The recipe for building a basic drift car is very simple. As you yourself move from being a novice, though, so does the complexity of your machine, as UK-based Driftworks Limited owner and driver Phil Morrison explains in the XCar video posted here.
All you need at first is a read-drive car with decent dynamics and not an excessive amount of power. If you go for a lot of power right off the bat, Phil says you’ll either crash or it will mask your lack of skill…
You need live rear axle or locked diff, and some minor suspension tuning – a hydraulic handbrake is handy too.
Move on up in the world of drifting and your requirements will become more nuanced (and crazy). Take his Toyota AE86 running a V8 and lots of NASCAR components – it not only looks the part, but has 50/50 weight distribution; he’s still having trouble controlling it, though.