Option — Shōwa Car Tuning & Buyers Guide (2000 Edition)

The S13 Silvia and 180SX debuted in May 1988 after a full model change from the S12 Silvia/Gazelle. The S13 introduced a multi-link suspension and HICAS II, an optional system that steered the rear wheels to improve stability in corners. The 180SX hatchback arrived 11 months after the Silvia, in April 1989. The Silvia initially offered the twin-cam turbo K’s, naturally aspirated twin-cam Q’s, and J’s grades; a convertible followed in July. The 180SX, based on the Silvia but with a hatchback body, was designated RS13. Only the doors were shared between the two cars, and the 180SX came only with turbo engines and a simple Type I/Type II grade lineup. Nissan’s launch materials described the Silvia as a stylish specialty car for young couples, and it became popular as a fashionable coupe. Later, heavily tuned examples ran quarter-mile times in the low 10-second range, while some cars received RB26 engines, exceeded 200 mph, and adopted extreme drift setups. Few would have imagined the car becoming such an outrageous street machine. Despite its later popularity, the Silvia and 180SX were not especially popular as tuning platforms in their first year or two. In 1999, HKS reached 284 km/h with a T04E turbo; Shinkō and Esprit/Fujita Engineering later exceeded 270 km/h. Yet the 1991 Tokyo Auto Salon had few notable Silvias or 180SXs. The original S13 also introduced many ambitious handling features, including a multi-link rear suspension designed to maintain tire contact and predictable behavior in varied conditions. (The scanned OCR is substantially corrupted in several date, speed, and model details.)