Young Version — April 1998

Why consider an A31 for drifting? Until recently, the A31 was the quintessential four-door drift machine. While S13 Silvias and 180SXs became the mainstream, its unexpected character made it a nationwide hit. But if you're chasing truly fast drift performance, the six-cylinder Cefiro is at a disadvantage against the compact four-cylinder specialists—the Onevia and Silvia. Now that the boom has calmed down, an A31 that's still actively driven shows serious dedication. Abbey Road's demo car is one such carefully built machine. Let's take a look at its specification. Starting with power, the engine is an RB20DET-based 2.4-liter build, using GT-R crankshaft, connecting rods, oil pump and water pump, plus 83 mm pistons and a 1.2 mm gasket…

The tuning has a flavor reminiscent of cars from an earlier era. It uses a K27 turbo, a Trust Racing wastegate, Abbey Road's original GT-R-modified intercooler, an original front grille, an oil cooler, an ARC micro-condenser radiator, original dual silencers, a custom 0-inch muffler and silencer, plus a fully prepared ECU. On the road, the 2.4-liter engine clearly delivers strong torque. Power is ample, though delivery feels less smooth overall, with a slight step in acceleration like older tuned cars. Some of this may be intentional in the setup, but it isn't a car anyone can drive casually. As an active A31 Cefiro demo car, it definitely has a distinctive character.