Take a Better Look at Daigo Saito’s Murciélago Drift Car

Having a Lambo drifter is more challenging than it looks, and it’s not only about the money

The reason you don't see mid-engined exotics like Lamborghinis in the drift sphere is not because they're expensive bits of mechanics, but rather the way they're built.

The FR (front-engine, rear-wheel-drive) layout is the most obedient when it comes to sliding. The engine's weight makes the rear wheels unload faster during braking, for an easier slide initiation. The pushy rear-axle, on the other hand, keeps the car in a continuous powerslide without having to worry about the momentum an engine's weight would create. Of course, there's a lot more to it — the suspension setup and all the fine tuning that a drift machinery needs to slide as much (and as wide) as possible.

So there were enough challenges in transforming a Lamborghini Murciélago into a pro-spec drift car — the wrong weight balance, the fact that it's prone to breakdown and expensive to maintain. Daigo Saito went on anyway.

The car he converted was Wataru Kato's Liberty Walk Murciélago (which obviously had a better fate than this one from Taiwan). Daigo took it, removed all that was unnecessary — he kept the Liberty Walk kit, though, which looks bonkers — and started adding functionality to it. The GT wing might be the most obvious change.

What you might not see is the tuned 6.2-liter V12 engine, now capable of delivering 650 PS (and, most important, mid-range torque) and also shooting fire through the straight Kakimoto Racing exhaust. Not to mention the suspension linkages.

You can see it as a marketing stunt, but you can see it's more than that. Although Daigo is working on an 800 hp, 900 kg Corvette now —which, naturally, would be a more balanced drift car — this Murciélago was, is, and will always be a winner. As this Liberty Walk Ferrari 458 drift car is.

Story and image credit via SpeedHunters' Dino Dalle Carbonare and Larry Chen