The Dead Sea resort area is anything but dead, when it comes to automotive action. The lowest point on earth, over 430 m below sea level seems to be a great place to let your adrenaline to start climbing. I have enjoyed driving around Jordan flagging off from the Panorama Road, twice so far. But those drives were nothing like the one you will see in this post, setting the perilous mountains roads ablaze with an incredible lateral adventure! The driver is Ahmad Daham, the top star in the UAE drifting scene and his latest ride is the Lexus RC F Carbon Kevlar, the most powerful Lexus drift car on the planet!
Ahmad Daham, star of a lateral universe, has once again teamed up with UAE Lexus distributor, Al-Futtaim Motors to create the most powerful drift car based on the valuable experience the tuner gained from his previous RC F drift effort, thus showcasing UAE’s topnotch performance craft to the global drift community. And so, the Red Bull athlete’s latest FIA Drift-spec machine on its first outing on Jordanian mountains is a 1,200hp RC F-based weapon weighing 1250kg – wrapped in a bespoke featherweight Carbon Kevlar body shell.
RC F Carbon Kevlar: Beyond just raw power and speed
This second car has many refinements over the first RC F drift car, not least because Daham had more time to build it. The first car was conceived and built in a record 70 days. Talking about time, Daham in fact had more than he would want, thanks to the global lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two themes are central to the latest RC F Carbon Kevlar drift car – more power and less weight. 1,200hp is four times the standard output. It comes from a heavily tuned version of the tuner-favorite 3.0L 2JZ straight-six single turbo motor that can rev up to 9000 rpm, which takes the place of the standard car’s naturally aspirated V8.
The new RC F drift car weighs only 1250 kg. Super-light Carbon-Kevlar body panels help the whole car shave more than 500kg off the showroom RC F. Roof, doors, seats, and body kit everything has the signature of Carbon-Kevlar on them. Kevlar is a synthetic fiber which is heat resistant. Kevlar fibre is comparable to carbon fibre in tensile strength but has a lower density. The combination creates a great example in strength and lightweight build.
Key tuning components added include a turbo charger, valve train and a triple pump fuel system. Wildwood racing calipers have replaced the regular brakes to reduce ‘unsprung mass’ that is not supported by the suspensions. The rolling rubber that scorched the mountains roads of Dead Sea are TOYO TIRES PROXIES R888R mounted onto Japan’s finest Rays Engineering 57CR wheels – 18” in the front and 19” in the rear.
Building against all odds
The build started in January of 2020. And they were collaborating with partners in the U.S and Europe to improve handling and reduce weight – the race car was about to take shape when the global COVID-19 pandemic overtook them, slowing custom parts shipped from the world over or stopping them from being picked up even when delivered. On top of that, a full martial law lockdown in Jordan had banned any vehicle from going on the road. For several days, Ahmed Daham made the one and a half hour trip from his camp to workshop by cycle to ensure he was there during the build process.
When the lockdown was lifted, the team got only 3-days to use their pre-submitted road block requests that was initially set for the reveal filming. This would be the first outing of the car and even as he drifted along the mountains, and while filming happened, Ahmed was fine tuning and adjusting the car. Watch the video
Specifications of the new Lexus RC F Carbon Kevlar Drift Car
Vehicle: 2019 Lexus RC F
Engine: 3.0L 2JZ vvti engine
Transmission: Samsonas 4-speed sequential transmission, Competiton Clutch 215 victory series clutch, Winters Performance quick-change differential, carbon fiber driveshaft & stage 5 axles
Power: Max Power: 1200hp/ 1080 ft-lb Torque, Rev Limit: 9,000rpm
Weight: 1250kg (2755lb)
Distribution: 47% F /53% R
Fuel system: Radium engineering Fuel cell surge tank, Radium engineering 40L fuel cell, Radium engineering fuel pressure regulator, Radium engineering fuel filter, 1700cc Injector Dynamics
Forced Induction: Garrett GTX3584RS, Tial 60mm wastegate
Electronics: Link Thunder ecu, Link AIM dash, Link fuel pressure and temperature sensor, Link oil pressure and temp sensor, Link EGT, Link wideband sensor, Link 4 bar map sensor, Link 4 port boost solenoid
Cooling: HGK custom radiator with Carbon Fiber shroud, Spal dual Fans, Dual Mocal 25 row oil coolers, Garrett 3.5” intercooler
Steering/Suspension/Brakes: BC racing 2 way custom coilovers, figs engineering front and rear knuckles and arms,Nitron 3-way adjustable front & rear coilovers,Wilwood 6-piston calipers & Wilwood drilled rotors (front), Wilwood 4-piston calipers & Wilwood drilled rotors (rear), ASD hydraulic handbrake
Wheels/Tyres: Rays 57CR 18×9.5inch (front) 19×10.5inch (rear), 255/35R18 (front) 285/35R19 (rear) TOYO TIRES PROXES R888RD
Exterior: Complete carbon-Kevlar Rocket Bunny aero body kit, carbon Kevlar roof, carbon-Kevlar doors
Interior: Carbon Kevlar Sparco seats, Schroth 6-point seat belts, Sparco steering wheel, partflocked carbon fibre dash,Tilton adjustable pedal assembly
