Don’t let the subtle styling and stock 16” rims fool you: Rhod Tippett’s E36 spends more time sideways than in a straight line thanks to what’s under the bonnet

We’re doing just over 40mph heading towards a crowd of blokes that are thinly disguising a solid concrete wall, properly out of control. I’m struggling to focus on the exact expressions of the guys but I can just about make out from their body language that they’re shuffling nervously, trying to find an escape route to avoid us hitting them. My right foot is stabbing on my passenger carpet in the vain hope it might have sprouted a brake pedal or dual controls. I’m ****ting myself and to make matters worse, while my knuckles have forced the blood from my skin, my driver (or should that be kamikaze pilot) Rhod hasn’t backed off once. Staggeringly, he hasn’t touched the brake for a while now, and he’s mashing his right foot hard again as plumes of smoke billow from his poor back tyres.

With a kick of the clutch and an armful of opposite lock, the whole car swings the other way and the back end is sliding past that concrete wall with only a few inches to spare. My **** is twitching like a good ’un as Rhod twirls and spins away at his steering wheel with his right foot solidly planted, with the revs never dropping below five grand.
You can forget D1 or pro drifting, budget drifting is where it’s at for the biggest grins on the smallest cost. For only £60 for days unlimited track time and a spare pair of tyres, drifting doesn’t get any easier or accessible than this, and Rhod’s testament to that. He’ll be on track from the minute it opens until his last pair of tyres pop, just like the other seventy-odd amateur drifters here at Santa Pod today for the season’s first Drift What Ya Brung day.

As we pull into the pit lane, clouds of repugnant white smoke follow us in as the next budget drifter heads out in his moody-looking and slightly tired E30. Rhod looks chuffed with his laps of Santa Pod’s high speed drift track as he looks across at me and grins: “You enjoy that?” I think my incessant grin says it all without him even asking. This is my first hardcore drift passenger ride and already I’m planning how I can find some cash together to buy anything rear-wheel-drive…

But getting this good at drifting hasn’t come overnight for Rhod, who’s keen to point out that he’s no pro: he’s just an ex cruiser at heart that spent a few too many nights doing donuts in supermarket carparks. Rhod laughs as we look back at shared nights of not giving a **** and hanging out with mates, torturing back tyres.
“I started out drifting before it was even knew what it was,” smiles Rhod. “I had a 3-door Sierra Cosworth and back in 2000 I was all about hanging the **** out in carparks and through roundabouts. I’m not ashamed to admit I was a hardcore cruiser.”

Rhod attended a drift day at an air strip in his Sierra – Organised by his mate Gossy in his Scooby - complete with race suspension and running rear slicks. “We had an absolute blast,” grins Rhod. “I really got a taste for it, but drifting still hadn’t hit big over here.”

But with the Cossie starting to be more sought after, Rhod couldn’t use it very often and risk leaving it anywhere, and besides, all that drifting was killing what was a classic in the making, even if it did have a blue oval nailed to the grille. Rhod remembers: “I started looking for something else. Every day I used to see a 200SX in the station carpark. I figured if that didn’t attract unwanted attention, it would make a great alternative to the Sierra: two-litre, 16V turbo and RWD with a locking diff, all for three grand less than the Sierra was worth.”

So, for two years Rhod ran the S14a – mainly sideways – giving it death everywhere, with only a turbo gasket failing him in all that time. But Rhod wanted something more useable and he was about to get inspired: “A mate of mine bought an E36 325i with something very special under the bonnet: 3.0-litres of M3 motor! I’d never really thought much about a BM before but I was soon hooked. We went on a weekend away with two girls and I couldn’t believe how this car tanked along at 140mph in complete comfort but with plenty of excitement. I made my mate an offer he couldn’t refuse and the deal was done.”

Rhod’s stealth E36 had been chipped too but other than that was completely stock all bar a private plate. “I couldn’t care less about private plates so I got in touch with Dougal, who’s a Hardcore DJ to see if he was interested as the plate seemed to suit him,” starts Rhod. “He freaked me out though when he asked if it was on a silver E36. I said ‘yes’, staggered by how he knew. On the other end of the phone I heard him laugh as he told me that he bought the car brand new and that was his old plate. Eleven owners later, the car had ended up with me.”

