Photo: Toyota Conor Shanahan won the 2026 Formula Drift PRO title in a 2017 Toyota GT86, finishing six points ahead of James Deane, 224 to 218. The badge is about where the showroom car ends. His Jerry Yang Racing car claims 1,100 hp from a Nissan VR38DET and runs a Motec M150 ECU and BC Racing and Wisefab suspension.

Here is what goes into a car built to lead and chase at that level.

Four-figure claims, any engine

The 2026 cars cluster around four figures, from very different engines. Deane's O'Reilly Pennzoil Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD claims 1,249 hp from a 455-cubic-inch V8 built by Ford Racing and Wilkins Racing Engines, with a Holley nitrous system. Chris Forsberg's NISMO Z claims 1,200 hp, Fredric Aasbø's Papadakis Racing GR Supra 1,095 hp, and Jack Shanahan's BMW-powered E82 900 hp. These are published claims, not independent dyno results.

Two earlier builds show how such numbers are made. The Worthouse Drift S15 that Deane drove in 2017, the first of his three straight titles, ran a 2JZ-GTE rated at 900 hp and 750 lb-ft, on a BorgWarner EFR9180 turbo at 23 psi with a Link Thunder ECU. It added a 150-shot nitrous kit, which smooths torque delivery compared with the lag and peaks of a high-boost turbo. Alec Hohnadell's Get Nuts Lab S14 went another way: a 7.0-liter LSX built by Golen Engine under a Magnuson TVS2300 supercharger.

Sequential box, solid spool

Deane's S15 used a Quaife QBE69G six-speed sequential, a dog-engagement gearbox that allows flat shifts with little loss of drive, behind an ACT triple-plate clutch. That was two more gears than most of the field ran. Both builds used a Winters quick-change rear end with a locked spool and Driveshaft Shop axles with 930-style CV joints. The quick-change lets a crew re-gear for each course, to cut shifts and tune wheel speed.

Angle comes from the front end

Deane's S15 used Wisefab arms and plates, with the steering rack moved forward to avoid over-centering and to cut rack load and bump steer. Hohnadell's Wisefab front end had close to zero bump steer and a built-in steering stop, and its upper mounts move the strut pivot outward and forward to keep caster manageable at very high angle. It also ran 17-inch front wheels against 18-inch rears, for more room to steer. Shanahan's and Forsberg's 2026 cars run Wisefab too.

The hydro is a second brake system

The S15 and the S14 both ran two calipers at each rear corner, one pair on the pedal and one on the driver's lever. Hohnadell's lever worked a Nameless Performance hydraulic setup, and a Wilwood pedal box with dual master cylinders and a balance bar set the bias by hand instead of a proportioning valve.

Radiators in the trunk

Both builds carry the radiator at the back. Deane's S15 used a rear-mounted radiator with a C&R Racing core and SPAL fans. Hohnadell's S14 carried a C&R aluminum radiator in the rear, which helps weight distribution, with an electric pump moving coolant. Charge cooling stays up front where the air is: a front-mount intercooler on the S15, a front heat exchanger for the S14's water-to-air system. The reason for the fuss: drift cars make a lot of heat, get poor airflow and heat-soak while idling between runs.

Tires and the names on the doors

The sponsorship is easier to see. In 2026, Shanahan runs GT Radial, Deane Nitto, Aasbø and Forsberg Kenda, and Jack Shanahan Kumho. GT Radial won the 2026 Tire Cup for a second straight year and Ford took the Auto Cup, while Toyota counted nine Auto Cup titles by 2024, starting in its Scion years.

Consumption is the hidden cost. Deane ran Falken Azenis RT615K+ tires in 2017, 235/40R18 front and 295/40R18 rear, and a set lasts about two runs.

Weight, fuel and the bill

None of these cars has a published curb weight or budget. What the builds do show is where the mass goes. Hohnadell's S14 was built with weight toward the rear for a high polar moment, which helps it swing wide and find angle, and its two-piece rear bash bar means one damaged corner costs less to replace. Deane's crew carried only enough fuel for a few passes, topping up with Ignite Red ethanol; Hohnadell's car ran Ignite Red E98. Deane's 2026 Mustang runs Shell V-Power NiTRO+ gasoline.

Safety

Deane's S15 was stripped and caged to Formula D spec, with a Radium Engineering fuel cell built around a Fuel Safe bladder and foam inside an aluminum enclosure to limit spills in a rear impact. The rules required side head protection on the driver's seat. Hohnadell's S14 had a 4130 chromoly cage tied into the unibody, Racetech FIA seats with head protectors, a collapsible Woodward column and an electrically triggered SPA fire system that can be fired by hand or deploy in a hard crash.