Over the weekend at round two of the NZ Drift Series in association with NAC Insurance, Matamata’s Jonathan Bennett turned out to slide in his freshly made over Toyota Levin AE85. Still packing the same turbocharged F20C-powerplant at the core, Jonathan has spent countless hours since round one freshening up a number of aspects of the build. Most notable among the changes is the tidied exterior, and the custom CRE8GRAFX 1980s motocross-inspired decals supplied by fellow drifter Mad Mike Whiddett. Also new on the outside is the switch from 15-inch wheels to larger 17-inch rims. While on the cleanup, Jonathan also fitted a new Garrett turbocharger to increase power from 240kW to around 260kW at the wheels.

Finished just a matter of days before round two at Pukekohe Park Raceway, Jonathan was hopeful of repeating the good results he’d been achieving in his Levin over the past 12 months. Unfortunately for Jonathan, a late morning incident involving the outside sweeper wall destroyed the new-look package. While the Levin remained driveable, a blown turbo meant that Jonathan had to compete the typically reliable turbocharged F20C in its old naturally aspirated guise for qualifying and battles. Up against Johnny Udy’s twin-turbo V8 Holden Monaro, it was always going to be a tough ask for Jonathan, who was sadly sent packing to the trailer after his Top 16 battle. With the damage mostly cosmetic, it won’t take Jonathan and his team long to have the Levin performing and looking its best. For those wanting to see more of this rapid Levin, keep an eye out for a full feature in a coming issue of Performance Car magazine. Thankfully, we managed to grab the car for a few hours before Jonathan hit the track on the weekend!