The S13 platform has a way of locking people in. For this owner it started the usual way. Longtime love for the s-chassis, constant back and forth between a proper Silvia and a 180SX, then the post-COVID hunt for something that had not been driven into a wall sideways. He found this one up in Melbourne, made the trip, and drove it home. It has not missed a beat since.
Under the bonnet sits a still-stock block SR20DET. A Gen 2 2860 sits on top of it, feeding a 45 mm Turbosmart external wastegate and making 225 rwkw. An Apexi Power FC keeps everything in check. Chassis work is straightforward and effective: full set of GKTech adjustable arms and HSD coilovers. The body wears Deep Crystal Blue with a full GCorporation aero package, front bumper, rear bumper and side skirts. Eighteen-inch Enkei ABC Exclusive Glanzens fill the arches.
Money is the constant battle. Keeping a 34-year-old Japanese Nissan alive and improving it in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis is not cheap. Then there is the usual detective work that comes with any used S13: tracking down what previous owners did, dealing with rust, and replacing parts that have simply reached the end of their service life. Leaks have been a regular companion. They have at least forced a full refresh of the original lines, but the owner is getting tired of reversing out of the driveway and finding fresh puddles underneath.
The car lives mainly as a street machine that still turns up at shows when the schedule allows. A second car is planned for proper drift duty, so this one will stay clear of the track for now. Immediate plans are bigger. The SR is coming out for a 1JZ paired with an 8HP70. A Pulsar 3071, external gate and Haltech will bring power up to around 300 rwkw, more than enough for a car sitting just over a tonne and used mostly on the road. The bay will be shaved and cleaned of everything that does not need to be there.
Further down the road the body gets a Spirit Rei Miyabi kit with wide fenders and a more aggressive wheel package. A set of VSKS wheels already sits waiting, currently too extreme for the existing fitment. A vented bonnet, brick headlights, Ganadors and the usual small details will follow. Before any of that the shell comes off for a full rust inspection, welding of unnecessary holes in the bay, and a complete respray in light pastel pink, possibly with a chrome livery. The interior is next on the list and is due for a birthday in time for the Octane event on the 12th of September.
Right now the owner is content. The car looks and drives the way he wants it to. Big plans exist, but they sit further down the timeline. What he enjoys most is the simple pleasure of ownership: the reactions from other people, the conversations at cars and coffee meets, working on it with mates, and the daily contact with the Clubhouse crew. It is smiles all round.
Tyler and his S13, GCORP, are the first 'FIRST LOOK' to feature on our blogs, with many more drivers and cars lined up. Stay tuned.
Special thanks to Ricky Tran for the photography.
