We all have personal lists of things we need to do before we bite the dust. To some, getting laid for the first time is a priority, something we really can't hate on since we've given up on that nonsense, to the point where we started a non-profit organization called V4L, better known as Virgins 4 Life. But we digress. To many, especially to those reading this magazine, going 100 mph sideways while small pieces of high-velocity rubber, tire smoke, and the wind blow into your face while a roaring crowd of thousands cheer your name in the background is definitely on top of the list.
This is why most people hate on guys like Ben Schwartz, not because he hails from Orange County, CA, or because he has one of the coolest nicknames ("Big Ben"), but because he has realized, many times over, the dream of cheating death sideways. Getting laid, however, is still questionable for him, seeing that he has one of the nerdiest hobbies ever, but we'll get to that later.
Ben is a professional driver, drifting for Team Falken and sponsored by Sears, which is on its second year of participating in drifting and boasts approximately 900 stores selling the same products Ben uses in his drift car. Sears is so in love with drifting that they plan to continue to throw C.R.E.A.M. into the game for many years to come, with drifters like Ben reaping all the rewards. Plus, they realize how passionate fans and racers are when it comes to this motorsport, which brings us to another reason why people should spit some haterade on Ben. He gets to be sponsored by one of the biggest, most recognizable brands in America, and probably gets free wrenches and flannel shirts. But again, we digress.
The biggest reason why we should definitely throw salt at Ben's game: Not only does he own the Nissan S13 convertible drifting throughout these pages, but he also installed a Honda S2000 engine in it because he thought it would be cool. So it's not enough that he drifts professionally, it's not enough that he's so good at it that he is sponsored by a big name company and it's also not enough that he owns a sick convertible. He had to raise the bar and install one of the most unusual hybrid swaps in the history of unusual hybrid swaps: an F22 engine inside a S13 chassis. Damn him and his talents!
It all started when Ben professed his love for and established his loyalty to Nissans and Hondas. "I love them both equally," he says. "I grew up fixing up and racing Hondas, and when drifting became a part of my life, I fell in love with the ultimate dream car, the Nissan family of 240SXes." So when he crashed the Saturn Sky that he used to drift professionally earlier this year, he was left with nothing but his daily driver to continue to race in Formula D. That daily driver is this S13 convertible.
"I've been driving this car for about three years, and I've wanted to build the car for a while anyway," Ben explains, "So we decided to make it my new competition car." The entire build took a very short two and a half weeks, plenty of caffeine and many sleepless nights. But it was worth it because in the end, Ben and his other employer, Gary Castillo of Design Craft Fabrication, put together the most illest ride since K.I.T.T. rolled out of the semi-truck backwards with The Hoff at the helm. Of course, there were many problems that surfaced during the build. Thankfully, Ben is a certified fabricator and experienced it all firsthand, unlike other drivers who just make like The Hoff and drive.