Option — Shōwa Car Tuning & Buyers Guide (2000 Edition)

This is how it began. At the time, the AE86 was already popular and considered ideal for learning to drift. This was when people began choosing cars specifically for drifting: the old idea of “drift whatever car you own” was shifting to “I want to drift, so I need a car that can do it.” Combined with the popularity of initial-response LSDs, this may have fueled the recent extraordinary Hachiroku boom. The basic formula for an easy-to-drift car began taking shape: firm suspension, a responsive engine, and LSDs now available from several makers. Tuning shops and magazines still viewed drifting as unconventional, so setup advice rarely appeared in print. Enthusiasts experimented and developed drift-friendly cars themselves, leading later to the “oni-camber” style. / The rise of Nomuken / The S13 Silvia and 180SX era. After the first national event, Ika-ten became much better known and entrants from across Japan began applying. One postcard read: “The level in Kyushu is high! We’ll travel as far as Yamanashi. Come see how good we are!” That passionate note came from Team Cross, led by Nomuken, who would later become a superstar.

At the 12th Yamanashi event, Nomuken entered while his engine was misfiring—and won in a borrowed car, showing everyone how strong Kyushu’s drivers were. He brought an 180SX. From around this event began the S13 era that continued for years. Nomuken’s arrival mattered greatly to drifting: his rare, charismatic personality, outstanding technique, and detailed theories made him a future superstar. One of his best-known phrases was “distance and angle.” He introduced concrete criteria to a sport that had previously been described with vague words such as “skillful” or “clean”: how far can the car travel while maintaining its drift angle, and how much angle does it carry? .

Nomuken said: “You won’t learn to drift just by practicing. You need to drive a car that can drift!” In his view, drifting itself was not especially difficult; what mattered was controlling the car. There was no point struggling only to initiate a slide. “I wrecked three 180SXs before I understood that!” The S13 is highly recommended for beginners. Its current price is somewhat high given its age, but if you want to practice drifting, it is hard to think of another choice… [continues].

The A31 Cefiro and C33 Laurel four-door: mainstream or outsiders? About five years earlier, circuits had become more accepting of drifting, and drift practice days and contests were being held regularly. Skill was advancing beyond shift-lock and handbrake techniques toward inertia drift. The term “inertia drift” was not yet widely used. As skill rose, drivers began looking for ways to stand out… [text continues].

The Cefiro shares much of the Silvia/180SX suspension layout: front struts and a rear multi-link arrangement. That meant Silvia/180SX suspension parts and the tuning know-how could be shared. It was somewhat front-heavy with its six-cylinder engine, but had ample power, so the approach quickly spread nationwide. However, some already argued that choosing a four-door just to win drift contests, or claiming a Silvia could not win because it failed to stand out, was not a healthy trend. Unlike today’s “you cannot win without an S14” myth, this debate was driven more by appearance than by the car’s potential.