Autoblog

Video after the jump

Think drifting's just for the kids? Silly grown-up, didn't you know that it's also something you can do with your kids? At least that's the impression we get from this vid, which features an older-gen Toyota Estima (that's "Previa" in USDM English) out shaking a tail feather with some of the more traditional drifter fare. Odd choice? Yes, but still awesome. So buy yourself a couple of these, throw the youngsters in back, and make getting sideways a family affair. It's totally responsible. No, really. Follow the jump to watch.

[Source: JPCN]

Photo: OriginLab.com

For those of you following the D1 Grand Prix here in the States, bad news came in the form of a press release from the drifting organization earlier this week. The D1 Grand Prix USA has been canceled for 2008 after challenges continued to rear their ugly heads from the series' organizers in Japan.

The 2007 schedule lacked any serious cohesion, but after hiring Mike Mucklin and the team that organized the GTLive tour back in 2004, we thought there might be a light at the end of the tunnel. Not so, and after Mucklin left the organization soon afterwards, it was clear that the D1 Grand Prix was in dire straights in '08.

Thankfully, Formula D, the series that's quickly becoming the definitive drifting organization in the U.S., has continually stepped up its game and is rivaling D1 in both excitement and organization. Fans can still get their sideways fix and check out Formula D's schedule here.

[Source: D1]

click above to view video

Drifting a supercar takes a certain amount of fortitude in the trouser department. All the more so on narrow mountain roads. And even more so when the car you're drifting is the Porsche Carrera GT, which aside from being worth a good half-a-mill easy, is also reputed to be one of the most difficult cars to control.

That's what makes this video so damned impressive. If you're a fan of supercars, of Porsches or of drifting – and chances are if you're reading Autoblog you're in at least two of those camps – then this video can't be missed. Never mind that the spoken language is German. "Vroom" is universal.

Follow the jump, turn up the volume and sit back.

[Source: The German Car Blog]

A factory-backed Hyundai drift team? It doesn't sound so fanciful after last week's introduction of the Genesis Coupe. Everyone who looks at the Concept Genesis has the same reaction, whether the powerplant referenced is a turbocharged four or a torquey V6 - "what a perfect drift car that would be." If this rumor pans out, it seems that Hyundai had the idea first, and they want to give their new RWD coupe some street cred. Maybe we'll find out more when the production version is unveiled at the New York International Auto Show. More grist for the rumor mill: there are serious discussions ongoing between Hyundai and a top drift team to field the Genesis Coupe in the 2008 or 2009 drift season. It would definitely go a long way toward bolstering the image of the new RWD Coupe from Hyundai to have it sliding around, tail out, kicking ass in Formula D, especially among the clientele this vehicle targets.

Thanks for the tip, MrCoolGuy!

[Source: C16]

The always affable Antonio Alvendia -- photographer extraordinaire and scribe of Drifting: Sideways from Japan to America -- has teamed up with EA Sports to produce a documentary on the transition many racers have made from the street to the track. Birth of Pro Street is a promotion that coincides with EA's launch of the next installment in the Need For Speed franchise -- Pro Street -- and will debut at 1 AM this Saturday night/Sunday morning on Spike. We're assured it'll be worth skipping another trip to the club, or, failing that, the space on your DVR.

EA has hosted an elongated trailer over on its Pro Street page (click the skull) and we've embedded a few teaser clips after the jump.

Oh, what fun, a luxury sport sedan advertising smackdown. Lexus has returned a volley after Audi made a shot across their bow with a TV spot swiping at Lexus and implying that a self-parking car is for non-driving drivers. Like that kid in class who never knew quite how to shoot back a response, Lexus has produced a couple of spots that are almost, almost badass. The spots, titled "Etiquette" and "Doughnut" juxtapose imagery of the GS 460 partaking in power oversteer antics to a soundtrack of operatic aria. That's cool, the Lexus 4.6 liter V8 does have a muscular snarl, and the GS can at least keep up with the pack. What's uncool is the snooty tagline, admonishing "just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should." Yeah, nannying is such a come-on to purchase. The tagline for "Doughnut" is even worse - "Yes, you can. And no, you shouldn't." Doesn't that just makes the "screw you" center in your brain light up? To create spots with badass imagery and hooligan undertones, only to soft-pedal the tagline and shroud it all in some sort of veil of "that's beneath us" does not sound the klaxon for enthusiasts. The car itself looks to be fun, if they've managed to put some discipline into the suspension, a real manual transmission, and dial back the electronic joy-killers.