A few weeks later, it was Rhod who had a laugh when he saw Dougal: “I met up with him, and he was keen to see the car again. He smiles as he remembered it well. But I soon stopped him in his tracks when I popped the bonnet…”

Rhod ran the E36 for a while as he saved the cash to get a misfire sorted. He took it to a few garages for them to diagnose what it could have been caused by but most of them drew a blank. Rhod was losing heart until one of them suggested a guy called Phil Crouch, who runs CPC Performance Engineering. Rhod tells us: “After only five minutes on the phone, I knew this guy was on it. You couldn’t have faked that kind of knowledge. He popped around to come and look at the car to diagnose the problem straight away.”

But the news for Rhod wasn’t good, as he recalls with a heavy heart: “Phil said it needed a full rebuild from top to bottom and so I had to book the car in with him to get started; but I knew it was in good hands.”
A few weeks later, Rhod got a call and the bad news got worse: “Phil told me I’d done all twelve exhaust valves as well as blowing the head gasket too, with a chance the head may be warped. My heart sank even lower. But when Phil said that to sort the valves would be £86, my spirits lifted, spared a hefty rebuild cost.”
But that euphoria was short-lived as Phil pointed out that cost was for only one valve. With a projected cost of over a grand for valves alone, Rhod needed a more affordable solution. “The project was always meant to be on a budget and I needed help. I posted a request on the Driftworks forum and soon another user came up trumps with a good original head, complete with all the valves. With that bolted onto the freshly-rebuilt bottom end, Phil had the motor back in Rhod’s car in no time boasting a reliable 100bhp per litre with the engine management chip. Just the ticket for smoking rear tyres…

But to properly hang it with the big boys, Rhod needed more help out the back, as he explains: “I needed to lock the diff somehow but while I was drift crazy, my budget build had to be completely useable on the road too. I ruled out welding up a diff because it’s just hell on tight corners or for parking when the inside wheel wants to jump all the time,” starts Rhod. “A stock M3 diff would have only given around 25% lock up, which wouldn’t have been enough to guarantee results. In the end I went for a rebuilt and uprated M3 diff that gives 40% lock; much more like it.”

But although the diff was £600, it was the best money Rhod had spent on the build and he swore he’d get the best he could. On the track, the LSD locks up each and every time, taking the guesswork out of each initiation and giving Rhod the predictability he needed for consistent drift performance, yet remaining as quiet as an open diff.

For a few months Rhod was cleared out after the diff and engine rebuild, but he patiently waited to sort his suspension. “To keep the build cost to a minimum, I scanned eBay and the forums every day for second-hand gear that meant I could buy better used gear for the same money as cheap new stuff,” smiles an experienced Rhod. “Eventually, I found a set of Koni coilovers on Driftworks for a bargain £400. I snapped them up at that price and what a transformation it made for on the road. After Phil had set them up, the ride was only a little more stiff but it was on the track that they really came into their own,” says Rhod.

Through corners, standard suspension rides too high and relies on camber for it to bite, making the car naturally roll onto the outer wheels, giving more traction. But for drifting, the coilovers lower the centre of gravity, increasing stability and change the camber to gain traction without the need for body roll. With the car not wallowing and chopping around as Rhod changes direction quickly, the weight shifts off the front axle onto the rear, which gives him the traction to push into the drift. But confidence in the car’s performance whilst drifting is what counts, as Rhod says: “…turning it from an art into a science. It helps me anticipate what the car will do next.”

After a new set of brakes, Rhod hadn’t planned to sort the E36 coupe body yet but after a drift event, the car had other ideas, as he smiles: “The back arches were typically tatty, like most E36s of this age. But after a rear tyre de-laminated, the torn off steel-banded rubber sections slapped the rear arches so hard and I could see right through the rusty holes they left in the arch.”

Well-known bodyshop to the drifters of the UK – Littleknocks – was to come to the rescue. Rhod had already received a quote to tidy the bodywork a few weeks earlier and called them back slightly sheepishly explaining he may need a tad more work. “Now, I’m a horsepower fiend and not into body work,” shrugs Rhod. “But after the Littleknocks guys had fitted a whole new panel for the holy rear arches and then given the car an entire repaint, even I had to admit it was very impressive.”

The car today is as close to ideal as Rhod wants it to be. “On the road it’s a practical daily driver with four seats and a boot. It even returns 400 miles to a tank if I drive carefully. Then at the weekends can I load it up with tyres and come here. Here it’s a well set up, reliable drift car which never fails to put a smile on my face. I’ve worked hard to make it perform whilst remaining reliable. That way I can give it a good pasting all day and still drive to work Monday morning.”

