It could've easily been the car to steal on, a lucrative source for the many 240SX monomaniacs, diehards, and downright geeks to take parts from. But instead its destiny changed when cupid shot a loaded arrow right through Steve Lim's heart, leaving him weak in the knees for this 16-year-old Nissan, thus saving it from the likes of Sanford and Son.
Using the cash he hid in between his couch cushions, Steve purchased the drifter's choice with no questions asked. He sketched out plans for a complete top-to-bottom buildup soon thereafter, and even conjured up dreams of getting laid as soon as he finished it--or at least that's what I'd like to think. Steve wanted this car done strictly for the love, without any taint of coochie hunting involved, creating the most intense man-to-machine relationship since I purchased my battery-powered, super-tight, satin-made Fleshlight.
During the six months of the buildup, he didn't complain once while using all his time turning this once-embarrassing warhorse into an after picture anyone 35 pounds overweight and heavier dreams of. He didn't wince once at spending a ridiculous amount of green while raising the pot at the Flop and the River. He didn't even care at all when Michael Jackson-type ridicule reached his ear, telling him that he was strangely in love with a 16-year-old. No, he didn't complain at all. Rather, he moved his chips forward and proudly exclaimed that he was all in, moonwalked his way to the garage, and wrenched his heart out.
And the 240SX couldn't have been happier. After all, it also endured great pains in its 16-year tenure as Nissan cum laude. It witnessed Susan Powter go from bald to dreadlocks, listened to Michael Bolton go from bad to worse, and watched Lenny Kravitz go from respected to Gap commercial whore. But like everything I write for this magazine, this car's problems are unnecessarily added, if not tastelessly made up. So like the prison system's profitable cigarette racket, I'll focus on business first and fun stuff like new fish sodomy later.
Sixteen years old and still turning heads, this 240 is nothing short of pure amazing. From motor to suspension to interior to everything in between, this '89 ultimate slide ride is the full package--the way the Nissan gods envision it would end up to be. Of course, a SR20DET S13 black-top engine is the nucleus of the car, producing up to 560hp cells, protons, electrons, and Jimmy Neutrons. Mixed up with the SR20 is a Power Enterprise 1820 turbo kit, which innovatively features a race-ready custom twin ball-bearing center cartridge. Cooling the turbo with gusts of afro puffs is an ARC front-mount intercooler kit, complete with a Lady of Rage Greatest Hits CD. Combine that with an ARC front-mount oil cooler kit with front grille, and the SR20 seems prepped for any track, street, and driveway it comes across. Large Blitz 850cc fuel injectors spitting out fuel like a camel on a jockey help in the process, especially when Steve added another power booster in a Nitrous Express kit sure to recreate your favorite Need for Speed Underground II experience.
If that short, under-the-hood paragraph didn't impress you, just take a peek at the comprehensive list of HKS, ARC, Blitz, and Gram Lights products in the Fast Facts section that will help you understand the fluidity of all 560 horses. And perhaps you'll learn not to read so quickly, because if you do, your mental digestive system will miss the drift-spec suspension setup featuring a Cusco Comp S coilover kit, Kazama toe rods, and Suspension Techniques front and rear sway bars. According to Steve, his car is the official US demo car for Project u, which means nothing is left mediocre: His suspension needs to facilitate prime drifting and sliding.
The exterior is a different story altogether. A Bomex big mouth front bumper makes your feet stomp, side skirts of the same brand get wild at night, and an APR GT200 rear wing brings in the 36 chambers of death. Among it all is the highlight of the outside, the JDM (PS13) front conversion with three projectors. "I love the JDM Silvia look," says Steve. "I've always wanted a car that had a true JDM look." And he accomplished it with ease. Inside is a full race-ready cockpit ready to rock all ways, especially sideways. Blitz black carbon gauges line the dash to provide Steve boost, oil temperature, and EGT information, while the Sparco gear makes the inside a virtual 360 degrees of perfected styles.
As part of the sales and R&D team at Mackin Industries, Steve also gets the down low hookups for the sweet JDM candy the company distributes, such as Rays wheels, ARC equipment, and Project u brake gear. That's why it's no surprise that his 240 comes through with a set of Gram Lights 57 S-Pro wheels, measured at 18x9 in the front and 18x10 in the back. An equally nice set of Falken GR tires rules everything around them, yelling, "Cream, get the money, dolla' dolla' bills, y'all!" as it screeches across the pavement. And what else has the stopping responsibility but a four-piston caliper with 345mm brake pads, B-Force brake pads, and Teflon brake lines, all made by the brake nerds at Project u. Naturally, the car's charm is all in perspective because either you like it not, but without question this is the ultimate in tuning and complete packages, JDM-inspired or not. In fact, if it weren't for the lefthand-drive setup, the stingiest Japanese tuner wouldn't know the difference and would appreciate the car. It's raw with no trivia, fresher than sugar straight from Hawaii, and it makes the devils cower to the Caucus Mountains. So best believe the hype, and I leave you with this: Sponge Bob lives in a pineapple.