Lexus SC 430 Drift Machine has 1359 Horsepower

The Car That Won The 2012 US Formula D Series

Professional drift racer Daigo Saito of Japan made quite a statement in 2012 with his surprise championship victory in the Formula DRIFT USA Series (Formula. Being his rookie year in the Formula D Series, nobody expected him to achieve such success so quickly, especially because he was largely unfamiliar with the drift tracks that were used in the different legs of the series. In addition to the fact that Daigo is a phenomenal, world-class drift racer, his success can be attributed to his drift car of choice – a 1359-horsepower 2005 Toyota Soarer (Lexus SC in the US). This car was, without a doubt, one of the most powerful cars in the lineup for the 2012 US Formula D Series.

Photo Courtesy of DSport Performance & Tech Magazine

A Seasoned Racer Who Knew Which Car to Pick

Daigo had been competing in Japan’s D1 Grand Prix Series for eight years before he decided to set his sights on the US Formula D Series. He had even managed to clinch the D1 Grand Prix championship in 2008 and the Formula Drift Asia series in 2011, so he was not a newcomer to professional drift racing. Being a die-hard Toyota fan, he had tried and tested many different Toyota cars over the years and had determined the ones that offered the most ideal driving dynamics for drift racing. Therefore, he knew exactly what he was doing when he bought his 2005 Toyota Soarer.  

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Excellent Connections

After choosing a suitable platform to use while competing in the Formula D Series, Daigo needed to team up with the right people to help him transform his car to the championship-ready racer that he needed it to become. He got a big break in this respect when he was introduced to Bryan Bridges, owner of Bridges Racing, an established Formula D racing team. After checking them out, Daigo had no doubt that Bridges Racing would be able to give him the kind of support that he needed to achieve his goals. Bryan also consented to work with Daigo and his team after looking over their impressive credentials. Several great sponsors like S.P.E.C. Clutch, CX Racing, BC Brian Crower, Garrett, Sparco, JE Pistons, HPS, and even Achilles Radial of Japan also came on board.  

>>Join the conversation about this Lexus SC430 Formula D car right here in the forum.

The Platform

One of the first things that Daigo did when he got his 2005 Toyota Soarer was stripping it down to its shell. This involved removing everything that was unnecessary, including the power-retractable hardtop. He also replaced the steel hood, trunk lid and doors with dry carbon fiber replacements. In doing this, he managed to bring the car’s weight down from just over 3,800 pounds to an impressive 2,830 pounds. Daigo then welded in a Formula D-compliant cage and frame and fitted in two BRIDE Zeta III racing buckets seats. He also installed a custom switch panel mount, a Racepak IQ3 datalogging display, and a Prodrive steering wheel. On the outside, he installed a Seibon full wide-body kit that widened the car’s footprint while making it possible to install wider wheels and tires. Achilles Radial of Japan, being the tire sponsor, came through with top-quality drift-spec tires.

>>Join the conversation about this Lexus SC430 Formula D car right here in the forum.

Enhanced 2JZ-GTE Engine

The engine of this car is arguably its most endearing feature. Daigo chose to ditch the stock 4.3-liter 3UZ-FE V8 gas engine and opt for the high output, twin-turbo 3.0-liter 2JZ-GTE straight-six engine that is found in the Toyota Aristo (its USDM version being the Lexus GS). This engine delivers up to 276 horsepower in stock form. To crank this output up significantly, this engine was bored to fit extra-large 87.5mm JE Pistons. It was then fitted with BC Brian Crower Pro Series connecting rods; BC also provided an enhanced stroker crankshaft, a new valvetrain, and a new head gasket. NAPREC also made customized cylinder heads for it.

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Turbo and Exhaust

For serious forced induction, Daigo and his team opted for a huge Garrett GTX4294R turbocharger that would feed 28-psi boost pressure to a GReddy intercooler. Stout custom piping also had to be put in place to cope with the high pressures and temperatures that would be brought about by this engine setup. For equally enhanced expulsion of exhaust gases, a larger custom exhaust manifold was also fabricated, as was an equally stout downpipe and exhaust system. When all the engine mods were set up, this engine was good for an unprecedented 1,359 horsepower at 7,250 rpm and 1,100 lb-ft of torque.

>>Join the conversation about this Lexus SC430 Formula D car right here in the forum.

Brakes and Suspension

The guys at Bridge Racing also took care of brakes and suspension mods for the car. They fitted it with custom fabricated control arms and they also mounted high-performance DG5 adjustable coilovers. For the brakes, they gave the car proven, high-performance Wilwood calipers.

To find out more about this Formula D champion drifter, check out DSport.

>>Join the conversation about this Lexus SC430 Formula D car right here in the forum.

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