267 mm) long, and has a 15-gallon (56.7-liter) tank. To push it forward, or sideways more likely, is the rear-wheel drive system and the sequential five-speed transmission.

They also modified the steering angle, along with the front suspension, to facilitate drift engagement. (I don't think doing donuts in a parking lot ever sounded fancier than what I've just said.)

The rod even has a custom electric AC unit with fans strapped to the back. In the cabin, there’s nothing much to look at, except for the aircraft-like panel on the roof that controls everything from starting the engine to pulling down the windows.

The entire thing only took a week to build.

Now for the part that caught my eye. I couldn’t help but notice that while Joey was driving, he was holding an opened bottle of Coca-Cola in his hand, while in full drift.

At first, it didn’t seem all that obvious to me. I thought maybe he was really thirsty for some dyed water with sugar. But after I took a hard look at Logano himself, I saw the Coke t-shirt and cap he was wearing.

I believe in coincidences from time to time, but this was not the case. All he was missing was a pair of Coke pants to complete the ensemble. It was obviously a low-key product placement inside the promotional video for the car itself. An ad inside an ad, or “adception,” if you’re a fan of Christopher Nolan movies.

All in all, the street rod does look amazing, and I bet it feels even better to drive. Or at least to be in the cockpit when it’s being driven by Joey.

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About the author: Codrin Spiridon
Codrin Spiridon profile photo

Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive).
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