Wiktionary
n. 1 (context automotive English) An automobile driving manoeuvre where the driver starts turning the vehicle and then pulls on the handbrake to make the rear tyres lose adhesion and thus cause the back of the vehicle to slide around (in the direction of the turn). 2 (context figuratively English) A abrupt change of opinion.
Wikipedia
The handbrake turn is a driving technique used to deliberately slide a car sideways, either for the purpose of quickly negotiating a very tight bend, or for turning around well within the vehicle's own turning circle.
The driver starts by using steering input to transfer weight to the outside tires; the handbrake is then used to lock the rear wheels, thus upsetting the adhesion between the tyres and the road surface. With practice, the car can be placed accurately by releasing the handbrake and accelerating the vehicle. The technique is used in some forms of motorsport, for example rallying, autotesting, drifting and motorkhana.
Many sports cars, especially English makes such as MG and Triumph, as late as the early 1970s were offered with a fly-off handbrake option for competition purposes—the button on the end of the lever has to be pressed before the brake will lock on, which is the reverse of the normal arrangement—allowing for faster and more controlled application in a handbrake turn, and less liable to be accidentally locked on while doing such a maneuver.
In a rear-wheel drive manual transmission vehicle, it is also necessary to operate the clutch to prevent the handbrake from stalling the engine.
Usage examples of "handbrake turn".
He'll need to learn the handbrake turn, the reverse turn, how to break through a road-block—.
He'll need to learn the handbrake turn, the reverse turn, how to break through a road-block - that kind of thing.
As she watcheda second fire engine did a handbrake turn off the ringroad and surged through the crowd, everything on it thatcould flash or wail doing so.