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The Nissan Silvia S14 has been around for some time since 1994 when the last of the S13's rolled of the production line, and is still extremely impressive in its own right.
There were 2 different models of S14 produced before the S15 started production. These came in the form of S14 and the S14a.
The difference between the two models was more of an aesthetic affair with the S14a having a slightly sharper look from the front in the form of new headlights, wings to match and a revised front bumper and bonnet, however all panels can be retro fitted hence many owners of the original S14 have now upgraded to the later S14a look. |
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According to the Chief Designer, Mr. Ootake, the name "Silvia" comes from Greek Mythology and was the name of a beautiful Nymph. |
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| Factory Specification |
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The S14 was introduced in 1993. Pop-up lights disappeared in all markets. SR20DET engine gets Nissan's variable valve timing.
Japanese trim levels are J's Q's & K's as per the S13. Export models had two or three levels depending on the destination. All get SR20DET as the only engine choice, except for North America, which received the KD24DE only.
In Japan, Turbo cars get a 3-gauge cluster under the radio |
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| Curb Weight |
1320kg |
| Engine |
TBA |
| Comp. Ratio |
8.5:1 |
| Redline |
7000rpm |
| Max. Power |
165bhp |
| Max. Torque |
TBA |
| Transmission |
Rear wheel drive, 5-speed manual |
| 0 - 60 mph |
8.2 secs |
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| with Oil Pressure, Boost and Voltage gauges. Export cars do not. |
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| Project Aims |
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| The customer (Ches) brought this S14 to us originally to straighten out the damaged caused by drifting the car into a ditch which had bent and lifted the rear boot section in an upwards direction by about 2cm. His intension since purchasing the car was to prepare it for competition drifting and had already started to mildly modify the car but sore his accident as the perfect opportunity to create not only an ultimate performer, but also a show winning and magazine feature car as well! |
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| Nemesis UK Project Nissan S14 200SX |
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When trying to create both a track inspired drift car and a car that also look the business on the show circuit usually results in compromises and a performance / handling compromise was something our customer definitely did not want!
Making a car look good and perform as an ultimate drift car was not going to be easy so any thoughts of 20” rims and a mega sound system were not going to be a possibility so to take care of the looks, a decision was made to enhance the cars looks buy adding a two-tone paint job on both the exterior and matched in the interior – but more of the paint work later.
As previously mentioned, our customer (Ches) had done what is always going to be inevitable when pushing a car to and beyond it's designed limits and ender up backwards in a ditch resulting in a ‘inverted banana like' modification to the rear end. The car required jigging and pulling back into shape before all the ideas Ches had for his car could start to move from the drawing board to realisation.
After having jigged the car straight, we removed the entire interior, widows and everything else what would hamper a complete inside and outside re-spray, work next started on custom fabricating a full enclosure welded in MSA approved roll cage.
To comply with MSA standards the main roll hope and side structures of the roll cage were fabricated out of rolled round section CDS2 steel with a diameter of 1 ¾ inch and a 2.5mm wall thickness. All diagonal bracing and the belt bars were fabricated from 1 ½ inch diameter sections.
With the roll cage complete and the car back into the shape it originally left the factory it was back to the drawing board to look at the rest of the bodywork modifications that Ches had requested.
A lot of drift cars built tend to run a wider track at the rear to aid control and stability when drifting and this was a modification request high on the priority list, so planning began on looking for the best method for fabrication.
Lots of drift drivers choice simply to have there rear arches rolled out to accommodate the wide track gain from the offset of the rear wheels but Ches wanted something looking a bit different but just didn't know exactly what. There are several options available when widening a car and the materials used to do so. Under normal circumstances, FRP (Fibre Reinforced Plastic) would be used, however with the aim of a drift car being to have as stiff as possible chassis and suspension setup (especially at the rear), we proposed that the widening for the rear arches should be made from steel.
Widening the arches started by cutting along the grooved rear quarter panel lines located about 10cm above the wheel arch lip. Next the inside of the arches were cut to leave the remaining panel only held in place at the bottom edge and at the side where the rear quarters meet the tail and the front door a-pillars. The original petrol filler was removed for relocation and the petrol flap was trimmed and welded into the remaining wing. Next two elongated half moon sections of steel were cut and the bottom of each of the side panels were stretched (pulled) outwards so the news elongated half moon sections could be inserted and welded in place.
With the desired width now achieved, our attention was now turned to the relocation of the fulfiller. Ches opted for a race style billet aluminium filler cap and mounting. We cut a hole in the new rear wing the size of the new filler and welded in a metal tube of the same diameter and welded a blanking plate on the back with a circular cut out for the fuller tube to fit through and bolt against.
The winds were now completed from a structural and functional perspective and all that was left was to smooth them out at the top edge.
We had persuaded Ches that the best look for the car would be to replicate the look of those found on the Nissan Skyline GT-R R34, and with the go-ahead granted, we started shaping from lightweight foam block and adding a thin layer of FRP resin finishing off with a thin layer of FRP mat and filler.
Finding a front bumper which was going to be functional and look good at the same time was starting to become a drawn out task. Eventually we found a Du-lock designed model which featured a ground hugging front lip with a large opening to feeds the cars engine with as much needed air as possible for when the engine modifications take place.
No side skirts were opted for as these are just a design enhancement and offer nothing in the way of aerodynamically gain and add weight at the same time. The S14 touring model comes standard with side skirts which in there own right look good but we prefer the smooth looks of the car without them fitted and Chez's car was not a touring model.
With the exterior now finished and a coating of primer applied, attentions now turned to the colour scheme. Ches had is heart set on a two-tone scheme comprising of black over Nissan 350Z orange. We started by spraying the whole roll cage in the orange and then masked if off and treated the rest of the interior to a coating of gloss black. After having finished the inside, we masked all the windows and door openings followed by masking the top of the car off so we could apply the orange to the lower part of the body first. With the bottom now finished a reverse mask was undertaken and the roof and top of the boot lid were finished in the same gloss black as the interior. The car was then flatted back and several coats of clear lacquer were applied before polishing to perfection.
Ches already ad a carbon bonnet fitted to his car when he brought it in for the repair and modifications but unfortunately it has sustained light damage on the top corners near the front screen. We simply repaired them with resin and masked and sprayed a small black edge to hide the repair. With then flatted back the entire bonnet end applied several coats of clear lacquer to bring it back to life.
The body was now completely finished and simply looked stunning. Next our attention was focused on sorting out the handling and wheels.
Suspension can in the form of a set of Tein Type Flex coilovers fitted to each corner to sharpen up the handling and provide a super hard ride with harder springs on the rear necessary for drifting control. When Ches brought the car to us for the work to be done, he had fitted a set of Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R wheels which were not suitable for drifting.
Having just become the main importers for 5Zigen products we showed him a selection of the wheels they offer and a decision was made to go with the 5Zigen ProRacer GN+ finished in bronze to compliment the finish of the exterior of the car. Fitted to the front were 18” by 8” and 19” by 9” retrospectively were fitted to the rear.
To finish the interior off a Sparco racing suede steering wheel was fitted as a direct replacement for the standard item and Chez aftermarket Recaro seat went back into the car with new 4 point racing harnesses fitted in place of the standard seat belts.
The engine has already been mildly modified and there will be more modification to follow. Chez is also considering a brig brake conversion so we will keep this page as with all other project car pages updated. |
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