Drift Patrol: Daigo Saito's 2012 Lexus SC430

Photography by Jacob Leveton

Daigo Saito is one of the most decorated drift drivers in the world. After clinching the Formula D championship last October with a win at the final event at Irwindale, Saito is now the only driver to claim both the D1GP and Formula D championships. The car you see here is the Lexus SC430 Daigo built with his team in Japan before the season started, then transported to the U.S. to pursue the Formula D championship as a rookie. With a rumored 1,200 hp and nearly 1,000 lb-ft of torque, this car is anything short of amazing.

This drift car started as a standard Lexus SC430 before it was stripped to the bare shell and prepped by Saito and his team. The car received a Formula D-legal cage, and a majority of the body panels were either replaced with Seibon Carbon pieces or trimmed down to the bare minimum in an effort to reduce the weight. A pair of Bride seats and Prodrive harnesses keep the driver and passenger secured, while Saito grips a Prodrive steering wheel. All dash components were removed and replaced with carbon fiber blockoff plates, while all engine vitals are monitored by a Racepak dash unit. Replacing the center console, a custom carbon fiber switch panel contains the Blitz boost controller, the push-start ignition, a gauge to monitor the bottle pressure on the Nitrous system in the trunk and switches for features like the wipers (which are required for Formula D competition), electrical and other systems. Other than that, the interior is completely void of all other distractions and creature comforts.

Under the hood, the Lexus looks surprisingly empty. In an effort to prevent any car-to-car contact from disabling the vehicle, many components were moved to the trunk. The 2JZGTE motor which is most commonly found in the twin turbo Toyota Supra is known for pushing high horsepower - in this case, rumored to be around 1,200 in total. This motor is stroked from the stock 3.0-liter to 3.4-litres via a Brian Crower stroker kit, with internals including a custom set of JE Pistons, BC pro series connecting rods, and BC 272 VVTI cams. Air is pushed through the K&N filter and HPS hoses, custom CX Racing intercooler and Garrett GTX-4294R turbocharger before entering the motor through a Q45 throttle body. The fuel system starts in the back with a custom fuel cell before a pair of Bosch 044 fuel pumps push gasoline to the fuel rail. Cooling is handled by a custom, rear-mounted KOYO radiator and an electric water pump, while oil cooling is handled by a similar custom, rear-mounted KOYO oil cooler. As if the stroked and turbocharged motor wasn鈥檛 enough on its own, Saito had a dry Nitrous system plumbed to help spool the turbo in lower RPM ranges. All fluids are replaced with NEO Synthetics, a partner of Bridges Racing for several years now.

Looking under the trunk, all the luggage space is taken up by engine components. The custom fuel cell, KOYO oil cooler and radiator cooler and associated catch cans take up the majority of the room, with the 10 lb. nitrous bottle and associated bottle warmer taking up space on the passenger side of the trunk. On the driver side, the Odyssey battery and tie-down sit on the trunk floor and the AEM methanol injection pump is mounted on the shock tower. All sheet metal behind the rear shock towers was removed and reinforced with custom tubing (per the legalities of Formula D), helping to reduce weight and reinforce the area which contains many valuable systems of the car. Between the rear trunk area and the passenger compartment is an Accusump dry sump system as well as an aluminum fire wall, required to keep the driver separated from the fuel tank.

Suspension is one of the most vital parts of a drift car and Saito decided to use components similar to what he ran on his past JZX Toyota Chaser chassis. All four corners contain DG5 coil-overs with custom-rated SWIFT springs, while all suspension arms are replaced with adjustable IKEYA Formula arms. The power is piloted through Prodrive GC05k wheels in 18x10 sizing all around, with 265/35 R18 Achilles ATR Sport 2 front tires and Achilles 123S rear tires controlling the car. Stopping power is handled by lightweight six-piston Wilwood calipers on the front, with four-piston calipers on each rear corner hooked up to the hydraulic hand brake.

In his inaugural season in Formula D, Saito took home two event wins, two additional podiums and a top-four finish on the way to the championship. Winning the championship as a rookie has never been achieved aside from the inaugural season of Formula D and he has a big target on his back for this coming season. If that鈥檚 not enough, Saito also won his second consecutive Formula D Asia title, competing in a similarly-built Lexus IS chassis. With the 2013 season just around the corner, expectations around Saito can鈥檛 be set any lower than the top. Can Saito become the first driver to repeat back-to-back championships since Tanner Foust? We can only wait and see.

Essentials

Vehicle: 2012 Lexus SC430
Driver: Daigo Saito
Team: Achilles Radial Bridges Racing Drift Team
Engine: 3.4L 2JZ V6
Horsepower: 1,200 hp
Torque: 1,000 lb-ft

Engine Modifications

Garrett GTX-4294R turbocharger
Brain Crower (valvetrain, VVT-i camshaft, cam gears, 94 mm stroker crank, Pro Series connecting rods, head gasket,)
HKS (GT50 wastegate, V-Pro stand alone ECU)
Greddy (RZ 40 mm blow off valve, oil cooler adaptor, Profec boost controller)
Racepak multiplexor
HPS silicone hoses
K&N Air Intake
Blitz stainless mesh air filter
Dual Bosch 044 fuel pumps
Infiniti Q45 throttle body
NGK Spark plugs
JE Pistons (87 mm pistons and piston rings)
V-Pro electronics
Koyo RAD (radiator and oil cooler)
Davies Craig water pump
Odyssey dry cell battery
AEM water injection pump

Exhaust

Custom exhaust system (4-inch exhaust, header, up pipe, down pipe, exhaust tips)
HKS manifold

Drivetrain

SPEC (twin-disc clutch and lightweight flywheel)
Holinger dog-type transmission
OS Giken LSD
Supra axles

Chassis / Suspension

DG 5 adjustable coil-overs with Swift Springs
Ikeya Formula (adjustable control arms and links)
Cusco non-adjustable front sway bar

Wheels / Tires / Brakes

Prodrive forged wheels - 18x10 (f/r)
Achilles Radial tires - 265/35 R18 ATR Sport 2 (f), 265/35 R18 123s (r)
Wilwood brakes (master cylinder, Dynapro six-piston calipers (f), Dynapro four-piston calipers (r), drift brake)
Solid sprint car rotors

Exterior

Seibon Carbon body kit (hood, front fascia, rear bumper, fenders, side skirts, trunk lid, doors)

Interior

Racepak (digital dash and data logger)
Prodrive steering wheel
Blitz boost controller
PLX Devices M-300 wide band a/f ratio gage
Safecraft fire system
Bride racing seats

Sponsors

Achilles Radial
Garrett Turbos
M7 Drive
Brian Crowe
Seibon
Driftpac

Track Day Essentials: What to Bring and How to Prepare

Track season is in full swing, and as enthusiasts make their way to the track - either in their daily drivers or in their bonafide weekend warrior...

APR Unveils Ultralink Platform for European Vehicle Performance Tuning

At-Home Flash Tuning Software Gives Enthusiasts Flexible, Fast and Convenient Access to APR鈥檚 Customized Tuning Solutions Unlock the potential of...

Shop Tour: Spoon Sports Type One Showroom - Tokyo, Japan

If you're a Honda head, you almost certainly know the name SPOON. Founded in 1988, Spoon Sports has been a mainstay in the world of Japanese tuning,...

DEI Heat Shroud Line Sleeving

Design Engineering Inc.鈥檚 AN-sized Heat Shroud sleeves for 20, 16 and 12 AN sizes are an ideal way to reduce heat strain and abrasions on lines, hoses...