After the disappointment that was the Pinto-based second-gen Mustang, buyers welcomed the Fox Body's sharp, angular lines and light chassis with open arms. Pony cars like the Mustang LX and Mustang GT, which brought back the 5.0-liter V8 in 1982, and the 1986 Mustang SVO defined the '80s. In the last few decades, Fox Bodies haven't really gotten the love they deserved, but that's now starting to change. Gen-X enthusiasts who dreamed about owning a Fox Body in their teens are now in their 50s and 60s and at peak buying power, so third-gen Mustang values are beginning to soar.Fox Bodies are also some of the best project cars with near-endless aftermarket support. Some owners turn them into 8-second drag cars, but they also make the perfect platforms for track and drift builds. To prove just how true that is, HotCars render artists set out to create a widebody Fox Body Mustang drift build that puts any ‘80s Toyota AE86 Trueno or Nissan 240SX drift car to shame, and that’s exactly what it does. The Most Badass Fox Body Drift Build You'll See Any Time Soon When it hit the market in 1979, the original Fox Body Mustang tipped the scales at just around 2,500 lbs. Early Four-Eyed Fox Bodies may not be as popular as the post-’87 Aeronose Foxes, but they are generally much cheaper – a 1980 Cobra is worth around $13,800 in good condition, and average ones go for way under $10K. This is exactly the model our drift build is based on.Ford Fox Body Mustang drift build HotCars renderOur “drift-body” Mustang retains its angular hatchback silhouette we all know and love – but slammed to the ground and stretched into a widebody street weapon. Third-gen Mustangs with the special Cobra appearance package originally received a blacked-out lower body to contrast the base color, but this one makes do with carbon fiber in everything from the massive rear wing to the rear louvers and vents all around instead.Ford Fox Body Mustang drift build HotCars render At the front, a large carbon-fiber splitter connects to the side skirts beneath the door sills. Above it is a set of aggressive fins that help with front-end downforce, while functional vents send fresh air through the front brakes.Ford Fox Body Mustang drift build HotCars render The low stance and flared fenders that wrap a set of Toyo Proxes semi-slicks add a dose of that JDM spirit that somehow works perfectly with the Fox Body’s angular design. As a result, this Mustang would look just as at home in a Yokohama parking lot as it would be lapping Daytona.Ford Fox Body Mustang drift build HotCars renderThe definitive proof that this Fox Body means business is the tubular steel frame that completely replaces the rear bumper and exposes the massive single exhaust and heavy-duty rear differential. Giving The Fox Body Drift Car The Power It Deserves Ford Fox Body Mustang drift build HotCars render Of course, the iconic golden Cobra decal still sits on top of the raised center hood scoop, but to make this a proper drift build, the original 119-hp 255-cubic-inch V8 needed to go. Instead, in true JDM drift car spirit, the inconspicuous left headlight cold air intake kit feeds air into a twin-turbocharged six-pot – more specifically, Ford's 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 out of the latest Ford GT, which is good for up to 660 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque.Ford Fox Body Mustang drift build HotCars render Even without a larger turbo or intake, that kind of power would turn the sub-2,600-lb Fox Body Mustang into an absolute rocket. It’s also the only Ford six-cylinder that can directly stand up to the likes of Nissan's RB26 and Toyota's 2JZ, so it makes perfect sense to swap it into the lightest and arguably most underrated Ford Mustang to make the perfect drift build. Now, someone just needs to build one in real life.Source: Hagerty.
