Porsche 718 Cayman Drift Car Build Will Get Sideways With the Best of Them

 

What do you get when you mix Formula DRIFT Champion Chelsea DeNofa with a Porsche 718 Cayman S? A perfectly posh drift car

Formula DRIFT Champion Chelsea DeNofa is no stranger to building drift cars from Porsches, BMWs, and Ford Mustangs. However, it’s not every day that a pro drift driver turns their attention to a 982 Porsche 718 Cayman S. Well, that’s exactly what the self-proclaimed “mechanical sympathizer” did instead of racing in the 2025 Formula DRIFT season. 

DeNofa praises the turbocharged 2.5L four-cylinder mill in the 718 Cayman. Specifically, he says it makes commendable power in the mid-range. “That’s the most important thing,” DeNofa said of the engine in his YouTube video “Building The Dream – 718 Cayman Porsche Drift Car.” 

The Formula DRIFT champion goes on to defend the car. “A lot of people might be like why didn’t you build a GT4 or why didn’t you do something a different engine?” Further, he says the stock 718 mill they’re working with will support 600+ horsepower.

Even with eager driving dynamics, DeNofa had to prep the 718 Cayman S for sideways shenanigans

The mid-engine Porsche 718 Cayman S might not seem the most natural candidate for a drift car build. However, with some rear-end tweaks like new arms and replacement spherical heim joints, DeNofa maintained much of the car’s original geometry. 

Interestingly enough, DeNofa also wanted to retain as much of the Porsche’s original interior as possible. “The content from the inside of the car should look like we’re in kind of like a factory Porsche doing what we do,” DeNofa said of the efforts to incorporate and tuck the billet handbrake and master brake bias controllers. The result? Chelsea DeNofa has a tire-smoking 982 Porsche 718 Cayman S project with much of the original car’s charm intact.

Photos: Chelsea DeNofa via Instagram, YouTube

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