Damian Ackerman’s 1989 Drift Missile
Damian’s 1989 Toyota Supra ready to hit the track and burn some rubber.
Dominating the cold and icy tracks of Alaska is a 1989 Toyota Supra owned and built by Damian Ackerman. The winding road to creating this drift missile MKIII is full of surprises, tales of persistence, and constant evolving to build somethin
From old-school Toyotas to dirt racing and model cars, Damian’s passion for cars has been with him for as long as he can remember. Growing up, cars were more than just a hobby; they were part of his family’s legacy. His father and grandfather were both gearheads, and Damian was no exception. From his early childhood days bouncing around the backseat of off-road-built Land Cruisers to watching local races, his path was clear from the start.
Like many car enthusiasts, Damian’s collection started with Hot Wheels, but when it was time to buy his first real car, his budget was tight. He stumbled across a 1979 Toyota Celica for sale in his neighborhood and bought it for just $350. Though far from perfect, with a bit of elbow grease and time spent fixing the struts, brakes, and windshield, the car became drivable. That Celica not only became his first car but also sparked a lifelong love for rear-wheel drive vehicles.
Damian’s first car, a 1979 Toyota Celica that only cost $350.
At 16, Damian was learning to control cars on icy Alaskan roads with this Celica, often getting stuck in snowbanks along the way which inherently lead to the interest in learning how to control a car in a slide. Those early experiences led him to dirt oval racing at 18, where he built and raced a Celica on the track for several years. Eventually, he sold his street Celica in search of a Celica Supra, the next step in his journey.
Damian’s MKII Celica Supra.
Hard times meant he couldn’t immediately find the Supra of his dreams, but Damian’s resourcefulness kept him going. He picked up beater cars to get by for work and constantly searched Craigslist until he found a MKII Supra—although in rough shape. Despite its lack of keys, title, and glass, Damian bought it for $300 with a plan to pull the engine and transmission, rebuild and find a worthy shell. Although his exact plan didn’t come to fruition, fate intervened when he sold the transmission to a friend in need who had a perfectly streetable MkII Celica Supra that he bought.
For years, Damian drove and tinkered with the Supra, gradually earning a reputation in Alaska’s tight-knit car community as a dedicated Toyota guy. One day, a local car enthusiast messaged him about a MKIII Supra Turbo, and the price was too good to refuse. So Damian sold his MKII and made a deal to bring home the MKIII, his first Turbo Supra, in July 2016.
Damian’s first Turbo Supra, a 1989 Toyota Supra powered by a 7MGTE.
Over time, Damian added upgrades—a boost controller, intake, exhaust, and coilovers—making the car feel great. But after years of daily driving, he decided to take it a step further. He began acquiring parts to build a 7M-GTE engine, with a dream to take the car to drift events. Once he had access to a garage, Damian tore the car down entirely and rebuilt it from the ground up. Using templates made out of cardboard he was able to trace and cut custom steel bracing to reinforce the rear subframe. Lock the diff, add STI rotors and evo calipers in the rear with a dual caliper bracket to make use of the stock rear calipers for the hydro hand-brake. Removed the 7M and rebuilt it with forged pistons, H-beam rods, BC 264 cams, a modified pick up tube, and as many SR-Fab goodies as Damian could afford. A FFIM, tubular exhaust manifold, DM turbo kit, and ECU Masters standalone were added to compliment the fresh build. All that was left to get ready for the new drift season was a tune. Which was completed by a highly recommended Brandon Jeremy.
Damian’s hard work finally paid off. Although early events were cut short by a snapped alternator belt, Damian remained undeterred. Now, with better knowledge of how the car handled he made tweaks to the alignment, upgraded to better coilovers and installed a new alternator bracket to keep the drive belt straight for the next event.
On July 27, 2024 the Supra did a great run before a minute and a half into a solid dry lap that left the engine starved of oil. Despite all the efforts and money Damian had put into the car to not have it pass two drift events, he wasn’t upset. To him, it gave a taste of what the build could be and he knew that with reliable power, it would be an absolute monster.
Two days later, he managed to source a used 1JZGTE-VVTI from JDM of Oregon. Then, he ordered the necessary supporting mods, such as a PHR oil pump, billet timing belt pulley, new water pump, rear sump pan, TOMEI arms ball-bearing turbo, Artec manifold, and the Injector Dynamix 1050x injectors and 1zz coils from his 7m. The last event of the year was scheduled for September 21, 2024, and Damian was determined to complete the swap before then.
Everything worked out, with the new and improved Supra running and driving again 2 days before the event. Even with a light, conservative tuning, the car RIPPED! And it lived all the way through the event even managing to take home a win.
Damian’s journey with cars has been one of trial, error, and triumph. Now, with his dream Supra in hand, he’s ready to take on every drift event Alaska has to offer, enjoying the fruits of his labor and the thrill of the ride.
Owner: Damian Ackerman
Year/Make/Model: 1989 Toyota Supra
Power: ~400
Photographer: Max Hardy
Editor: Emily Soloman
