Pro Drifter Ken Gushi Builds a Lexus IS 300 That’s the ‘Ultimate Street Car’
Chock full of parts one might find on a pro drift car, this unfinished yet ultra-reliable Lexus IS 300 is the perfect daily for one pro racer.
Since the beginning of, well, motorsports in general, drivers have yearned to own something cool to drive when they aren’t battling it out on the track. This makes perfect sense given the fact that most race car drivers grew up yearning for speed, and likely driving something pretty fast before deciding that this is, in fact, what they wanted to do for a living. Pro drifter Ken Gushi is certainly one of them, as he’s been sliding various machines around corners for decades to this point, but when he isn’t bringing home trophies, he’s driving this – a 2002 Lexus IS 300 that he calls “the ultimate street car” – a lofty title, indeed.
As one might imagine, Gushi has quite a few vehicles in his personal stable, but admits that this Lexus IS300 is among his favorites. Given the fact that he’s driven may different and rather amazing machines, this is about as high as praise can get in the automotive world, but what’s pretty surprising about this build is its simplicity – it’s actually sporting its fair share of patina – including an unfinished body kit – because Gushi doesn’t want to have to worry about imperfections racking up via daily use.
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“I simply got tired of having to load up my cars on a trailer to go to the track,” Gushi explained to MotorTrend. “I hated the prep work and the time it took to get everything ready before hitting the road. I wanted to simply hop in my car, drive it to the track, drift it all day, and drive it home. That meant not having to worry about getting the car dirty, or even thrashed. I understand the consequences of having shredded, blown out tires inside my car, body panels holding on for dear life, and possibly even being stranded on the side of the road, but I still didn’t want to use a trailer.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean this Lexus IS300 isn’t an impressive machine in its own right. For power, Gushi sourced a 1JZ-GTE from a Toyota Crown Athlete as a way to up the output while also retaining the car’s legendary reliability. To that sturdy base, he went a rather mild route for reliability’s sake, adding things like Trust T67-25G turbo, a custom manifold, downpipe, and exhaust, a GReddy intercooler, HPS charge piping and intake, and a Walbro fuel pump, a combo that lays down around 365 horsepower. What makes this combination especially special is the fact that it’s backed up by a sequential Samsonas six-speed gearbox with an OS Giken clutch and flywheel – something Gushi has been pining to put in a street car for some time now.
Of course, a pro drifter can’t drive something with a stock suspension, so Gushi took care of business in that regard with KW V3 coilovers and a Wisefab Pro-Lock kit, giving this Lexus IS 300 the proper setup for some smoky drifting action when Gushi feels like getting sideways. The rest is fairly simple – there are a set of Sparco REV seats inside, along with a Nardi steering wheel. The exterior features a Ascura Garage aero kit and 18-inch Rays Gramlights 57FX wheels, but again, it looks unfinished – because it is – not to mention, a seriously capable yet usable daily fit for a professional drifter.
“Long story short, what was supposed to be a simple streetcar build spiraled out of control and here we are today,” Gushi said. “Many of the parts on this IS 300 are pro-drift competition grade parts that I use in my Formula Drift pro car. Everything from Link ECU, Wisefab, Samsonas, Sparco, GReddy, and even the Gramlights, hence the nickname ‘the ultimate streetcar’—it’s got the DNA of a pro Formula drift car.”
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