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A Drift Buggy Is Only One of the Things You Can Build with a Spare GSX-R1000 Engine

We've seen all sorts of small cars powered by Suzuki Hayabusa engines, from Smart to other, not-that-diminutive production vehicles, so maybe it was high time we also saw a GSX-R1000 power plant put to such use.
GSX-R1000 drift buggy 14 photos
Photo: YouTube capture
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The buggy in the video below was built by James Carroll and it is the third generation of such machines that he created. Arguably Carroll's best and most powerful buggy so far, this new machine looks like a ton of fun, even though having it homologated for street use might be a rather thorny business.

The builder doesn't disclose what generation of the Gixxer engine he used, but we can safely assume we're dealing with north of 150 horsepower. Looking at the slender tubular frame and roll cage, the buggy doesn't seem to be a heavy piece of machinery, and this means the power-to-weight ratio makes it a beast.

A toy that's not exactly for everybody

Now, watching the guy drifting this buggy around may make some think that such antics are a child's play. However, those who have ever driven a go-kart will smile and wait for such fellows to make fools of themselves behind the wheel of this machine.

The chap demoing the buggy's capabilities has obviously practiced drifting such vehicles more than once. You can see him passing inches from stone fences and buildings, but if you think this is as easy as simply hitting the gas pedal and go, you're wrong.

James Carroll says that his drift buggy comes with a limited slip differential, a programmable ECU, independent suspensions and many more features. He also says that he has spent €15,000 (that is around $16,150) over three years developing the new buggy. Not sure if this includes labor hours, but in case this sounds like a huge sum, you'd do well and read our Zero Motorcycles exclusive interview to learn more about money spent building vehicles...

With a decent retail price and street homologation, such a four-wheeler could be easily marketed as a toy for grown-ups who don't what to grow up.

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