We sat down with Zale O’Conner (NZWindows Installation Supervisor) to discuss his involvement in a unique sport… drifting. What makes this even more unique is that Zale built the car from the ground up himself. Here’s what he had to say about his journey so far:

“Building something from nothing was a huge task that has taken me a good part of a year and a half to complete, along with large amounts of effort and support from sponsors such as NZWindows. The build wasn’t a simple task and came with many challenges and failures, which made me adopt the positive mindset of “bugger it, I can do that, and I will do it better”. We are running an LS1 with a t56 gearbox, along with some slight modifications, stage 4 cam, headers, intake, and a fancy clutch to handle the power. The biggest challenge with the build was making the headers. The Altezza engine bay was not made to take a V8, but with some nice tight headers and some small changes to the subframe, it all ended up working. There were a few elements of the build beyond my capability, so I got the experts in for help with the roll cage and wiring. Aside from these two aspects, everything else was made by myself. The year has consisted of some great driving, with each new experience acting as a learning curve. There are a few exciting opportunities on the horizon for me, as I am aiming to be a part of D1NZ along with some other series. Currently, we are in the process of an engine rebuild and further changes to help with the longevity of the engine. I can’t thank NZWindows enough for supporting me on my path to a lifelong dream of mine.”