LS-swapped, turbocharged Lexus SC300

I feel like this article has one key point that can apply to a lot of people, so I’m gonna try and get there quickly. Dan Perlenfein got into drifting around 2014. Relatively speaking, that hasn’t been that long really. And to get his feet wet, Dan traded some old non-running junk for some new (to him) non-running junk & acquired this 1992 Lexus SC300. Yes – Dan’s first drift car is still his current drift car.

The Lexus SC300 in the beginning…

Initially, Dan put an old-school IROC Chevy motor in the Lexus SC, and starting hitting local drift events. The first year, it was really all about learning the basics, linking the course, and controlling the car. He’s fortunate that the Midwest has some great drift groups/organizations like Drift Indy (more on that in a second). As Dan progressed, he swapped the old SBC engine to a more modern LS. And to stay competitive with the evolving horsepower of drift cars, Dan turbocharged the LS, went to a rear-mount radiator, caged the car, etc.

Cut to today…

Dan Perlenfein has been drifting the same ol’ Lexus SC300 for almost 10 glorious years! AND – he is now the general manager of Drift Indy! 100% – Dan attributes his 1) lack of destroying cars and 2) his progress as a driver… to the quality of the events that he’s attended.

And here is the point:

The events you attend can make a huge difference in your skill development & consistency. So this is key: Make sure that you look for an organization that WANTS you to learn. A group that puts a focus on driver development. You will experience so much more *of the best* that the sport has to offer. While minimizing the frustrations, plateaus, confusion, carnage, costs, downtime, etc. No one starts-out awesome. It’s all about seat time & the people around you.