Form is Function | An exploration of drift style
Function over form. Wait, no form over function. Wait…no. Why is it one over the other? Form is function…there, that’s better.
Since the birth of motorsports, the primary goal has been to go as fast as possible and complete the course in the least amount of time. At its simplest, this is the only goal of racing. However, there is a part of every human mind that craves beauty, which craves creativity, and craves emotional expression. Every human mind craves art. This is reflected in even the most utilitarian products available today, and is a deeply rooted part of a sport which demands only high performance. Historically, there has been no part of racing which rewards beauty. Yet, automotive beauty is present in even the oldest of race cars, and this beauty imparts a certain amount of lust towards any race car in today’s world.
ART /ärt/ noun
1. The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form.
Then drifting was born (on the mountain touge’s of Japan, in case anyone didn’t know that *roll eyes*). The history books write that Keiichi Tsuchiya said he started drifting because, “When I was racing everybody knew that I would win, so to stop people from being bored and fed up with the same old thing, I would start drifting the car to keep people interested.” Keeping people interested was pretty easy when you have such a spectacular way to move a vehicle, which is combined with tire smoke, loud noises, and a sense of impending danger. That is to say, drifting is so impressive because it combines excitement with moving art. More simply put, it looks cool! So if the whole purpose of drifting is to build excitement, how do we increase that excitement? We do so by creating more tire smoke, more noise, and increasing the sense of impending danger through a combination of higher speeds, faster flicks, and most importantly, a more beautiful car. A properly executed, low and wide vehicle simply makes for a better visual display. A beautiful car impresses on the spectator that if something should go wrong, the stakes are higher. Visual adventure is the reason drifting started in the first place. It’s also a driving reason for the explosive growth in popularity that the sport has seen in the last two decades. It’s the reason you and me were drawn to this sport.
Unfortunately, a lot of people have lost sight of that goal. A lot of people lumped drifting in with “motorsport” and started twisting that to mean that the utility of the car can be boiled down to how it functions. Many cars were built with the primary function of going faster, or creating more angle, or being more controllable at the limit, and these same cars had very little thought into how to make them look cool while doing a burnout around a corner. Some drift cars completely throw aesthetics out the window, while others throw on a body kit and think that will forgive all sins. Then they go perform a drift and amaze themselves with how much angle they can dial in or how much smoke they can create…while many spectators wait for them to pass by as they wait for the cool looking cars. And I know, the cool thing to say right now is that you build a car for yourself and “I don’t care what other people think”. But this forgets a primary input to drifting…IT IS FOR THE SPECTATORS! It was merely a byproduct that it was also incredibly exciting for the driver. The sport grew out of the product of crowd excitement. Some may say it is conceded to drift for other people, I say it’s selfish not to.
Interestingly enough, even though race cars are not built to be stylish, many of them turn out to be stylish. As you walk through the paddock of almost any race series, Formula 1, to BTCC, to Rally, you can’t help but hear children and adults alike, proclaiming how cool a certain car looks. You can’t help but notice that the crowds around any given car in the pits or parking lot are often times simply there because the automotive creation appeals to our aesthetic desires. “That car looks mean”, “that body is beautiful”, “that diffuser gives the car a purposeful stance”…all are different forms of saying “I like the way that car looks”. And this is exactly where drifting becomes special. Not only do we get to craft machines which can seemingly defy physics, but we can purposefully create an artistic masterpiece at the same time. Drifting is where functionality meets art. It’s where purpose and capabilities, can be combined with beauty and aesthetic style. Moreover, drifting is capable of twisting and exaggerating motorsport style because of the very nature of drifting itself. In racing, one must take themselves and the car seriously in order to win. Sure there is an element of fun to racing, but at any given race, the great majority are there to win by going the fastest. Conversely, drifting has found a way to make doing a burnout into a sport. It’s fantastic really. Nothing gets the blood pressure up and the rush of adrenaline quite like doing a burnout. RAWR says the inner animal of any person who stands on the brake pedal while simultaneously smashing the go pedal. The pungent aroma of tire smoke that hurts the nose in such a pleasant way, like massaging a sore back muscle. Immediately, one wants more smoke, more noise, and as of only a couple decades ago, more speed. It’s this simple point, that we are all doing a glorified burnout, that can give us such freedom in designing a car to do the best burnout around a corner possible. But, I’ve never really heard of anyone doing a burnout in isolation. It’s always done to the cheering and wooting of fellow car enthusiasts, as it assaults the human senses. All that we’ve done is move this party trick onto the racetrack, but we must not forget the duty we have to all of those enthusiasts standing by expecting more excitement.
But, what is the best way to do this you might ask? Just like there being more than one way to create a masterpiece on canvas, there is more than one way to craft an exciting drift machine. The important part is that the vehicle is put together with care, using a cohesive overall style, and that details are paid attention too. At the very basic level we can split drift car style into two different specialties, “GT Style” and “Street Style”. However, your creation can be any combination of these two extremes, and that is where the art is found.
