Just how impressive is this prewar car's rain-soaked drift? You tell us

[Hagerty]

Drifting is a sport that gets a lot of gruff from enthusiasts. The lack of any timing or other objective performance metric makes it unique in the motorsports space and thus frequently misunderstood. It's the slowest way around a corner-any road racer will tell you that-but, by golly, does drifting look badass when the subject is a pre-war racer on skinny tires.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/motorsports/just-how-impressive-is-this-prewar-cars-rain-soaked-drift-...

[audiocage]

Well, that's just glorious. So much to like, even if you choose to ignore the brilliant car control. Just watching him work the controls is a treat. Kudos for taking these out in the wet and using them as intended.

These early cars: they had figured out the 'go' part and got it working so much better than the 'stop' and 'turn' parts at this point in time. It took massive skills and massive stones to hustle them along.

[Hagerty Fan]

My comment on the driving in that video? Four words…he has big ones. Really almost unbelievable given the value of that car and personal risk.

That said, I’ll stick with my analogy comparing drift events to professional wrestling…some  talent may be displayed but neither should be confused with real sport or contest. They’re both just a good show.

[Flashman]

"...a lot of gruff"?

[leigh]

Wow, just wow. And it's not only the slide. At other points in the drive it looks like he's riding a bucking bronco, steering one-handed while he yanks on levers to his right (what are those?). I get scared just driving my GT6 around the block. Can't imagine that.

[Kyle]

Those levers on the right are shifter and a hand brake. If he has a pedal brake (I would be surprised if that was the case) the hand brake is merely a duplicate.

[Gary_Bechtold]

All kinds of crazy. I love it. Easy 10 there for skill on skinny tires in the wet without any safety net.

[hyperv6]

More fun than impressive. We did this stuff growing up.

With an old posi we steered more with the throttle than the steering wheel. 

The ones that always made an impression were the high powered cars of the 60’s and 60’s before down force. Not only did the slide and drift but at some tracks caught air like at the Ring. 

That was fearlessness and skill. Unfortunately many ran out of skill and we still remember them today. 

The greatest was G Villanueve and Senna in the rain. Or Giles when he lost his front wing in Canada in the F1 rave. 

[Hagerty Fan]

“More fun than impressive. We did this stuff growing up.”

Really… you drove six-figure valued, 100 year old cars with 1 1/2 inch wide tires at full tilt on a wet rainy track and intentionally induced oversteer to get it around the corner at speed, with nothing but shoe leather between your coconut and the track if you messed up?  
Man…what did you do for REAL excitement as a kid…bull riding in a rose patch wearing a swim suit?