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Red Bull Driftbrothers and Their Brand New 1,000-HP BMW M4 Drift Monsters

With the 2021 season of the Drift Masters European Championship set to debut in less than a month, Redbull and BMW M-backed Driftbrothers Johannes and Elias Hountondji have revealed their latest weapons.
BMW M and Red Bull Driftbrothers M4 Competition 18 photos
Photo: BMW AG.
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Not long ago, we discussed what seemed to be the most useless feature of the new BMW M3 and M4, the Drift Analyzer. I mentioned that people who are going to buy one of these cars should appreciate the video game-inspired tool because is blasphemous to own an M car and not attempt to slide it around from time to time.

Well, Joe and Eli Hountondji aka the Driftbrothers are two skillful drivers who plan to drift the heck out of the M4 Competition and not just for fun, but for a living. They will compete in this year’s Drift Masters European Championship, which is set to start on June 10th in Greinbach, Austria, and if the infotainment screens weren’t stripped out of the cars, they would probably overwhelm the Drift Analyzer’s algorithm.

Apart from being backed by Redbull, the two Germans have also signed a partnership with BMW M recently, as part of the manufacturer’s bid to expand into this increasingly popular form of motorsport. As a result, the brothers have been given two brand-new cars in stock form earlier this year and, along with a lot of help from the German manufacturer, they comprehensively modified them into lethal drift weapons.

BMW M and Red Bull Driftbrothers M4 Competition Drift Cars
Photo: BMW AG
The first thing they did was increase the output of the already powerful S58 straight-six to a massive 1,040 hp and 944 lb-ft (1,280 Nm) of torque.

BMW has boasted about the racing potential of this engine on every occasion and with the recent unveiling of the M4 GT3, they reminded us once again that at the heart of the race car lies a slightly upgraded version of this powerplant, but the Driftbrothers team took its racing potential to another dimension.

To achieve these mind-blowing figures, bigger turbos were installed, along with a modified cylinder head and injection system. Furthermore, the cooling circuit was modified to cope with the sustained high rpm rigors of drifting, and it now features an additional cooler mounted at the rear. The team also removed the rear window to make room for the craziest of all upgrades, a new fire-spitting quad-pipe exhaust.

Johannes Hountondji and his M4 Competition Drift Car
Photo: BMW AG
Astonishingly enough, the brothers claim that all other internal components are stock. They also say that the boost level is currently set around 50%, with plans to increase it steadily as they break the cars in.

Apart from the engines, each car’s bodywork was extensively modified to lower weight and improve aerodynamics. This is where BMW design experts stepped in and lent their expertise. Virtually all newly designed components were manufactured using techniques and materials usually employed in the development of BMW Motorsport race cars.

Carbon fiber was used to produce the majority of these components, including winglets, which optimize airflow at the front splitter and behind the front wheels as well as in front of the rear wheels. These were complemented by side coverings for the rear diffuser and attachments for the side sills from the M Performance parts portfolio.

After the season-opener in Austria, the Driftbrothers will be competing in a further three rounds of the Drift Masters European Championship, a series that has become one of the most prestigious in the world.

Every year, 45 of the best drivers from Europe, the U.S., and the Middle East compete in this invitation-only series with Joe and Eli returning for the fourth straight season. If you can’t wait another three weeks to see them and their amazing cars at work, we recommend you watch the video below.

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About the author: Vlad Radu
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Vlad's first car was custom coach built: an exotic he made out of wood, cardboard and a borrowed steering wheel at the age of five. Combining his previous experience in writing and car dealership years, his articles focus in depth on special cars of past and present times.
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