[Source: Brandweek]

click image above to view video of the drifting Porsche in action

While the mere mention of drifting usually brings about a chorus of ridicule from many directions around here, I have to admit that I enjoy watching the pro guys do their thing. I say this because I know that if asked to go out and do the exact same thing in an identically-prepared car, I would promptly put it into the wall. So I appreciate the skill involved, and honestly, how can you not be at least a little jealous of people whose job...JOB...is to light 'em up and hang the tail out in as flashy a manner as possible. Seriously. God bless America. To that extent, follow the jump for video of Tyler McQuarrie's Hankook Porsche 993 GT2 doing its drift thing. If it looks more fun than your job, it's probably because it is.

[Source: YouTube via DriftLive.com]

Back in March, Winding Road floated the idea that Toyota may be in the process of developing a rear-wheel drive vehicle in the same vein as the Corolla AE86 of the 80s. At the time, it was easy to pass it off as pure speculation. Now, the GTChannel says that its sources in the Land of the Rising Sun have also confirmed that a 2+2, front-engine, RWD vehicle is in the works and that if and when it comes to market its sticker will be "well under [$] 20k" – maybe even $16,000.

Considering that the Scion brand has quickly emerged as a cost-conscious means of stylish transport, it wouldn't be hard to imagine that such a vehicle would slot in nicely within the youth-oriented marque, even if its price would make it a direct competitor to the tC. The only rub is finding a suitable platform to build the new vehicle atop, and the only RWD vehicle that could fit the bill would be the Lexus IS. Granted, the $30,000+ sports sedan's underpinnings might be a bit of a stretch (or shortening, in this case) to make a budget performance car, but the ability to cut costs via platform sharing isn't out of the question. Maybe some of the old IS's architecture could even be used.

In the meantime, we're hoping to see spy shots of a tC-bodied mule making the rounds around the 'Ring, rear-wheels a blazing and powersliding into the Carousel.

[Source: GTChannel]

The organizers of this year's Pike's Peak Hill Climb have added a new Time Attack class to the event, and one of our personal heroes is returning to beat the mountain into submission.

Rhys Millen, the pilot of the 550 HP Pontiac Solstice GXP drift car, Pike's Peak veteran, renowned rally racer and all-around driving deity, will be flogging his heavily modified sideways sidewinder up the hill during the Time Attack's inaugural run.

The Solstice itself will remain relatively unmodified for the event, keeping the same suspension setup, but tweaking the ECU to cope with the elevation changes and its affect on the air/fuel ratio.

There's too much good stuff to summarize here, so we'd encourage you to click the 'Read' link below for all the details, including several choice insights from Millen.

[Source: GM]

We imagine those brave souls who first turned oversteer into an art form on the dangerous twisties of Japan's mountain passes never imagined what would become of their beloved motorsport on American soil. Samuel Hubinette now drives a four-door Dodge Charger, Rhys Millen will pilot a Solstice GXP this season and Ken Gushi pilots a Ford Mustang GT. All do so with a great degree of success, as well. Now word comes that Hankook Tires will debut a drifting Porsche 993 car at the Formula D season opener in Long Beach on April 7th. The car features a 600-hp motor to help peel away its Hankook Ventus R-S2 rubber in a controlled manner. Unlike other drift cars, since the Porsche carries so much weight over its rear axle, the rear suspension had to be softened so the car could "squat" to get better traction. It will be driven by Tyler McQuarrie in the upcoming 2007 Formula D season, and for the purists out there will be accompanied by an S15 Sylvia Silvia driven by Kenji Yamanaka. We wonder what the official folks in Stuttgart think about all this.

Official press release from Hankook Tires can be found after the jump.

[Source: Hankook Tire]