Earlier in the month I showcased a couple of my favorite cars that can be seen competing in the D1GP series and while we love pro drift cars like those, we haven’t forgotten about the grassroots and street drift cars which are such an integral part of the scene. I found this particular Saitama-based Toyota JZX100 on Minkara and knew it would a make a perfect addition to our month-long look at the drift world. The car is owned by Minkara member “?~??” and beautifully combines elements seen on both drift cars and on VIP sedans. The first thing that sets this car apart is the body style. While the JZX100 is very popular chassis for drifting, the Cresta model is by far the most uncommonly seen version as Crestas are heavily outnumbered by their Mark II and Chaser counterparts at the circuit and on the street.

The owner of the car has plenty of experience building street drift cars and before this Cresta he had an S15 Silvia that shared many of the same styling elements seen on this car. What drew him to switch to the four-door JZX100 chassis was the incredible sound that the 1JZ engines are known for making.

This photo really sums up this car’s vibe. The car navigates the dark Japanese back roads with HID retrofits for both the headlights and the fog lamps. Besides providing extra visibility they also make the car look really sexy at night. The bulbs in the headlights are rated at 10,000K. You will probably also notice the wheels that are seen poking out from the front fenders.

The wheels are SSR Agle Minerva in 18″x10J +37 all around. While these are not quite pushing the boundaries of wheel fitment like some of the cars seen here recently, they still provide a nice aggressive look that is right for a street car like this one. Tires are 215/40 in the front and 235/40 in the rear. To help achieve this clean stance and stiffen up the ride, a set of Kei Office full coilovers have been equipped.

In the car’s interior you will find a number of racing and dress up parts that have been thrown into the mix. This is a street car so of course there is no roll cage and the full interior is still in place. The seats have been replaced with a pair of red-colored Bride Brix reclining buckets and the factory Toyota steering wheel has been replaced with an aftermarket Nardi piece. The car also has plenty of ICE so you can watch the your favorite movies or J-pop idols while going sideways. Besides the monitors in the visors, the car also has a Clarion in- dash head unit with navigation which is almost a necessity in Japan. There are also a number of gauges from Trust and Defi.

Power modifications on this car are very mild and include an Apex air cleaner, a custom exhaust system and a Blitz front-mount intercooler. Even with these light modifications the variable valve timing-equipped 1JZ makes well over 300hp which is more than enough to flick the JZX100 sideways whenever the driver wishes.

And flick it sideways he does. Here the car is seen at a drift soukoukai at Nikko Circuit alongside a pair of JZZ30 Toyota Soarers.

On the exterior the car has been coated with a gleaming white color sourced from Lexus. The side skirts and rear bumper are from popular aero maker BN Sports. LED mirrors and window rain guards also add to the car’s style.

Instead of going with BN in the front, the owner preferred the look of a half spoiler and went with this handsome piece from Vertex.

The whole package comes together to make for a perfect street car that can carry five people in comfort and style but is still capable of drift action wherever and whenever the driver desires. This combination of style versatility is what all top level street cars should have.

????’s Minkara

-Mike Garrett