D Car — November 2003
An archive project by Flock MFGNew issue alerts →
About this issue
250 available scans from D Car — November 2003, in right-to-left reading order. Japanese OCR and English translation drafts are available throughout. Drafts have not received exhaustive image proofreading; unreadable source remains recorded in the archival data.
Page 101 — English draft translation
Captions and page details
Lesson 3
Sport-compact Academy
Menu
File
Would an S15 front end suit any Silvia? It fits so perfectly…
PART 4
Sporty styling à la carte
Silvia: one-off styling techniques
…that it looks right.
Swap an S15 face onto a Nissan 240SX!
D Car
Is the S15 front end still the best? This car’s internals are impressive too: the North American version of the S14 Silvia, the 240SX, has been fitted with an S15 front end. It also packs serious hardware, including Tomei engine parts and a Greddy turbo…
…under the new front end.
The engine uses Tomei Power components and a Greddy turbocharger.
A stock-looking body line with bold graphics…
2
The make-up
Styling technique for the Silvia
Styling technique
1
The make-up
Styling technique for the Silvia
Styling technique
A show car that makes the most of the S15 Silvia’s beautiful body shape.
The hood is blacked out for a racing look, with bold side graphics added as well.
Add a Skyline GT wing for a wider look!
Improve response with a Greddy turbo!
The GT spoiler gives the rear a wider, more imposing look. It is a genuine Nismo spoiler for the R34 Skyline.
Under the hood is Greddy’s T67-25 turbo, combined with Tomei Power engine components…
SR20DET
A Varietta with its sporting spirit on full display!
A rare sport-compact build based on the Silvia Varietta…
…with a different feel from the Eclipse Spyder. Close the roof and add the enormous GT wing, and it looks like a GT race car!
The S14’s weak point is its understated air-dam section. This car turns that into a strength with a Duraflex aero kit featuring a huge, imposing intake.
2
It’s not just about the looks! Serious tuning under the skin!!
Customized down to every last detail!
…’96
Install Tomei high-lift cams for explosive power! This example is a 1996 S14 Silvia, modified inside as well as out. A GT wing gives it an avant-garde look, and the hood is blacked out with a carbon-fiber-style finish for a full race-car appearance. Under the hood are a GT2540R turbo and Tomei high-lift camshafts.
Weld’s S14 Silvia, unveiled at this year’s Auto Salon…
The firewall was modified to mount the engine in a front-midship position. It is an extreme build—you have to admire the effort. The body has been customized throughout for an unmistakably race-inspired look.
2
The make-up
Styling technique for the Silvia
Styling technique
The make-up
Styling technique for the Silvia
Styling technique
The interior is fully equipped with a roll cage
It is not just the engine tuning!
The interior is crisscrossed by a roll cage. Various gauges were added to give the dashboard area a race-inspired finish…
In addition to hidden tuning such as installing high-lift camshafts, they paid attention to appearance too, with beautifully finished piping.
It’s a 240SX, but with a Silvia face
…finished it.
…and…
In other words, it has the 180SX front, and this car was made into a full Silvia…
The engine was also converted to turbo; most strikingly…
North American-spec S13 240SX
The taillights are from a model called the Silvia. This car was built with that look, and the overfenders make it dramatically wide!
200SX to 240SX! The Silvia’s American-market versions remain popular today, as does its sibling, the 180SX.
It has become rare even overseas!
The facelifted S14 was very popular overseas too!
D Car has featured the 240SX many times. Its…
After its facelift, the 240SX also became popular in the North American market. In Japan, the aero version was offered as a trim level, while in North America it was treated as an option.
As the number suggests, the Silvia was sold in North America with a 2.4-liter engine. In the S13 era it was called the 200SX and used a 2.0-liter engine. At the time, it combined the 180SX front end with a Silvia rear. From the S14 onward, it was sold as a notchback coupe like the Japanese model. The S15 was not sold in North America.
There was a time when the Silvia was extremely popular!
Japan-spec 180SX
240SX
This is the familiar 180SX: pop-up headlights and a hatchback body, with the same mechanical underpinnings as the S13 Silvia. It continued to sell even after the S14 debuted and became very popular.
As in Japan, it has disappeared from the North American market. That has helped it become popular as a used car. Today, the only Nissan coupe is the Z33.
101