Tuning Japanese

NISSAN 240SX



Some things just get lost in translation. The Nissan Silvia, for example, went from wild to mild when shipped overseas. In Japan, the potent, well-balanced rear-wheel-drive coupe was prized as the perfect car for the extreme sport of drifting. But in the U.S., the 240SX -- as it was known here -- unjustly got a coarse four-banger derived from a truck engine instead of the slick J-spec turbocharged engine, and the Silvia morphed into the nice girl nobody wanted to dance with.



Sometimes that nice girl grows up to be a supermodel. Non Fujita pioneered the now popular swap from the
American engine to the Silvia's SR20DET at his Los Angeles tuner shop, Enonvativ Force. But not just any SR20DET. Fujita created a full-on race engine. Besides boring out the cylinders, he installed aftermarket pistons, rods, crank; replaced the stock turbo and upgraded nearly every other part of
the drivetrain. The lil' lady now pumps more than 450 hp.



Fujita's 240 looks even more impressive when the carbon-fiber hood is lowered. Fujita shaped his own rear bumper and wheel arches, and fashioned the front end out of a Nissan Skyline R-33. Inside, the ambience is positively luxe, from the suede racing seats to a 400-watt entertainment system featuring a television and a PlayStation 2.



After five years of work, Fujita insists that he's still not
finished with the 240. So what's next? "I can't tell you," he says. "Too many people copy this car already."

Car class: Show. Though it can bust off the line with authority, the meticulousness of the J-spec conversion is most properly exhibited standing still.


Most demented improvement: The engine, torn out of a Japanese Silvia, then rebuilt as a race engine and imported, reportedly cost over $10,000. And that's just for the block and head.


Headturner: An air dam installed from a Nissan Skyline, another not-on-these-shores forbidden object of desire among the tuner crowd.

J-SPEC GENESIS: NO DETAIL TOO SMALL



Non Fujita's Nissan 240SX is a study in obsessive attention to detail, from the Nismo shift knob (1a) to the laptop computer (1b) he uses to download performance data. Detach the quick-release steering wheel (2a) to inspect the Stack data-logging system (2b) more commonly found in open-wheel formula racecars. Fujita has modified the body so extensively it bears only passing resemblance to the original car. Worthy of special mention is the slick scoop integrated into the carbon-fiber hood (3a) and the colossal brakes, originally designed for Ferrari's F40, peeking out of the wheels (3b). But inside the engine bay the car becomes unrecognizable to anyone familiar with a stock 240. Fujita replaced the mundane U.S.-spec engine with a turbocharged screamer (4a) plucked from the Japanese Silvia. The engine's most interesting parts are hidden, like custom-forged pistons pumping inside bored-out cylinders. The carbon-fiber bar crossing over the powerplant (4b) is a strut-tower brace used to increase torsional rigidity, handy when you've got an HKS turbocharger (4c) powering you out of a turn. If cars have a face, then Fujita's baby wears an evil grin. The intercooler (5a) provides most of the attitude, but Japanese domestic market junkies will fixate on the reworked Nissan Skyline air dam (5b). The NONS14 license plate is a J-Spec joke -- the S14 refers to Nissan's internal designation for both the 240SX and Silvia. Fujita showcases his attention to detail in this understated, elegant and outrageously expensive carbon-fiber mirror (6). He says it's from a Formula 1 racecar, but declines to say which one.

WHERE'D THEY GET THE GOODS




Car 1997 Nissan 240SX


Engine SR20DET dohc inline-four (Japanese-spec, bored out to 2.1 liters)


Pistons Tomei/Advanced Engine Breathing Systems, 858-693-3200

Connecting rods Tomei/AEBS


Camshaft Tomei/ AEBS


Ignition HKS USA, 310-491-3300


Fuel injection Tomei/AEBS


ECU Tomei/AEBS


Turbocharger HKS


Intercooler HKS


Intake manifold GReddy


Exhaust manifold HKS


Exhaust HKS


Clutch OS Giken/Enonvativ Force, 310-320-8891


Differential OS Giken/Enonvativ Wheels Yokohama Tire, 800-722-9888


Tires Toyo Tires, 800-442-8696 West Coast, 888-442-8696 East Coast


Front brakes Brembo, 800-325-3994


Suspension HKS


Seats Nismo


Harnesses GReddy


Pedals MOMO 949-380-7556


Gauges Stack, 888-867-5183