Drifting always seems to bring out the same kinds of cars…Nissan S-platforms held together with zip-ties, rivets and hope, a whole legion of LS-swapped BMWs, Mazda RX-7s with V8s, 2JZ Toyotas, and every once in a great while a car choice that leaves every real enthusiast with a dropped jaw. We aren’t talking factory-effort cars or big-buck YouTube builds, either. Think of machines like the “Slidebird” Ford Thunderbird, or the “Bubba Drift” Chevy El Camino of Mike Peters….car selections that just don’t seem to gel properly for the slideways style. We’ve seen Corvettes, late-model GTOs, and 4th gen F-bodies give it a shot, and there were the Challenger and Charger factory cars like Sam Hubinette’s Charger, Challenger and Viper. There’s even the V-10 powered Chrysler 300C that David Waterworth drifts over in Europe. It’s cool to see random bodystyles that don’t fit the mold going full-tilt in a sport that is basically a sideshow event with rules…or reckless driving with elimination rounds.

Seeing an early G-body Buick Regal shredding tires isn’t the norm for a lot of places. First off, you don’t see many of these Regals period…unlike the 1981-87 body style, the earlier Regal isn’t as popular and was nowhere near as potent as later T-types and Grand Nationals. But this video caught me so off guard that I had to do some digging. The wheelman in the video is Chris Kolden and the car originally belonged to his dad. It did driver duty, and it was fine in that regard, but recently they wanted to give the Regal a second life. Enter the current phase: a potent 327ci small-journal small-block Chevrolet and the ability to send the Regal sliding at will. Would you believe that the footage you are seeing is only the second time the car went sliding? I still don’t, and I’m looking at Kolden’s own words as I type. The car has only been screaming around since May of this year and it’s a true budget deal…until more money gets scared up for tires, the Regal will be quiet until maybe as late as July.

Chris naturally had a list of people he wanted to thank for getting this far, which includes his family (Mom, Dad, Nathan, Brianne, Jordan and Troy), Tanner at T.M. Tinting for the video capture. His father, Jordan and Tanner together make up the crew for the car, which runs under the Dopeformance banner.  For a very early run at drifting a late 1970s sled, it’s a great first shot. An emerald green Buick is a killer change in pace from the usual stickered-up Silvias that we normally see, it’s rowdy as all hell and if Kolden is really a rookie, just wait until he gets more practice under his belt!

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(Lead photo by Hedgemedge Photography, courtesy of Chris Kolden)