Daigo Saito might be the most exciting drifter on the scene these days. Not only has he piloted some of the stranger sideways concoctions in recent history – namely a LFA, a Ferrari 599 GTB, and a Murcielago – but he made headlines this spring when announcing his sabbatical from the Formula D series in 2016. Few people have the same sort of presence in the drifting world as the man, who has been crowned champion in America’s Formula D in 2012, D1 champ in 2008 and Southeast Asia’s Formula D king in 2012.

This past year, after all the exhausting traveling, Saito focused his efforts on D1. After a brief stop, the man’s return for the Formula D 2017 season has been announced and, if Saito’s presence remains the same, he will surely turn heads.

That much steering angle should be illegal.

Saito’s return to Formula D is held with high expectation, merely because the guy is brilliant behind the wheel, but to complement his talent, a program put together between Saito’s own Fat Five Racing and HKS yielded the new Hipermax Max IV SP Daigo Special.

The trend in Formula D is moving towards more and more power, typically based around a turbocharged LS. Daigo is one of the few who doesn’t use an American V8, and will build upon the venerable VR38DETT  for the 2017 season. Nissan fans can sit back comfortably.

The best part about Saito’s car is that most of the parts used are available to the public. HKS’ internals are used to expand the engine’s capacity to 4.3 liters, which includes a billet crankshaft, H-beam connecting rods, and a billet piston kit.

Mated to a set of HKS GTII8267 Symmetry turbochargers, the motor pushes out 1,280 horsepower and 940 pound-feet of torque. That power is fed to the rear wheels via a sequential gearbox, shifted with Saito’s left hand.

With an interior more appropriate for a GT3 car, the HKS GT-R is all business.

There’s plenty of power, but it’s not merely a muscle machine. The drift car uses a set of HKS Hipermax II coilovers to help add to some of the agility, and a considerable weight loss program helps aid some of the agility that pros note the stock GT-R is lacking.

A lightweight Liberty Walk bodykit trims some of the Nissan’s inherent tubbiness, as does a full carbon dash. Observing the insane amount of steering lock available and the monstrous rate at which the machine gathers speed, it will be competitive, especially with the calm and composed Saito behind the wheel.

A clear head is a necessity with a drift car of this caliber, since the power delivery sounds far from progressive and a delicate touch is needed to keep the GT-R from spinning. It might be a powerful car with all the trimmings, but it’s certainly not the most nimble machine on the grid. However, if there’s one man who can make a big car like the Mark II or the GT-R dance around like an anorexic ballerina, it’s this man.