Toyota Corolla Hatchback drift car makes 1,000 hp!

The new Toyota Corolla Hatchback (called the Auris in Europe) may have been designed to be a more exciting car to drive than the last, but I’ll bet my bottom ringgit that it won’t be quite as exciting to drive as the new Corolla Hatchback drift car for the 2018 Formula Drift championship.

Piloted by 2015 champion Fredric Aasbø, this fire-spitting sideways machine may vaguely resemble the ho-hum family hatchback at first glance, but it’s a very different beast under the skin. That’s largely because the once front-wheel drive five-door has been converted into a rear-wheel drive machine, but also because the standard 2.0 litre Dynamic Force engine has been kicked to the kerb.

Replacing it is the 2AR-FE 2.5 litre four-pot from the pre-facelift Camry, but it’s been stroked to 2.7 litres and given a turbocharger and nitrous oxide injection kit. Outputs have soared to a massive 1,000 hp and 1,150 Nm of torque, all sent to the rear wheels through a Gforce GSR four-speed manual dog gearbox. Yes, we’re back to a four-speeder Toyota, but on a twisty drift course four tightly-spaced ratios are all you need.

Toyota Corolla Hatchback drift car makes 1,000 hp!

While the standard Corolla Hatchback already sports an extroverted design with its L-shaped head- and tail lights and massive front grille, the outlandish Rockstar Energy Drink livery and widebody kit designed by renown automotive rendering artist Jon Sibal take it to a whole new level. The fat wheel arches house 18-inch Motegi Racing alloys shod with massive 265/35-section front and 275/40-section rear Nexen tyres.

Other bits of note are the custom RS-R coilover suspension, Sparco bucket seats, harnesses and steering wheel and a full roll cage. The Corolla Hatchback drift car is being fielded by the Papadakis Racing team and replaces last year’s Corolla iM. The car is already off to a good start, with Aasbø winning the season-opening Long Beach round earlier this month.

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