Tanner Foust's Drift Passat Is A 900bhp Nitrous-Fuelled V8 Monster

Tanner Foust reckons the great thing about drifting in America is that there are loads of creative machines in the scene, so he wanted a piece of the action. When he makes his return to Formula D at this weekend’s event at Long Beach, California, Foust will be behind the wheel of a rear-wheel drive Volkswagen Passat. With a V8. Making 900bhp. Oh, and it has nitrous.

Specifically, we’re talking a 7.4-litre V8 making 700bhp, with a 200bhp shot of nitrous. The car has a four-speed dog-box transmission, a Tilton clutch, AEM Infinity-10 fuel injection, RS-R custom coliovers and a huge APR Performance swan-mount wing. A specially designed eight into one sequential collector ensures it sounds like no other Passat this side of a straight-piped W8. The wheels are by KMC (front: 17x8; rear: 18x10), wrapped in rubber from team sponsor Nitto Tire.

The interior is standard stripped out because racecar fare, with Recaro seats, rollcage, Plex SDM-500 dash display, Tilton Engineering 600 series pedals and a Sparco steering wheel.

After shifting his attention to the Global Rallycross championship in 2010, where Foust won two titles, the Top Gear USA host now wants back in on the sideways scene. He’s only competing in three events this season; the series opening Streets of Long Beach event this weekend; the Road to the Championship round in Georgia on May 8-9; and the season finale in Irwindale, California on October 9-10.