This is what it takes to turn a FWD Corolla into a RWD Drift Corolla with 1,000 HP


Papadakis Racing is based in Southern California. In the past few years, this is a team that’s been a forced to be reckoned with in the Formula Drift series. The main helmsmen is FD Champion Fredric Aasbo and he’s tapped to take Toyota products and push them to their limits. The latest vehicle on deck? It’s Toyota’s entry-level front-wheel-drive Corolla hatchback. So how does Papadakis Racing turn 168-horsepower FWD economy car into a 1,000-horsepower rear-wheel-drive FD-winning machine?
With lots of custom, in-house fabrication work and a dedicated crew of folks eager to contribute.
Watch for yourself in the video above. It’s nicely shot and won’t take up too much of your day (runtime 7:21), which makes it perfect for a lunch break visual.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 64 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here

10 responses to “This is what it takes to turn a FWD Corolla into a RWD Drift Corolla with 1,000 HP”

  1. Zentropy Avatar
    Zentropy

    Seems like a ton of work and money for such an ugly little toad of a car.

    1. Jeff Glucker Avatar
      Jeff Glucker

      Still… 1,000 horsepower is pretty awesome, especially in a Corolla

      1. Zentropy Avatar
        Zentropy

        A thousand hp is awesome in anything. But if you’re going to the effort, I’d choose something more interesting. The Corolla hatchback is the poster child of what’s wrong with modern Toyota styling.

        1. crank_case Avatar
          crank_case

          I dunno, I’d rather they cut up a corolla to be a top spec drift car than an RX7, Silvia/180SX/240SX. Even if it starts out RWD, those cars end up so butchered at this level, they just aren’t anywhere near the same car anymore, or anyway useable or enjoyable for anything else.
          There’s probably a sponsorship angle here too.

          1. Zentropy Avatar
            Zentropy

            Sponsorship, for sure. I agree, I wouldn’t cut up those cars you mentioned, either. I guess the Corolla AE86 set some historical precedence, but it’s difficult for my brain to draw a line of heritage from that car to the new fish-faced Corolla hatchback.

          2. crank_case Avatar
            crank_case

            It makes some sense if you understand some of the culture that’s built up in drifting. There’s always been a element of showiness to it and wantint to stand out. People started mucking about with AE86s, but in order to stand out, people started using more and more unusual choices like Soarers, Toyota MKIIs etc. (I believe some of this was also to do with not attracting police attention when people still did it on the street). At the top level, people started using things like Vipers and even a Lamborghini, just be more out there than the last guy, and what’s more unlikely a drift car than a FWD hatchback?
            I kinda fully expect to see someone doing a liberty walked Ford Model T eventually…

  2. anonymic Avatar
    anonymic

    B.S. There’s never been a Corolla built with 168bhp. From what I’ve seen of Corollas, and Toyotas in general, none of them have more than about 75bhp.

    1.  Avatar
      1. anonymic Avatar
        anonymic

        Lies. All lies. Tell me, when was the last time you saw a Corolla moving in some way that made you think the driver was using all of 168bhp? How about 130? How about 100? Yeah? I think you’re exaggerating.

        1. crank_case Avatar
          crank_case

          You’ve obviously never been to rural Ireland.. 😉