Drifting as a motorsport originated in Japan, so it’s no surprise that it’s dominated by rear-wheel-drive Japanese cars. Unfortunately, their popularity has caused prices to skyrocket out of reach for most enthusiasts, forcing them to look elsewhere.
Traditionally, American cars have been criticized for their handling, but with some carefully selected modifications, they can be turned into proper drift missiles. As an added bonus, they often produce significant amounts of power, too. Let’s look at some of the best American drift cars.
C5 Chevrolet Corvette
The C5 Chevy Corvette is almost ridiculously cheap nowadays, especially when you consider how good this sports car really is.
There’s an LS V8 engine under the hood, and all its power is sent to the rear wheels via a manual transmission. There’s also a massive selection of aftermarket parts to turn it into a proper drift car. When your sideways shenanigans eventually break something, finding replacement parts is easy, which isn’t always the case for the old JDM drift machines.
C6 Chevrolet Corvette
If you have a bit more money in your pocket, you can opt for the sixth-gen ‘Vette instead. The C6 Corvette is an affordable supercar-slayer, and it’s not shying away from some sideways action, either.
Once again, we find a powerful LS V8 engine under the long hood, and here, it produces even more power than in the C5, so breaking traction shouldn’t be a problem. If you do need more power, you can always slap on a couple of turbos and convert the tires into smoke with even the lightest tap on the throttle.
5th Gen Chevrolet Camaro
Back in the day, muscle cars were known for being fast in a straight line, but navigating through corners wasn’t exactly their strong suit. Well, those days are long gone, and like the Corvette, the newer Chevy Camaros can be turned into real drift machines.
With decent handling, plenty of power, and a vast selection of aftermarket parts, the Camaro will have you looking like a pro as you manji down the straights and send it sideways through the corners.
Dodge Viper
Yes, I’m serious, the Dodge Viper can absolutely be used as a drift car, as proven by Samuel Hübinette and Dean Kearney in Formula Drift. The Viper has earned a reputation for being a bit of a handful, and adding more power to the huge V10 engine certainly won’t make it any easier to control.
However, if you sort out the suspension and add a full roll cage, you’ll be okay (probably). The Viper does live up to its name, though, and it will bite if not treated with respect.
Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6
Okay, stay with us here. We agree that the Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 isn’t the best drift car you can buy, but it can be a great option for beginners as it’s affordable and not overly powerful.
In addition, it’s based on a Mercedes platform and uses the supercharged 3.2-liter AMG engine, which is practically bulletproof.
Pontiac GTO
The last generation of the Pontiac GTO was introduced in the mid-2000s, and it’s basically a rebadged Holden Monaro with some minor changes for the American market. Luckily, the Australians have been making muscle cars for nearly as long as the Americans, so they know a thing or two about them.
Under the hood, the GTO has an LS V8 engine, which means owners can pick and choose from a near-endless amount of aftermarket performance parts. In 2005, drift legend Rhys Millen won the 2005 Formula Drift Championship behind the wheel of a GTO, proving that it’s a capable machine in the right hands.
Pontiac Solstice GXP
Another Pontiac performance car that can be turned into a fun drift car. The Solstice GXP is nimble and agile, much like a Miata, and like the Japanese sports car, it takes some skill to keep it sideways without spinning.
The bad news is that they suffer from some issues, but none of those should be a dealbreaker if you’re only looking for a track car. They’re cheap and cheerful, and with some quality mods and driving skills, you’ll have endless amounts of sideways fun.
Fox Body Mustang
The Fox Body Mustang is, without a doubt, one of the best American cars for drifting — especially for those on a budget.
There’s absolutely massive aftermarket support, new and used parts are readily available, and via forums and social media, you can come in contact with enthusiasts whose brains are packed with Fox Body knowledge. The people over at CJ Pony Parts also have some tips on turning the Fox Body ‘Stang into a drift car.
SN95 Ford Mustang
The fourth-gen Ford Mustang is another excellent option if you’re looking for an American drift car. Like all Mustangs (except the Mustang II), there’s plenty of aftermarket parts available to help you turn your dream into reality.
The SN95 Mustang is also relatively affordable these days, so it’s possible to build a decent track missile on a shoestring budget.
S197 Ford Mustang
The fifth-generation Ford Mustang looks great in all its retro-styled glory. It’s easy to see the resemblance to the classic ‘Stang that starred in movies such as Gone In 60 Seconds and Bullitt.
Fifth-gen V6 models can be had for a mere fistful of dollars, but we’d go for the full-fat GT version with a throbbing V8 under its hood. The Mustang has proven that it’s a worthy contender on the drift circuit, as it has secured some wins for Vaughn Gittin Jr, and Diego Higa drove one to victory on the Netflix hit show Hyperdrive.
S550 Ford Mustang
We swear this is the last Mustang on this list (but not the last Ford)! There are plenty of excellent sixth-gen drift Mustangs out there, so it’s a tried and tested platform.
While it has a well-sorted chassis and powerful engines straight from the showroom floor, a proper drift car needs some additional stuff. Again, there’s a vast selection of aftermarket parts, whether you want a supercharger, twin-turbos, or even a wide-body kit.
Ford Focus RS
That’s right, the Ford Focus can drift! Ford even gave it a Drift Mode. Granted, it’s not the most common or traditional sideways machine, but it gets the job done.
Its turbocharged 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine pumps out 350 hp in stock form, but that’s easily improved upon. Some tuners have managed to extract over 600 wild horses from this powerplant.
Merkur XR4Ti
It may seem weird that we’ve included the Merkur XR4Ti since it was never a success on the American market, but hear us out.
It’s basically a Ford Sierra, a car that the Europeans have been driving sideways on both racetracks and rally stages for decades. We’d get a Cosworth-style body kit, a proper suspension setup, and swap the engine for something a bit more potent, and voilà, we have a cool 1980s-style touring car that can smoke tires with the best of ‘em.
