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

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ghost in the Machine: 1996 Callaway Supernatural 450 C9 Impala SS

Image
After my brother briefly drove my dad's 455-equipped 1975 Trans Am and found out how terrible it was on gas, he switched to a 1995 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 decked out to look like an Impala SS. Furthermore, my dad worked at a junkyard where the owner has a 1995 Callaway C9 sitting in his yard, albeit rotting away. To summarize, I've been a huge fan of 1994-1996 Impala SSs for a long time now, especially ones modified by Callaway. This 1996 Impala SS is not only a Callaway C9, it's also been upgraded to a Supernatural 450 model. Find it here on Hemmings in Leesburg, Virginia, with an asking price of $50,000 obo. After getting his start as a driving instructor for Bob Bondurant's driving school in 1973, Reeves Callaway got his start in modifying cars by making turbocharger kits for BMW through Car and Driver's Don Sherman. After Sherman told Callaway that he had neither the manpower nor the equipment to build the turbos, Callaway founded C
Read more

T-Topped G-Body: 1981 Pontiac Grand Prix

Image
One of the coolest options that I hope will return to production one day are T-tops. Last used in the early 2000s, T-tops were the practical and economic way to enjoy the great outdoors while driving without the fuss and worries of the convertible. It would be really cool to see a new six-gen Camaro or Mustang (heck, even the Challenger would look cool) to feature T-tops from the factory, but until then, take the wildcard route and buy this needy 1981 Pontiac Grand Prix. Find it here on Craigslist in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, with an asking price of $1,595. After a full redesign in 1978, Pontiac's G-body Grand Prix was given a major facelift in 1981. The sheetmetal was given a more aerodynamic design, the tail section was revised, and a new grille was fitted. This 1981 Grand Prix is a LJ model, and is one of 46,842 cars built for the year. Painted a two-tone blue, the grille is cracked, the landau roof needs replacing, the bumper
Read more

Mint Baja: 1991 Chevrolet S10 4X4

Image
There are certain vehicles that one rarely sees in nice, unmolested condition out on the road. Finding one for sale, however, is like trying to find the proverbial needle-in-the-haystack. One of those vehicles is the Chevrolet S10, especially 1982 to 1993 versions. An even harder version of the S10 to find is the Baja appearance package, which is a rare sight in any condition, let alone one as clean as this truck is. Find it here on Craigslist in Dallas, PA, for $13,750. Introduced in 1988, the Baja was an appearance option that was available on any S10 that had four-wheel drive. Available in Midnight Black, Apple Red and Frost White, the Baja option included  a roll bar with off-road lights, a front tubular grille guard with fog lights, a tubular rear bumper, an under-body shield package (transfer case shield, front differential shield, fuel tank shield, oil pan/steering linkage shields), a suspension package, a Chevrolet windshield bann
Read more