Close-up on Hugo's rebuilt AE85

Those of you familiar with the New Zealand drifting scene will be just as familiar with Hugo Maclean's 'poo-brown' AE85 drift car. If you aren't in the know, one of the younger competitive drivers in our D1 Pro series, Hugo has caused a bit of controversy over the last couple of years with his beloved hatchback that has seen him grab a lot of international exposure. Firstly causing a stir with his choice of a Honda F20C motor and then even more of a fuss when he switched to a 13B rotary powerplant, the car now boasts a new 'mystery motor' - to be revealed in the latest issue of Performance Car magazine! Before I get around to sharing a few more photos I took of the car on Saturday, here are a few older shots of Hugo's car from over the past couple of years...



Photo from Performance Car



Photo from STM Blog





Photo from MGN

Along with the impressive new engine set-up, the AE has also been resprayed with a custom glitter brown paint job and been given new graphics applied by Mad Mike at CRE8GRAFX



Just as exciting as the new graphics is the announcement of a sponsorship deal from HOONIGAN! Congrats Hugo!



Hugo's Work Meister S1s are 16x9.5 all round.



One thing I've noticed is that whenever someone puts a big wing on their competitive car, people on the internet all get their knickers in a twist over it. Hugo's had this wing for a while now, it still looks good and it serves a functional purpose. So get over it!



I love the simple new brown/purple/gold theme. I've always been one of those people that thinks cars just look better without graphics (how cool did Curt Whittaker's R34 look when it was all black!??) but to be honest I really favour this look over the plain brown. The graphics stand out and the overall look is still classy.



Loving the use of the gold vinyl covering the vents in the D-Max bonnet!



Such a clean interior. So digging the purple harnesses!



Make sure to check out the new issue of Performance Car magazine (SUPPORT PRINT MEDIA!!!) for a full feature on Hugo's revamped 85 including the much awaited reveal of his new motor. I'm personally a big fan and am really looking forward to seeing it in action this coming season!