The powerful rear-wheel-drive machines of the Australia Supercars Championship are already prone to drifting, but imagine taking one and modifying it for the specific goal of going sideways.
That’s exactly what top team Red Bull Racing Australia did with its multiple race-winning Holden Commodore Australia Supercars racer from the 2016 season. Instead of retiring the car, crew members spent their off-time to turn it into a proper drift machine.
The result is one mean-looking machine.
The crew retained the existing running gear, in this case a 640-horsepower 5.0-liter V-8 paired with a sequential gearbox. Things they needed to convert were the steering system, front suspension, and wheel and tire package. They also installed a drift-spec handbrake, along with some massive fender flares.
In the first video, Red Bull driver Shane van Gisbergen hits Lakeside Circuit in Brisbane for the initial shakedown test. And in the second, which documents the build, he highlights some of the differences between the race and drift versions of the car.
Red Bull doesn’t plan to enter it in any drift competitions just yet. However, one should keep an eye out at drift events as it may just turn up for an exhibition run.
