When it comes to drift cars, there are low cars and then there are low cars; Kentarou Yamamoto’s JZS171 Toyota Crown Athlete definitely falls into the latter category. There’s no “hovercraft style” body kit here to provide artificial lows either – this is the real deal.
Before my trip back to Japan last month, I’d seen Kentarou’s Crown Athlete appear on my Instagram feed a number of times. Seeing his JZS171 in person was another reminder of just how small social media has made the world, as I was already familiar with the ins and outs of this particular car before I stumbled upon it at the United Royals event in Port Kobe.
The first things that attract everyone to this Toyota are unquestionably the ride height and the absolutely gorgeous BBS LM wheels. I think I remember reading elsewhere that the rears were 17×12.5 with a negative offset that was beyond the -100 mark. Through broken English, Kentarou informed me that the rear outer lips measured 9″ wide – that’s as wide as the rear wheels on many drift cars!
I still found it hard to believe that this JZS171 sees drifting action but it does so on a regular basis. The Momo deep dish steering wheel and angled handbrake extension (attached to the original handbrake lever with jubilee clips) are definitely items you won’t find on most VIP-styled luxury cars, let alone the Defi gauges, wideband gauge, Greddy Profec boost controller, dash dodger roll cage and, most importantly, a manual gearbox. The Crown Athlete models were fitted with a 1JZ-GTE from the factory, making them a great alternative to their more sought after JZX cousins.
The bucket seat, harnesses and helmet sat waiting also hint that this Toyota sees much more demanding use than that of a typical low and slow cruiser.
Kentarou’s Crown is another perfect example of the Japanese doing what they do best: that is, absolutely whatever they want to do. This isn’t a particularly capable drift car, nor is it a luxuriously styled VIP car. Do either of things matter? Not at all; Kentarou has built the car he wants to drive and, should it happen to go sideways on the road or track with a bit of persuasion, then so be it.