It says a lot about the European drift scene these days that, despite the sheer quantity of cars with near-1000bhp power figures, incredible amounts of fabrication and ridiculous wings, it’s the clean, well-executed and comparably basic cars that gain the most attention at events and across the internet. A greater number of people are finding pleasure in the cars that present subtle and sometimes well-hidden details, as opposed to the previous mantra of “more is more” that used to be the sure-fire method to bring attention to your build.
Huge horsepower figures and massive wings were two things I didn’t have to worry about at the R32 Skyline-only drift day at Motorland Mikawa but, as I’m sure you will have seen already, the event had no shortage of cars with glitter paint, vinyl graphics and bright colours! It was for these reasons that I was immediately drawn to this particular 4-door R32 when it rolled into the Motorland Mikawa pits, with its immaculate black paintwork gleaming in the sun.
To set things straight: no, this isn’t a competition drift car and nor was it ever intended to be. The owner did, however, roll up to the track with his female companion and small child in tow, before removing a pram from the boot and unfolding it prior to unloading any tools and tyres. Having got used to the sight of drivers unloading their cars from trucks and trailers lately, this simple act made such an impression about this particular driver, his R32 and his approach to drifting (he was out on track running the infamous Motorland Mikawa wall shortly after!).
The exterior comprises of original factory bumpers along with OEM side skirts, rear spats, small boot spoiler and front lip. The side skirts have been accentuated with subtle under-panels, while the rear bumper has seen the addition of a rear diffuser. There are no overfenders to be found here either; the rear arches have been heavily flared while the front wings look to have been treated to flared metal arches that have been blended into the factory wings.
The extremely modern WORK Meister M1Rs truly look the part against the factory bodywork, with a healthy dose of camber at the front and rear getting the 205/40-17 tyres to tuck neatly below the aforementioned metal arches. The Flat Silver and Polished lip colour combination sits great against the deep and glossy black paintwork, bringing a classy look to this particular Skyline.
I managed to sneak a photo of the Drift Tengoku photographer finishing up his photo shoot with this R32, having declared it magazine feature-worthy as soon as it arrived. If you’ve ever read a copy of Drift Tengoku magazine, you’ll have no doubt seen photos of owners pointing to certain features of their builds (usually while striking a pose) and the above photo was taken while the guys were getting those shots.
There were so many incredible Skylines at the R32-only drift day (many of which I still have yet to feature) but, if I could’ve shipped only one of the cars that was there back to the UK for me to enjoy, this would have been the one. Simple, elegant and effortless style with perfect execution: this is how it’s done.