Recently drifting has made exceptional leaps forward when most thought it would start dipping out of sight or, worse yet, fail completely. Well, guess what-drifting is here to stay, and only good times lay ahead. But the Japanese still have the upper hand when it comes to technology and the resources to improve.
Enter Calvin Wan and former Primedia grunt Gary Castillo, who now heads his own fabrication shop by the name of Design Craft. Together, with huge support from prime time manufacturers Falken and GReddy, the U.S. takes a big leap forward into the realm of techno-logicaladvance-ment, placinga hugeemphasis on what it means to builda proven drift car, espec-ially with one of the more challenging platforms to work with, Infiniti's G35 coupe.
Falken Tire recentlyannounced the release of its arsenal of supercars, including the continuation of its sponsorship for Calvin, its promising young driver. A gifted road racer from the Bay Area, Calvin is now entering his third year with Falken, a partnership that originated when his drift skills were developing with an FD RX-7. Falken's project manager Kelvin Tohar tells us that working with him has been a positive experience, even though Calvin crashed the FD and then switched to an S13 last year: "[He's] one of our first sponsored drifters and has been a stellar driver throughout our relationship with him. Not only is he a great spokesman, his driving speaks for itself and he represents Falken well. He's paid his dues, so we're more than happy to give him this new car." But why a G35 in a competitive field ripe with S13s and S14s? "In Japan, the G35 is a Skyline," says Kelvin. "It's a new car for us to experiment with, allowing us to keep up with the latest the Japanese already have access to rather than messing around with all these old cars. There's a longer wheelbase to deal with, which is good, and the engine has so much potential. We're going for a different look and hopefully when people think of a G35 [drifting], they'll think of Falken and Calvin Wan."
After selecting the chassis and driver, Falken needed to find a suit-able fabricator to build the car properly. Because Gary had already built drifters for RS*R, Falken had no problem bringing him on to make sure this G35 could do the job. Gary, Calvin, and Kelvin spent four long months tearing down the engine and stripping the chassis of as much weight as possible. Parts that were once luxury amenities were sent to the dumpster. Golden Eagle fully built the 3.5L base platform with Crower connecting rods and JE pistons and rings, which were also blue-printed and balanced. The reworked cylinder head was also ported and then fitted with polydyne-coated stock valvesprings and SGP Racing titanium retainers. After the engine was rebuilt and secured with ARP head and main studs, the team looked to GReddy for a little help, and this is where it gets interesting.
Since the G35 is identical to its JDM counterpart, GReddy already had a full line of performance parts ready to go. Calvin's VQ now relies on turbo power, which is actually a double arrangement of its TD05-18G turbos, good for up to 550 whp. You may have noticed the V-mounted intercooler, not a GReddy design, but more Gary's own concept, which allows for repositioning of the Koyo aluminum radiator within the front air dam. Engine management is controlled by an ultra-swank AEM EMS. To really put this car into a class of its own Gary slipped a Jericho four-speed sequential transmission into place, which also sees the likes of a Kaaz two-way limited-slip differential, and an Exedy Hyper single clutch to properly send the power to the wheels.
Another really trick part of the engine bay is the "engine start" control panel, which Gary fabbed and mounted to the firewall. This allows the team to start the car without having to stop wrench-ing, run to the passenger cabin, and turn the engine over from inside. Believe us when we say it's cooler in person than just reading about it here.
The next heavy task was to drop the G35's weight, particularly since there's so much of it to begin with. Over a few days time, the team completely stripped the interior using dry ice to break off the sound-deadening material, prepping it for the paint and custom rollcage. The rollcage was welded in and painted white, and then the floor and all exposed sheetmetal was covered with a deep bronze coating.
Tein Flex coilovers, an ARC front strut brace, an SPC rear toe link, a Battle Version camber link, and Peak Performance steering tie rods (with spacers) were bolted in for improved handling. For grip, Calvin obviously has Falken's best at his disposal, the new Azenis RT-615 tire. He chose a set of 255/35Z18s (f) and meaty 275/35Z18s (r) to match a beautiful set of white 18x9.5/18x10.5 Volk CE28N wheels, which come courtesy of Mackin Industries. The super baller Project Kics composite lug nuts are also from Mackin, which, if you were to buy them on your own, cost $240! The front wheels see a Project six-piston racing caliper kit, while the rear retains the stock Brembo calipers. Everything works with Project rotors, Titan Kai brake pads, and stainless lines.
Because the G35 is a part of the Falken stable it sports the traditional teal and turquoise scheme that has become synonymous with the brand. Alsa Paint provided the materials while 20/20 Autobody Tech applied it all to the shell and the GReddy front bumper, ings side skirts and rear bumper cover. And since Calvin also runs Graphtech, a vinyl graphics shop, he took the liberty of dressing up the body with a custom design.
All that's left in the interior are the modified dash and center console, which now hosts a series of GReddy gauges, the Tein EDFC, and a Sparco wheel. Sparco also took care of the seating needs for Calvin plus one. Gary even extended the e-brake handle to help Calvin get the job done.
So far the Team Falken G35 has only seen battle at D1's first round event, where Calvin did not qualify. However, he is using the time to get himself better acquainted with the car so that he and Gary can make the necessary changes, since he will be competing full time at all the Formula Drift events this year. With more weight savings to be had and adjustments to be made in order to achieve improved steering angle, Calvin, along with Design Craft and Falken, are on a sure-fire path to success in the drifting world.