Aston Martin Vantage is an LS Swapped Drift Machine
Pro drifter Sultan Al Qassimi wanted to do something different, and he certainly pulled that off.
Savage Vantage
Aston Martin has a reputation for building some of the most beautiful machines on earth, and it has been doing just that for a long time now. The automaker has also put out some pretty epic engines over that time period. But when it comes to racing, an Aston engine is neither cheap nor easy to modify and maintain, which is exactly why pro drifter Sultan Al Qassimi decided to LS-swap his, as we can see in this video from ILB TV.
Dare To be Different
Al Qassimi has never been one to own or drive fancy or exotic cars. In fact, he previously campaigned in a couple of Nissans and also owns a Mazda RX-7. So what would lead an import guy into the world of Aston Martin? Well, he got hooked on the V8 drug while visiting America a while back, and he wanted to do something totally different from what anyone else had done so far.
>>Join the conversation about this LS Swapped Vantage right here in the 6SpeedOnline Forum!
Weight Loss
An Aston Martin drift car certainly qualifies for the "different" category. Al Qassimi purchased the car and drove it around on the road as-is for some time before tearing it apart, but obviously, the heavy Vantage needed to go on a diet. So that was the first modification - Al Qassimi and his team replaced everything they could with forged carbon-fiber.
>>Join the conversation about this LS Swapped Vantage right here in the 6SpeedOnline Forum!
Looking the Part
Al Qassimi is from the Middle East, which he says people associate with the color gold, which is why he chose to accent the car with that particular hue. It certainly looks the part, but it's what lies under the hood that counts. In this case, that's an LS that's been built to the hilt for maximum sideways action.
>>Join the conversation about this LS Swapped Vantage right here in the 6SpeedOnline Forum!
Adequate Power
Starting with an LSA block, Al Qassimi and his crew fitted it with forged internals and a pair of turbos to extract maximum power. The engine obviously isn't turned up to the max, as it produces 730 horsepower at the wheels, but that's more than enough to get the job done in the world of drifting. As is the case with most race cars, the LS engine is backed up by a sequential transmission.
>>Join the conversation about this LS Swapped Vantage right here in the 6SpeedOnline Forum!
Early Success
Al Qassimi's Aston drifter has proven up to the task so far, despite its unconventional nature. He snagged a second-place finish at an Emirates Drift Championship last year, prior to a COVID-19 induced lockdown, and its owner is excited to see what it can do moving forward.
>>Join the conversation about this LS Swapped Vantage right here in the 6SpeedOnline Forum!
Breaking the Mold
As is the case with most racing bodies, participants usually embody a "copycat" mentality when it comes to building cars. But every once in a while, a person like Al Qassimi comes along and breaks that mold, and does so without compromising their competitive position - and we're all the better for it.
>>Join the conversation about this LS Swapped Vantage right here in the 6SpeedOnline Forum!