The world of drifting isn’t Domestic friendly. It’s a sport founded in the back hills and industrial parking lots of Japan and built on small turbocharged compacts. But anyone who knows a thing about sliding around also knows that just like at the quarter mile, torque is king and there’s still no replacement for displacement. Pioneers like Doug Van Den Brink and his 2004 Ford Mustang are out to show the true potential of domestic drift machines.
Just as drifting gained mainstream acceptance in America, we started putting our own unique spin to the sport. Van Den Brink, or D’Vanz as he’s know in drift circles, is one of the firsts to bring domestic power to the sport of professional drifting. Starting with a 2004 Mustang body, D’Vanz completely re-engineered the machined to perform in the art of drift. Much of the technology comes from a odd mix of old fashion go fast parts, road racing chassis setup, and setup tricks exclusively used for drifting.
Starting with the engine, the Mustang is powered by a Frankenstein motor based on a 4.6-liter aluminum block and built with low compression internals and special high flow 2 valve heads and intake manifolds. Combining the torquey response from its V8 displacement and the high-rpm power of a turbo, D’Vanz found the competitive solution for his over head cam engine.
Taking a car that originally came with a solid-axle into a competition also took some tricks. D’Vanz started by fabricating his own custom control arms and adding a set of custom built Belltech competition coilovers at each corner. Body stiffness was increased with Extreme Matrix sub-frame connectors and finally the alignment was topped off with components from Maximum Motorsports.
Little of the original Mustang remains in the vehicle. Although the sheetmetal is original, much of the chassis has been stripped and caged and the suspension and powertrain modified for drift duty. But D’Vanz kept the car’s heritage true and stuck with technology and tricks all developed for the Pony car.
D’Vanz Drift Mustang
Engine
4.6 aluminum block, Kellogg forged crank, Scat forged rods, Probe forged pistons, Patriot Performance Stage-2, 2V heads, Fox Lake P-51 intake manifold, engine assembly by KT Engine Development, Dragon Performance throttle body, D’Vanz custom airbox with cone filter, solid motor and transmission mounts, Goodridge & Performance Hose Distributing lines and hoses, KRC power steering pump w/DVM custom mounting bracket, JBA stainless-steel mid-length headers, STS rear-mount turbo system, Griffin custom intercooler and dual-pass radiator
Engine Management:
Precision supplied Moton 65lb/min injectors, SCT MAF and Tuning hard & software, engine tuned by Pro-Dyno, Aeromotive fuel pump, regulator, fuel rails and filters, Fuel Safe fuel cell
BellTech 2-way competition adjustable coilovers, D’Vanz spec front and rear control arms, Maximum Motorsports adjustable caster-camber Plates, adjustable rear anti-sway bar and adjustable tie-rod ends, Kenny Brown Performance adjustable front anti-sway bar, Extreme Matrix sub-frame connectors
Brakes:
Wilwood Brake Package, DynaLight Calipers w/Dual rears on D’Vanz Brackets, 2-piece rotors, custom brake/clutch pedal assembly and master cylinders
Wheels and Tires:
Wed Sport wheels and Falken RT-615 tires
Exterior:
AIT Racing wide body kit designed by Doug Van Den Brink, Lexan windows, paint by Bodyworks Plus
Interior:
SafeCraft race harness, Zero Mass carbon fiber steering wheel, shift knob and mirrors, carbon kevlar fiber seats, extended steering column, FNO Race Cars roll cage and interior trim, Racing Electronic radios, AEM gauges
See our interview with D’Vanz as he talks about his Mustang and the challenges he faced in building it.
