Tastefully Modified: 1994 Nissan S13 200SX Turbo


























Bring up the words "S13 Silvia" to any JDM enthusiast, and I guarantee you they will stop dead in their tracks. The Nissan S13 is heralded as one of the best drift cars ever built, and my friend Brett Lindenmuth made me a fan of them recently. Finding a clean, fairly unmolested one is like trying to find the proverbial needle in the haystack, however, as most S13 Silvias have been made into drift cars or drag racers and have had their stock engines replaced with a Chevy LS or some other American V8. This 1994 Nissan S13 200SX turbo is not only mostly stock, it is by far one of the cleanest S13s I've seen for sale recently. Find it here on Piston Heads in Lancashire, United Kingdom, for £7,995 (approximately $10,859 US). Special thanks to Brett Lindenmuth for inspiring me on writing about one of these cars!




















Introduced in the fall of 1988 as a 1989 model, the S13 Silvia was conceived to compete against the Ford Probe, Toyota Celica, Acura Integra, and the Mitsubishi Eclipse (and its rebadged Eagle Talon and Plymouth Laser cousins). Heralded by some as the spiritual successor of the Datsun 240Z, the S13
Silvia stood out against its competition because it was the only rear-wheel drive car in its class. Rather than relying on flashiness (power bulges, body kits, etc.) the S13 Silvia was styled more conservatively, catering towards a more mature driver; the S13 Silvia's selling point was its handling, which was bar none one of the best due to good weight distribution and a sport-tuned suspension. Initially available only as a hatchback coupe or notchback, the S13 Silvia was sold as the 200SX in the European market, including in the United Kingdom. This S13 Silvia is a 1994 200SX Turbo model, which is the final year for the S13 before it was replaced by the S15 notchback in 1995. According to the seller, the car was resprayed in its factory color in 2013; additionally, the factory wheels were also redone and painted in Mercedes Silver, which nicely enhances the wheels' design overall, especially when wrapped in those new Toyo Proxies. If I were to buy this car, I would source this S13 Silvia Japanese license plate to mount up front where the current plate is (which is not included with the sale).




















Ah, what a beauty. Being a turbocharged model, this 200SX is powered by a turbocharged 1.8L twin-cam SR20DET inline-four cylinder. Originally rated at 202 horsepower and 202 lb-ft of torque, the seller mildly modified the SR20DET, pushing horsepower to 221. Featuring a new performance stainless-steel exhaust and air filter, new dimpled and grooved front discs and black diamond-grooved rear discs with EBC green stuff pads, a limited-slip rear end and a slightly lowered suspension (the seller felt the stock suspension made the car sit too high), this 200SX is said to have covered 116,000 kilometers (approximately 72,079 miles) and is mechanically perfect according to the seller due to regular maintenance, including the oil being changed every 4,000-6,000 kilometers with Shell Helix HX7 motor oil. I would start this baby up and take it down a long, quiet, winding and twisting road for a nice romp session.




















Am I the only person that gets excited when I spot a third pedal on the floor? Much like the rest of the car, the interior is largely stock and unmolested, with the exception of a windshield pillar-mounted boost gauge that actually nicely complements the interior. I would ditch the red and black floor mats and source a set of stock gray ones, but otherwise I would leave this interior as-is. Overall, this is one of the nicest S13s I've ever seen for sale, and factoring in the tasteful modifications, this could potentially be a nice bargain. Shipping a car from the UK costs anywhere from $1,000 to $1,400, so all told, this car is a nice bargain. I would take this car to Cars and Coffee events and indulge myself in autocrossing and driving along quiet, winding roads. What are your thoughts on this tastefully-modified final-year S13 200SX turbo?
Location: Lancashire, UK

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