The Story Behind the Tokyo Drift Mustangs From the Guy Who Built Them

Each and every Fast and Furious movie seems to take on its own sort of identity. While there are so many sequels these days that they can be easy to mix up, it seems like the folks behind the movies really work hard to make sure that the vehicles make a statement. Whether the crew is heading to Tokyo, London, or Samoa, the goal is to encompass the culture with the rides.

In one of the OG Fast and Furious movies with Tokyo Drift, this concept was readily apparent. In fact, one might even argue that this movie did a massive favor for JDM car culture here in the United States. One look at the screen and we, as Americans, were exposed to all sorts of concepts that might not have been all that familiar.

One of the ways that the movie chose to introduce us to this concept was actually through an unlikely candidate. When the protagonist in the movie needed a vehicle for himself, he turned to the likes of a Ford Mustang. Not very JDM, right? Well, hold on a second. With the movie set where it was, obviously, the American classic was going to have some strong Japanese influence.

The video below dives into just that Mustang. At this point, most of us have become familiar with Craig Lieberman, the guy responsible for picking out the cars in the early movies. This time, Craig goes behind-the-scenes with the guy who actually built the Mustangs of Tokyo Drift.

In this one, we get to meet Sean Morris, the man responsible for the crazy concept. If making a statement was what they were looking to do with this car, it seems like they were pretty successful in that goal. At the end of the day, seeing how these car choices came to really make us appreciate the movies even more.