Every time I come to Italy with certain expectations — mostly because of the Drift Series Italy (DSI) events — the weekends always somehow end up exceeding them.
Last October, DSI hosted Private Party 3, followed by a trackday event on Sunday, bringing people to northern Italy from all over: the other side of the country, Switzerland, France, Austria, Tobias and me from Romania, and many more.
Italy has been a huge inspiration for me, largely because of the people behind DSI. Even though most of them drive Japanese cars – or European cars built with Japanese styling in mind – as an outsider, I can still recognize that distinct Italian sense of style and atmosphere at their events.
Everything at Private Party 3 felt incredibly well thought out and carefully put together, most notably their Drift Series Italy booth, which they call “the mobile living room.” The name fits perfectly, because it genuinely feels as cozy as one, with warm, dim lighting, plants, vintage carpets, and a massive red leather sofa. It’s all wrapped up with a huge tent that originally dates back to the team’s paintball days, long before their drifting activities. And yes, they haul all of it everywhere they go. They would rather have no booth than compromise their vision, even if that means bringing both a van and a small truck to transport everything, as they did for Tomodori in France last summer. That’s exactly what I mean by the Italian sense of style: no compromises.
Federico, the founder of DSI, was also kind enough to lend us his personal second-generation Lexus GS 300 to get around during the weekend. We needed it too, because there was a lot of highway driving between Milan, where we were staying, Bergamo, where the party took place, and Circuito internazionale Le Colline in Chignolo, where the track day was held. On top of that, we made a small side quest to Turin to pick up Gio’s light blue Nissan S14, a car I had been especially excited to see in person, mainly because of the body kit, wheel, and color combination.
The whole trip felt like a video game. And while it was held in the middle of autumn, it somehow still felt like summer.
Private Party 3 itself featured plenty of interesting cars. I’m always hunting for rare parts or details I’ve only ever seen online, whether cosmetic or functional. This time, though, the highlight of the night wasn’t a part, but a car I didn’t even know existed.
The FD3S Mazda RX-7 FD3S is a factory-built race car that was delivered new to Italy. It’s a lot like a Cup car: aside from the safety equipment, wider wheels and tires, and upgraded suspension, the rest is pretty much as you’d find in a road-going RX-7.
Another car you would expect at an event like this was a Ferrari 512TR, parked right in the middle of the party with its hood wide open, spotless and glowing under the lights. It belonged to none other than the owner of the venue itself. Only in Italy.
The next day at the track, the weather remained just as kind. It was occasionally windy, but never enough to become an issue. I’ve been to many tracks around Europe, both large and small, but Circuito internazionale Le Colline stands out because of how naturally the environment blends into the paddock. Most cars sat parked on grass, shaded by tall trees.
The Swiss and Italians always seem to go head-to-head when it comes to both style and driving. Some of the cars there were put together so well that they made platforms I normally overlook start to grow on me purely because of how well done they were.
And by “well done,” I don’t necessarily mean heavily modified or overloaded with parts. Sure, there were some incredible builds, but nowadays I feel like many people forget the beauty of simplicity and cleanliness, while still maintaining attention to detail as the main goal. But this might just be the opinion of someone who grew up fanboying over Tohoku-style 180SXs – cars we only got in Europe as the 200SX with the CA18DET.
There were also several standout S14s, both zenki (pre-facelift) and kouki (facelift) models, ranging from near-OEM looking to more aggressive interpretations, but all driven exactly as they were intended to be.
From the Italian side, Gio’s zenki stood out with its mix of aero parts, but most notably its Chargespeed front bumper, along with the wheel mismatch caused by a highway puncture the Friday before the event: RAYS Volk Racing GTCs on the front and Gram Lights 57DRs on the back.
Representing Swiss S14s were two strong contenders: Thama’s kouki and Ian’s zenki, each standing out in completely different ways. Thama’s kouki is more driving-focused, and he drives in that unmistakable Kansai manner with big feints and high-speed entries. The car leans heavily toward function, but it still features an amazing choice of upgrades, from Japanese parts all the way to the Recaro driver’s seat, which was pulled from an old Porsche Cup car. Ian’s zenki, meanwhile, is all about style with absolutely no compromises. Even his spare drift wheels are chrome with color-matched lug nuts, while the interior is deeply customized with painted trim pieces, retrimmed fabrics, and the rear seats removed in favor of a stylish sound system setup.
S-chassis cars have remained popular in Japanese and American drifting culture for decades, but across much of Europe, enthusiasts started searching for alternative rear-wheel-drive platforms. While many settled on BMW 3 Series and sometimes even 5 Series models, Jaco and Sam from Trash Style looked to the E30’s longtime rival: the Mercedes-Benz 190E.
As they often say, the aftermarket support for drifting these cars isn’t exactly extensive, which makes it even more impressive how they managed to transform these Stuttgart-built sedans into stylish, Japanese-inspired drift cars. At this event, only Jaco drove. His red Mercedes is the more heavily developed of the two, featuring an M111 engine swap that suits the chassis perfectly. Sam’s setup is much simpler by comparison, but together they make an excellent duo, especially with the matching Buddy Club P1 wheels up front.
Writing all of this somehow makes me miss the unmatched cozy vibes of DSI even more. To me, every event feels like a movie or a book: the story may already exist, but everyone experiences it differently. And when it comes to Drift Series Italy, I’m always looking forward to the next sequel.
Thank you again for another fun weekend – a presto!
The indoor photos with the flash are incredible!