Despite competing in the early UK Drift Championships, Rhod found drifting for fun, rather than points suited him best. “Days like these are inclusive, affordable and serious fun. After you start, you just want to improve.” He explains. “There are five ‘play pens’, which anyone can use to practice donuts and figure eights on in quiet. Then, when you're ready to go a little faster, you can use the small drift circuit to build up confidence. If you want to go ***** out, the high-speed track is awesome, especially when you’re out with a bunch of guys just like yourself.” “Even busy days like this give enough seat time to learn how your car drifts so by the end of the day most people can link the entire circuit.”

The only downside and biggest consumable on days like these is tyres. Rhod explains this as he swaps over to his next pair: “A large collection of spare rims and enormous tyre pile is essential for a day out like this. Ideally you should arrive here with as many spare tyres as you can fit in the car, but even if you do run out, there is an onsite tyre fitter who has spares in every size ever made.”

‘Arrive and drive’ drifting like DWYB has to be one of the most affordable and enjoyable motorsports in the UK. The secret is not having to spend a fortune to enjoy it, and even better still, just like Rhod, you can rock up in your daily driver, bolt on a spare set of wheels and go for it, driving home when you’re done.
So next time your mates ask what you’re doing at the weekend, wouldn’t it be cool to tell them you’re just hanging out, smoking with your mates…

Data File

ENGINE & TRANSMISSION: 2990cc straight six M3 engine transplant, fully rebuilt by CPC. Unknown management chip. M3 induction and exhaust systems. Six-speed M3 Evo gearbox with modified and balanced propshaft. M3 Evo clutch. Rebuilt and uprated M3 LSD differential with 40% lock up

CHASSIS: Multiple sets of factory 16in 325i wheels with whatever tyres are ready to die. Black Diamond drilled/grooved discs with Ferrodo DS2500 compound pads. Goodridge stainless brake lines with fully synthetic brake fluid. M3 steering rack conversion

EXTERIOR: OEM BMW ‘Aero’ bumpers. Full body restoration and repaint in Arctic Grey

INTERIOR: FIA-approved Corbeau Pro Race Carbon reinforced Kevlar seat with Sparco universal mounts and three-point harnesses. Momo F1 steering wheel. Storm Motorwerks billet gearknob. Custom leather door cards.

ICE: Sony head unit with Infinity Reference 4” (front) and 6x9 speakers (rear)

THANKS: Thanks: Chris @ Littleknocks (Little Knocks Vehicle Smart Repair Centre - Car Bodywork & Accident Repair), Phil Crouch at CPC Performance Engineering (CPC Performance Engineering BMW M Power and Alpina Specialists - Home), Jon at Motortec (Motortec), Metrix Motorsport (Metrix Motorsport), Lex at DWYB (DWYB - Drift What Ya Brung - Learn & Practice Drifting) and all the boys at Drifting with Driftworks. Thanks to Bon for his never-ending advice as well as Chunk, Ant and Superclarkey for their last minute help.




Box out: Drifting made easy

Today’s drift day is aimed at novices and pros alike, run by head man, Alexis ‘Lex’ Drew. DWYB is open to all for as much drifting as you can fit in one day, all for only £60. It’s informal and fun is the key. Everyone here remembers their first time and they're keen to help guide novices. Rhod told us: “A guy who had not long had a Z3M brought it along a while ago. I jumped in with him and took him to one of the play pens.”
There’s even a guy on site who can sell you tyres, fitted for only a fiver so you don’t even have to bring your own rubber to play with, although without a spare wheel, Rhod reckons he can get nine wheels and tyres in his E36.
If you’re like me and want to find out more about how to drift affordably, the DWYB website is DWYB - Drift What Ya Brung - Learn & Practice Drifting which has all the event details on it, along with how to get involved. If you fancy having a taste of how addictive drifting can be, why not book yourself a passenger ride in one of the top-spec drift cars at the UK’s best circuits. Check out Drift Taxis - Grab the ride of your life for more. Once you’ve got a taste for this affordable motorsport, why not have a go before you buy your first drift car? The team at DriftRacing.co.uk offer a hire service for the day where you can be taught by the experts how to get the hang of it.