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Sky's the Limit
Falken Tire / Sears Auto Center Saturn Sky
For most, a Saturn Sky is not the first car that comes to mind when thinking about building a drift car. However for ASD Tuning based out of Charlotte, North Carolina it made perfect sense. ¡°We chose to use the Sky as our canvas for creating a competitive drift car as we¡¯re pretty much all GM guys here at the shop¡± Dave Gibson of ASD told me. ¡°Well that and the fact that the car is so nimble¡± he joked. ¡°There¡¯s also the consideration that most sponsors are hesitant to get behind older cars¡±.
Inspired by the first Pontiac Solstice used by Falken in the 2007 Formula D season, ASD used a GM small block V8 as the starting point for this project. ¡°We always start our builds with the engine¡± Dave said. ¡°Everything falls into line after that¡±. Indeed, putting such a powerful engine in such a small and light weight car requires some careful planning and execution stemming from the power plant.
There are other aspects about this Sky other than just its appearance that make it unique. ¡°Something that¡¯s really cool about this car is how quickly we can change the gears out¡± Dave mentioned. ¡°For example, at the Formula D event in Seattle this year it poured rain during competition so within 3 minutes we had the gears switched out to accommodate for the conditions. The combination of Darren¡¯s (McNamara) driving skills and the new gear ratio kept us from spinning out like many of our competitors¡±.
Being that Darren is used to piloting an AE86 moving into a Sky was not a huge stretch for him and allowed him to place 12 overall in this year¡¯s FD even though he was a no show in Vegas. ¡°We¡¯re very happy with the way the car performed this year considering we had like zero testing time before Long Beach¡± Dave commented. It¡¯s worth mentioning that even with so little practice and test time Darren still managed to place 2nd in qualifying at that event.
¡°We¡¯re excited for next year and should have the car ready for more testing and for Darren to practice in by about February of 09. We¡¯re going to add some more carbon fiber to it to make it even lighter¡±. Hopefully the D-Man is also practicing strapping himself to the underside of commercial jet planes and riding those friendly sky¡¯s in the down time he has before FD¡¯s first event next year.
While the Sky is not most people¡¯s first choice for turning into a drift car, it should be a source of inspiration for those looking to get into the sport with something different. ¡°It¡¯s a great car for amateurs to use¡± Dave explains; ¡°Granted you won¡¯t be putting down tons of horsepower and parts are tougher to find, but there¡¯s something about having a car that¡¯s different at events that makes them that much more interesting to watch¡±.
SPECIFICATIONS
Engine
GM aluminum small block V8
CNC ported heads
Bosch fuel injectors
Custom Kinsler ITB injection
MoTeC M800 ECU system
Drivetrain:
Sprint Cup 4 speed transmission
Custom triple disc clutch
Quick change differential
Custom axles and driveshaft from The Driveshaft Shop
Steering
Custom RHD steering rack with remote power assist
Suspension
TEIN Custom coilovers
TEIN EDFC Controller
Saturn-Sport.com Billet Front Upper Control Arms
ASD Front Lower Control Arms
Brakes
Saturn-Sport.com Custom Brake Kit
(Includes Wilwood 6-piston front, dual 4 piston rear calipers, 3/8¡± race rotors, Wilwood race pedals)
Wheels / Tires
Work Emotion XC8 18x8.5
Falken Azenis RT-615 245/40R18 Front & 255/40R18 Rear
Body
Dry carbon fiber hood, fenders, doors, rear quarter panels, deck lid
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