GT style is inspired from true race cars, but puts a unique spin on it. GT style is fairly easy to understand due to how many examples there are for the last 100 years. Low, wide, and with significant amounts of aerodynamic accessories. GT wings, canards, splitters, these are all paired with lightweight monoblock wheels and fat tires that attempt to exhibit a muscular personality. A personality that impresses upon the viewer a sense of speed, agility, and capability. You need not look much further than any form of modern racing to get some ideas of techniques that can be used to make something look fast. Drift cars built in this style have an ability to over exaggerate these features. Almost like a caricature of a racing car. Because the magic of drifting lies within the capability behind the wheel, we are set free from caring about wind tunnel data, aerodynamic stiffness, or unsprung weight. We can simply draw inspiration from what we think makes a race car look amazing. Those wheels are heavy, but look great…put them on! That wing sits too low to get free air to create downforce…PUT IT ON! Then the magic of aerodynamics is created by the driver, who flys the car around a corner at speeds and angles that are sure to be met with disaster, only to successfully defy physics and proceed to the next corner. This is what creates a sense of wonder in the observer. Many people have never seen a “race car” move in this way. Many have never experienced the sounds of rev limiter turn after turn coming from a race car who typically shifts at the optimal point in the power band. The excitement is created in seeing something that looks so purpose built, do something that is simultaneously slower and more exciting then what other similar looking cars are trying to do. You take something that characterizes a standard race car and you give the audience a chance to see that animal perform tricks they may only get to experience from time to time in a race car setting. It is the driver’s responsibility to also make the car move like a race car “out of control”. Race cars are twitchy and constantly riding the line between having grip and not having grip. They are fast, they are loud, and they attack the corners just as much as they attempt to go as fast as possible on the straights. A GT drift car driver must embody this style by focusing her driving style on speed, fast flicks, and an impending sense of destruction (after all, most races aren’t exciting until somebody crashes). She provides balance on the race track compared to the anti-establishment character of street style.
“Street Style” is certainly the passion for many “purists”. Like GT style, it draws inspiration from race cars, but very quickly splits off into an entirely different realm. Street style drift cars are built around counter culture, and expressing oneself sovereignty from the masses. It is characterized by extreme lowness, to the point where any sane person would believe it to be undriveable. It is characterized by loud and obnoxious exhaust tips and sounds, surely too loud for the local neighborhood. It is characterized by body kits which can’t possibly create any aerodynamic effects except for drag. However, it is in this obstinacy where street style finds its beauty. While the drift king himself started experimenting with drifting during racing, drifting was groomed and rooted on the streets. Being developed on the streets meant that there was an inherent backdrop of anti-establishment antics, that told the masses that it doesn’t matter what rules society places on us, we will do what we want. This street culture carried its way into the look and style of the cars. These took a stance against classic race car style and in many cases did the opposite of what might perform well. First we start with ride height. Every race car is “functionally low”, which means to carry a balance between suspension travel, dynamic suspension changes (toe & camber curves, roll center, etc), and aerodynamic efficiency. Well, a proper street car attempts to simply get as low as possible, to hell with all that science crap. There often times is a functional dichotomy, where the street car must be as low as possible, but also drive on uneven and cracked streets. And here lies the cross roads between the artistic expression and engineering capability of the creator. Lower is better…but remember, it must also perform. From physical ride height, we can combine this with ignorant aerodynamics. Big bell bottom bumpers that flip the bird to the air traveling around it. Fiberglass wings that most likely create more turbulence then downforce, and most importantly…big shiny wheels that not only dramatically increase unsprung weight but are combined with tires that barely meet the road. As my teammate Ilia proudly proclaims of any exterior enhancement “it’s so ignorant”. It’s usually true, the more ignorant to how a race car “should” be built, the closer you are to street style.
On the other hand, this is where many people get confused. It’s easy to see how one could take this philosophy of “ignorance”, combine it with a sport that has inherent risk to the exterior body panels, and now one can throw caution to the wind and create the most obscene animal with no regard to art or style. Road sign GT wings, no bumpers whatsoever, and “custom” fenders that draw little inspiration from any vehicle known to mankind. Many that are drawn to drifting also find it to resemble a shortcut to automotive greatness. No longer are wind tunnels and accelerometers necessary, just ziptie on this body kit and we are good to go. They hear the whispers of how style is part of drifting, but they never partake in the conversation of how to develop a good looking vehicle. Just like an oil painting masterpiece is more than the list of colors and brushes used, beautiful drift cars are more than a bullet point list of modifications. Everything must work together. There has to be a flow from the front to rear of the vehicle that speaks to the viewer and tells them a story of how the car came together. That the exterior modifications were pre-meditated. “The bumper will work well with these mirrors because of X…the wing will work well with the mirrors because of Y”. Often times this is easier said than done, therefore, many of us resort to studying historic examples of style, and using those as inspiration and a guidebook on how to create beauty. Others look to historic examples and attempt to personally recreate the style, so they can personally feel what it must have felt like to drive that machine. Yet others look to all forms of automotive beauty to draw inspiration in what has worked from everything to low riders, rally cars, or drag racers. It really doesn’t matter which route any of us chooses. What matters is that we care. We must care about the image our machines portray to spectators because that is our duty as drifters. We don’t get a free hall pass to do silly burnouts for our own personal satisfaction. Our price to pay, our cross to bear, is that we must entertain the crowds and inspire those around us to either join us or at least respect our silly antics. Aside from a lemons race, you would be hard-pressed to find any race car using zipties to hold body panels on, or having wings and hoods barely held on by a proper fastener. Race cars are designed and assembled with care. Drift cars must be the same, especially if we have any desire to share the race track with race cars that were there first. For better or worse, there is a preconceived image of what “deserves” to be on the race track. I think this image is best for everyone. As you get to faster and more prestigious tracks, you can’t have corner works running into the middle of the track to pick up your sideskirt that was held on by hopes and dreams. And you certainly can’t expect a track marshal to take your safety system seriously if you can’t even attach a front bumper permanently.
