The car model known as the Nissan Silvia may not be that familiar to those in North America but mention a Nissan 200SX or 240SX and ears will perk up.
Surprise Honda and Toyota lovers, it is Nissan that can boast being the first Japanese automobile company to mass produce cars, all the way back in the 1930s. Nissan also has the distinction of sporting one of the most well-known vehicles used for the sport of drifting, namely the Nissan Silvia. Probably not what the Nissan founders originally had in mind, but it seems to have worked out simply fine.
Let us take a quick step back to the 1980s and early 1990s, before drifting became super popular in the states. The 200SX and 240SX were very popular cars in North America. Technically speaking, neither car is a Silvia, although there are several commonalities between the 3 vehicles. Many do not draw a distinction between them.
The actual Nissan Silvia was not sold in the United States, nor is it currently legal to have one in the U.S. If you go online, it's possible to buy one and store it in Japan. Eventually, enough time will have passed in which it will be legal to drive a Silvia in America. Fear not, as there are numerous used 200SX and 240SX vehicles that are just waiting for purchase!
The Fast And Furious: Tokyo Drift
What can you really say about the movie The Fast And Furious: Tokyo Drift? Some love it and some hate it. Others are not honest about their opinions, due to fear of being made fun of. Regardless, the drift scenes are fantastic, and the Nissan Silvia is one of the primary cars used on the movie set. To be more specific, a 2001 Nissan Silvia S15.
Good thing this car is fairly inexpensive, as they beat the heck out of it during filming. If you look at the details surrounding the actual car used in the movie Tokyo Drift, you'll see there were not a lot of modifications. No wonder the Silvia makes such a great choice for drifting.
Lightweight Drifter
There are numerous reasons why a Nissan Silvia is considered such a great drift car. Let's start off with the obvious - the cost. For example, it is possible to go online and find a used 2001 Silvia for under 17 thousand US dollars. Much better to crash a Silvia than let's say a Lamborghini.
The car is naturally low to the ground and relatively light weight. Couple this plus the fact that with extraordinary little modification, it is ready to race. The accessories that are available are also not that expensive and are readily available. The ease of swapping parts between an actual Silvia and for comparison sake, a 240SX adds to the blurring between the vehicles.
End Of An Era
The last Silvia rolled off the assembly line in 2002. Nissan already had the 300ZX in place, which was a great car regardless of the competition. It soon morphed into the 350z in 2002. Why should a company have two competing sports cars?
The big question is, what does Nissan have hidden up their sleeve? Is there a new version of the Silvia just waiting in the shadows, ready to be released?
No one knows for certain, but there is speculation swirling in the car ranks that it might be this year that a new Silvia will make its way into the Nissan lineup. Should this take place, the next question is, will it be available in the U.S.? If not, flights are cheap right now, so might as well book a vacation to Japan for the fall. Better make sure the ticket is refundable, just to play it safe.