Silvia S-15 Builder's Guide

Imagine a dream world where cars roll off the factory assembly line blessed with an unholy potential for drifting, thanks to a 247hp version of Nissan’s legendary SR20DET engine and a hefty helping of rear-wheel drive. Well, that’s no fantasyland, you fool, that’s Japan, and the car in question is the Nissan S15 Silvia. Just think, if you lived there right now, you’d be reading a copy of Option 2, and the 2.0L turbocharged Silvia would be your reality. Instead, you get Super Street and your grandma’s 127hp Civic with the bobbing-headed Buddha on the dash. Sucker!

But now you’re thinking, Well, Nissan sells cars in America, so there must be an equivalent, right? Wrong again, fool! The previous incarnation of the S15, the appropriately named S14, did have an American brother in the Nissan 240SX—but comparatively, it was a runt: crappy KA24DE motor and 155 hp. When Nissan unveiled the S15 in Japan in 1999, they did not release an American equivalent. So, there you have it—once again, your automotive dream of awesome Japanese iron goes unfulfilled.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. You see, you can build your own S15—and then some (or you can just take a cue from the S15’s dead-on styling and apply the look to any make or model of car). The aftermarket parts and the performance machinery are there, you just need to go get them. We’re talking about as near the real deal S15 as you can get without importing one from Japan (which, by the way, would set you back at least $40,000).

Any Nissan from ’89 to ’98 can be converted to a faux-Silvia (also check out “Mod Squad” in this issue for a closer look at this model). We’ll show you what parts FNG Ricky Chu used to perform the transformation on his ’95 240SX.

In its current form, you could expect to get about 300 hp out of Ricky’s Silvia with higher boost, with a max of 350 hp with proper tuning. All parts are either from Japanese aftermarket suppliers that also operate in the U.S., or from American companies who import the products from Japan and sell them here.

Now, don’t get us wrong, we realize this isn’t a cheap proposition: a used SR20DET engine alone can cost $7,000, depending on its year and condition. But, hey, even that’s in keeping with Japanese tuning tradition. Because the buildups can be so expensive, the major tuner shops in Japan actually provide loans and help finance parts so that their customers can afford to turn their rides into the super machines the country has become famous for. At the very least we suggest you learn from the two shining principles of Japanese tuning style—and power—and consider these elements when creating your own dream ride.