I get it, everyone has financial constraints. Any form of racing is financial suicide, and met with a balancing act between a driving car and bankruptcy. Some have more financial resources than others, and I believe that anyone can and should be able to play in this fun playground that has been created. This is where OEM+ style is invaluable. There are many wonderful examples of simple and understated drift cars, that retain OEM aero, a lowered ride height, and a variety of wheel selections. They look classic, respectable, and impart a sense of nostalgia amongst all enthusiasts. The key to success in this realm is details. The car should be in good condition, with all factory trim, lights, and reflectors in place. All body panels should be properly affixed and one color. Care should be taken that the OEM+ style is adhered to, and the use of wide fenders, overstated wheels, or obnoxious accessories are not used. One still can find a wide variety of personal expression within this realm. A well prepared OEM+ car can utilize smaller old-school wheels such as RS Watanabe or Enkei Mesh, or if properly sized one can use a more modern wheel such as an Enkei RPF1 or Volk TE37. Combine this with a simple add-on front lip, and a few other personal details, and a classic is created.
I constantly observe “modifying for modifying sake”. Someone doesn’t have an available budget to get that wing he really wants, or the aero he saw in last month’s option magazine…so he does the next best thing in his mind. He walks out to the garage, grabs the sawzall, and begins to “modify”. I know this because I was as guilty as anyone 10 years ago. I just wanted to do something, but with a college budget the only thing I could do was destroy the interior, remove every factory turn signal and reflector, and proudly proclaim DRIFT CAR. At one point putting gold jizz stain vinyl on my fenders because I couldn’t pay someone to implement my idea correctly. Boy was I wrong. I look back on those images and shake my head. You know what looked cooler than my car without reflectors…my car with reflectors. You know what looked cooler than my car with gold jizz on the fenders…my car without the gold jizz on my fenders. I wish I would have just been patient, and focused on making my car reliable. Focused on the maintenance, and taking my time to install whatever proper modification I could afford at the time. Not only would I have enjoyed myself more, and been more proud of my creation…I would have inspired more people to enjoy life and create their own happiness. There is simply nothing wrong with a mostly stock car, and an open minded driver looking to increase his skills and explore the most interesting form of motorsport. Just as it doesn’t matter that your suspension travel is non-existent, that extra 50lbs of interior plastic is not going to affect your capabilities to drift. Combining an obnoxious wing with a subtle and destroyed body kit, does not improve the car’s looks or performance. What it will effect is your desire to pilot the machine and improve it’s REAL flaws. It will prematurely cause you to give up and move onto a new chassis, only to start all over again and waste more money. There is a well-studied phenomenon where the exterior appearance of a subject, determines how we treat the subject. If the exterior is unpleasing to the eye or displays a character of trash, it is inevitable that the mechanics and most importantly overall enjoyment of the vehicle will follow suit. Do it right, do it once.
Some may say it is conceded to drift for other people, I say it’s selfish not to.
Which brings me to my final point. Not only should we build good looking cars for others, we should do so for ourselves. It’s amazing what happens when one starts to take pride in their work. It starts subtly, but grows quickly. That feeling that you can’t help but look at your car from across the parking lot. Turning around to see beauty that you created, and all of a sudden you don’t want to call your possession a “piece of crap” in self-deprecating ego protection. All of a sudden, you love what you own. You personally have created something that sparks joy deep within your soul. You have something that you want to prioritize, not just for the sake of an adrenaline rush or to impress others, but a real passion that you can focus your time and money on. Caring for your machine can give you a sense of purpose. What is the point of holding onto something that conjures feelings of resentment and buried shame. Creating something that is unique and that brings a genuine sense of accomplishment, is where the fun in drifting is. You can create whatever you want, within a few subtle rules. Rule #1 is to care about what you are creating, and put pride into your machine. Rule #2 is to create excitement and wonder in others. Rule #3 is to do it for yourself.
