Shops, People & Opinion - �ֲ��ý is the Tuner's Source for Modified Car Culture since 1999

Mad Mike Is Building the World's First Formula One Drift Car

2026-06-10T15:21:03+00:00

Photos Courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool

Global drifting icon Mad Mike Whiddett has revealed his most ambitious project to date: transforming a former Formula One chassis into a rotary-powered drift car.

The New Zealand drifter, known for creating some of the world's most outrageous custom builds, announced plans to convert a 1986 March 87P chassis into what he believes will be the world's first Formula One drift car. The project, dubbed FORMIDABUL, will be documented through a six-part YouTube series following the build from concept to completion.

Whiddett has built a reputation for pushing the boundaries of drifting with machines like the 1,200-horsepower RADBUL Mazda MX-5, the Lamborghini Huracán-based NIMBUL drift car, and most recently the rotary-powered MADMAC McLaren P1. However, he says the Formula One project represents the biggest challenge he and his team have ever undertaken.

“It is quite scary actually. We are building by far the most insane project Toni and I have ever tackled,” Whiddett said alongside Mad Mike Motorsport manager and partner Toni Cook.

The build is taking place at MADLAB, Whiddett's workshop at Hampton Downs in New Zealand, where fabrication and engineering work is already underway. The project team includes engine builder Alec Bell and fabricator and engineer Brendon Thomas.

Originally developed as a Formula 3000 car before being adapted for Formula One competition, the March chassis competed during the 1987 Formula One season under the Leyton House banner. Powered by a Ford Cosworth DFZ V8 and driven by Ivan Capelli, the car earned a best finish of sixth place at the Monaco Grand Prix and became known for its distinctive teal livery.

Converting the chassis into a drift car presents a unique set of engineering challenges. The team plans to integrate a rotary engine into the carbon-fiber monocoque chassis, a configuration Whiddett says has never been attempted in a Formula One car. Additional hurdles include adapting the original H-pattern transmission and modifying the compact cockpit and chassis layout for drifting.

A lifelong fan of 1980s and 1990s Formula One, World Rally Championship, and motocross competition, Whiddett says the era's engineering innovation and fearless driving style inspired the project.

“The part I'm looking forward to most with this project is the inspiration I hope rubs off on anyone who sees it and learns my story,” Whiddett said. “Growing up with my solo mum on a very limited budget, I spent my time building, breaking and learning to modify old radio-controlled cars, and I never let anything stand in the way of chasing my dreams full throttle. That journey has now led me to engineering my dream Formula One car to showcase and entertain the world. If I can do it, so can you.”

The six-episode series will document every stage of the build, including the chassis teardown, rotary engine development, engine management, cooling systems, fabrication work, steering and chassis development, testing, and the final reveal.

Follow the FORMIDABUL build series on Mad Mike's YouTube channel at youtube.com/@madmike.123.

�ֲ��ý Audience Choice Awards 2025

2025-11-18T16:27:56+00:00

We're back again with another round of �ֲ��ý Audience Choice Awards, for the first time since 2018. Our team put together a list of names for each category, and narrowed down the nominees for each one to six finalists. The idea behind the Audience Choice Awards is to recognize builders, events, creators, and personalities from across our industry for their contributions to our culture. In true Audience Choice Awards fashion, the ultimate decisions on finalists will be left to you!
We will reveal the winners of each category on an upcoming Editorial Desk podcast!

One ballot per person. Voting ends December 3rd, 2025

{loadmoduleid 184}

What Should We Look For At SEMA 2025?

2025-10-14T15:51:03+00:00

The big show is upon us once again, and we've been watching everyone get their builds prepped for SEMA 2025. The hashtag "#SEMAPREP" is building up tons of new sneak peeks and teasers, and some of the industry's highest profile builders are letting their audiences behind the scenes to look at some of the secret sauce we can expect to see in Las Vegas. With that said, we're always looking to see what else we should be looking for at SEMA 2025 - and we would love to hear from our audience!

If you, or someone you know, has a big plan for a reveal or a display at SEMA 2025, let us know! We'll do our best to see them all.

Slide into our DMs on Instagram

Email us Editor@pasmag.com

If we select the vehicle you submitted, we'll let you know when we're checking it out at the show, and on the podcast!

PAS365 Editorial Desk - Episode 8

2024-12-12T17:43:59+00:00

The editorial team returned to the live stream on December 10, 2024 to chat about the latest happenings in the automotive industry, their own car progress, and as usual - to evaluate a handful of submitted features for the 2025 calendar year live on the air, taking calls from the vehicle owners to see who was worthy of a feature in the coming year of 12 magazines. This week's topics included BMW's Need For Speed recreation, UHaul's new car trailers, PRI 2024, Recaro's bankruptcy, and more. Join Adam, Rich, Youssef, and Harjaan at the desk for this week's episode.

PAS365 Editorial Desk - Episode 7

2024-12-03T19:33:09+00:00

Back again for another episode of the PAS365 Editorial Desk, the editorial team returned to the live stream on December 3, 2024 to chat about the latest happenings in the automotive industry, their own car progress, and as usual - to evaluate a handful of submitted features for the 2025 calendar year live on the air, taking calls from the vehicle owners to see who was worthy of a feature in the coming year of 12 magazines. This week's topics included Jaguar's controversial rebrand, Nissan's lifespan as a brand, the final A90 Supra, and more. Join Adam, Julia, Youssef, and Harjaan at the desk for this week's episode.

PAS365 Editorial Desk - Episode 6

2024-11-26T21:29:17+00:00

Back again for another episode of the PAS365 Editorial Desk, the editorial team returned to the live stream on November 26, 2024 to chat about the latest happenings in the automotive industry, their own car progress, Black Friday 2024 sales, and as usual - to evaluate a handful of submitted features for the 2025 calendar year live on the air, taking calls from the vehicle owners to see who was worthy of a feature in the coming year of 12 magazines. Join Adam, Julia, Youssef, and Harjaan at the desk for this week's episode.

PAS365 Editorial Desk - Episode 5: The Big 2025 Announcement

2024-11-21T17:18:08+00:00

On Tuesday November 19, 2024, we took to the airwaves on our live podcast to make a big announcement. In light of the ongoing demand for more print magazines by our audience, and more features of their builds, we're doubling down on the magazine presence and features in multimedia for the year of 2025. To start the process, we dig into the pile of submissions that have built up since our previous print issues to evaluate them live. Viewers and vehicle owners have the opportunity to call in and discuss after the segment as well, which makes for an interesting few phone calls. As always, we also discuss what's trending around the industry, our own automotive adventures, and more.

Do you want to submit your vehicle for live judging and a potential magazine feature? Click here!

Shops, People & Opinion - �ֲ���ý is the Tuner's Source for Modified Car Culture since 1999