Currently trending: Corvettes are drifting. Drifting is a driving technique that was first popularized in 1970s Japan. Today, drivers are judged on speed, angle, showmanship and the driving line taken through a corner or set of turns. On the enthusiast level, you will see a lot of ’90s imports as they are a relatively cheap car for someone to get their hands on for daily driving and they make excellent cars to learn how to drift.

For the aspiring professional drift driver, things can get real expensive real quick when they want to turn their Nissan S13 into a track-only monster and are on a quest for more power and a competitive edge.

At that point, I recommend a page from Matt Fields Playbook, or that of Drik Stratton.

In some cases, it can be significantly cheaper to buy a salvage title Corvette that’s just a few years old then it would be to modify the 240 into something competitive. With the Corvette, there is no need to change the car to accept a modern LS V8; the vehicle already comes with one. No need to modify the vehicle to allow big wheels and tires; the car already comes set up for them.

Much of the work that is needed to make that excellent starter car ready to compete is already set up from the factory.

In part, the rise in popularity comes from Latvia of all places. HGK, a shop better known for running BMWs with all-composite carbon-kevlar body panels and custom American racing V8s, made a C6 Corvette for one of their Russian drivers a few years back. The Latvian shop has done a lot of development work in making these cars ready for international competition, particularly in the areas of the composite body and the transmission.

Matt Field, currently ninth overall for the 2018 Formula Drift Pro Series Championship, has gone from a Nissan S14 with a V8 swap to a C6 that suffered some flood damage.

Field has a whole video series detailing his current build, noting that while his Nissan took tons of fabrication work and lots of tips and tricks to make its heart transplant work, the Corvette has a healthy aftermarket for speed parts here in America and is much more of a bolt-on affair than his older drift Nissan.

His C6 is powered by a 427 aluminum block LS – that’s 7.0-liters of American madness. With help from a Vortech supercharger (and nitrous oxide) the big motor makes a healthy 1,050hp after a slight de-tune.

On the opposite end of the car, beneath all of that carbon fiber from HGK Motorsport, resides the rear-mounted transaxle, greatly helping the weight distribution in the pleasantly clean American sports car. It’s an impressive engineering accomplishment that really sets the Corvette apart from its domestic competitors, both on the street and the race track.

The C6 is adorned in classic Falken Tire livery. A noteworthy element is that it’s not a wrap; every panel is sprayed. Between the attention to detail along with the other functional and aesthetic choices, the car achieves a great balance of performance and style.

Drik Stratton also runs an unconventional 2009 C6 Corvette. He originally picked it up as a salvage-title Cyber Grey, LS3-powered example. Since he purchased it, the car has received a Lingenfelter-prepped 427 cubic-inch LS7, stuffed with a Callies DragonSlayer crankshaft, Diamond pistons, and Oliver connecting rods.

Bolted to the block, is a pair of LPE CNC-ported LS7 castings, housing 1.8 LS7 rockers, and a COMP Cams trunnion upgrade.An ARE windage tray, oil pan and pump keep the high-revving engine lubricated, with a Lingenfelter E85 pump and 60-lb injectors pumping fuel through its veins. Oxygen is fed into the alloy mill, courtesy of an AIRAID cold-air induction kit, OEM MAF, throttle body and an MSD Atomic AirForce intake manifold. The spent fumes exit through Hooker Blackheart long-tube headers, X-Pipe, and 3-inch diameter piping.

Sitting on the opposing ends of the rear axle, are Cosmis Racing XT-005R wheels wrapped in Achilles 123S rubber. Wilwood 4-piston rear brakes are complimented by Superlight 6-piston calipers up front (also from Wilwood). Not only do they improve stopping power over the OEM binders substantially, but they also work perfectly for Stratton’s intended uses.

If you’re currently thinking about getting into a Corvette or in the market for engine parts for your Chevrolet engine, Chevrolet Performance has some deals.

Throughout the month of July, a $25, $50 or $500 mail-in rebate is available on Chevrolet Performance intake manifolds.  Each has been designed to distribute the proper air/fuel mix to the appropriate cylinders, for both street performance and all-out competition engines. There are options available for both carbureted and fuel-injected applications.

Chevrolet Performance is also offering similar rebate options for their cam, crank, camshaft combination package, or rotating assembly. The rebate will kick back $25, $50, or $75 your way, on either a physical Visa Prepaid Card or a Virtual Prepaid Mastercard.

Visit Chevrolet Performance’s offers page for complete details, terms, and conditions of the promotion.