Nissan 240 SX - Pacific Rim S13

As proprietor of Pacific Rim, Jerry Tsai should be well recognized by most of you. If not, just take a peek at the iloveracing.com Web site. Jerry created those Honda Optional Equipment T-shirts that we claim to send out as prizes but actually keep (instead sending out stickers in colors people don't want). We always enjoy it when Jerry stops by to give us his latest clothing samples. It sure beats picking a shirt out of the hamper for a third time.

Although Pac Rim is Jerry's main way of keeping clothes on his back, he does have another love...toys. When I walked into his apartment, I mistook his living room for aisle 14D at Toys "R" Us. Half of the room was covered from floor to ceiling with Robotech stuff, and glancing to the left, I could see a storage room filled with toys and model kits for the Web site. It was strange. You couldn't walk through the place without a map. I think I even saw a television set somewhere in that mess.

But stored in the parking garage was the best treat. Parked among a host of beat-up minivans and the occasional Bimmer sat a silver Nissan 240SX. It didn't belong. It looked like Michael Jordan standing in a roomful of preschoolers. And when Jerry opened it up so we could head out for the photo shoot, I was reminded of how comfortable a Recaro seat can be.

Suh-weeet. Firing it up, there was the unmistakable deep sound of the Blitz Nurspec exhaust. It lets you know who the boss is, and even Jerry had a hard time resisting the urge to set off car alarms as we exited. If he'd let me drive it (which he won't), I'd do the same.

The titanium silver paint reflects marvelously and showed off the craftsmanship of PJ Bonifacio. Not only was the S13 Japanese Silvia front end bolted in place, but a Custom2 front bumper from Japan was added as well. It almost looked like a mini-Skyline, but as Jerry told me, it wasn't the easiest thing to do. "The front bumper was originally made for an MC S14 ['97-and-up 240SX]. It's 6 inches wider than the S13 bumper, so they cut it straight down the middle and put it back together." The Bomex sides and rear bumper were left alone. This was also a time for blatant advertising of the Pacific Rim name. Graphics strewn all over the car represent key performance companies, and not one portion of the body went untouched. Some call it overkill; Jerry saw it as an opportunity. "Most people get screwed with their graphics. I put [stickers] everywhere to make sure the name is seen." More power to him.

In the engine bay, the most important upgrade is the SR20DET engine conversion, installed by V-SPEC Performance in Baldwin Park, California. Already a popular modification, you would hardly notice the difference between this one and others that are on the street...for Jerry's car still maintains its original automatic-transmission configuration. The U.S. tranny wasn't a direct bolt-on, and making the Japanese unit fit required the proper ECU and wiring harness. Jerry didn't ask the guys at V-SPEC how they made it work...he's just enjoying the benefits of his new turbocharged toy. Blitz was the preferred manufacturer when it came to improving the performance...the company's SUS air cleaner, iridium spark plugs, turbo down pipe, Remix front-mount intercooler, and Super Sound blow-off valve were all used.

When asked how it drove compared to other SR-powered 240s, Jerry said, "It pulls pretty well. Compared to other 240s that are manual and have the swap, I'm not that fast. But against the KAs [U.S.-version motor], I'm pretty fast." He mashed on the gas to show me an example...I was impressed.

The Nissan is better furnished than my house. There's a pair of black Recaros, a MOMO steering wheel with a Nismo horn button, and a couple of gadgets from Blitz: a Dual Turbo Timer and a boost controller. Jerry also mentioned some of the things that couldn't be photographed...Zeal Function B-6 coilovers, Sprint front and rear sway bars, and Endless brake pads and rotors.

I'm still in awe at the sheer number of toys either encased in glass or sitting as warehouse stock for his Web site. But there's still that one toy in his garage that can't be touched. He's lucky I can't slip that one into my pocket and walk off with it.