Every Japanese hero automobile has hero modified versions – builds that every one others are measured against. Keiichi Tsuchiya’s TEC-ART’S-built AE86 Trueno springs to mind, as does the Mine’s BNR34 Nissan Skyline GT-R. But these hero cars don’t need to be high-end creations; sometimes essentially the most memorable builds have more humble origins.
Living proof, the Bad Quality 180SX – a drift-spec RPS13 that Mike Garrett took a better have a look at back in 2014 when it was all over the place. The Sunoco-liveried Nissan was so good then, and looking out back at it now 10 years on, I’m sure you’ll agree that the sentiment still rings true. Let’s revisit the unique feature…
2014 Feature
When you may have a automobile as popular because the Nissan S13, it might probably be fascinating to look back and see exactly how that got here to be. Sometimes cars made waves from the moment they hit showrooms. Other times it’s taken years and even a long time before enthusiasts realize the true potential of a automobile. As for the great old S13, its history also relies on what a part of the world you’re talking about.
Here within the US for instance, the Nissan 240SX lived a quiet, unassuming life for greater than a decade after its introduction. It wasn’t until the drift explosion of the early 2000s that enthusiasts and wannabe drifters began buying S13s by the dozen. Before that time, a lot of the 240s you’d see on the road were virgin examples driven by old ladies. After the drift boom, it’s rare to see an S13 that isn’t coated in multiple shades of primer with body panels barely hanging on.
In Japan, the story went a bit otherwise. There the Nissan Silvia and its cousin the 180SX were a giant deal from the moment they were released. Should you flip through the pages of a mid-’90s Option magazine or pop in one among those great Video Option VHS tapes, it isn’t unusual to see Japanese guys on the market drifting Silvias and 180s that were just just a few years old on the time. Because the drift movement in Japan grew, the S13 would turn into the quintessential dorisha – a label held to this present day.
Head to a Japanese drift event some 20 years later and also you’ll find that the Silvia and 180SX are still the most well-liked cars. And previously twenty years, the vehicles have undergone many alternative styles. First, there have been stock bodies and 15-inch tires spun by nearly stock motors. Then got here larger wheels, more horsepower, more aggressive body parts and well, more aggressive every part. The bottom cars is likely to be the identical, but today’s style has evolved into something those pioneering drifters won’t even recognize.
And when you must see what Japanese drift automobile style is like in 2014, it’s hard to provide you with a greater example than the blue 180SX you see here. I’m guessing this isn’t your first time seeing this automobile. It’s popped up at many events over the previous few years and has spread across social media feeds and blog sites like wildfire. Currently, it just is likely to be the web’s most well-known S13.
I first encountered this automobile and its owner, Mr. Shuichi Nakagawa, on the M&L night meet in Osaka just a few years ago. Each he and his buddies from Team Review and Bad Quality hail from Hiroshima, and last month Iy finally had the prospect to go to Hiroshima and hang around with these guys on their turf.
First things first, Nakagawa is not a automobile builder by trade. He’s a real privateer, and when he’s not drifting and playing around with cars, he will be found at his day job as a metal employee. More specifically, he works at one among Hiroshima’s massive shipbuilding facilities in the identical area where the legendary Japanese battleship Yamato was constructed in the course of the Thirties.
And speaking of metalwork, it’s largely due to some trick fabrication that this automobile has received a lot attention during the last yr. While the 180 sits as little as they arrive and packs one of the crucial aggressive wheel set-ups we’ve ever seen on an S13, there was rather a lot more to it than simply dialling the coilovers down and hoping for the very best.
For starters the floorplan has been channeled and lifted by 20mm for extra clearance – yes, this is likely to be a contemporary drift automobile but we’re talking about some old-school hot rodding techniques here. All this work allows Nakagawa to functionally drive and drift the automobile while it’s sitting on the bottom.
Up front, the whole fender structure has been fabricated with a set of custom cycle fenders, as they’re known in Japan. This provides more clearance at this lower ride height and allows Nakagawa to suit some pretty radical wheels up there.
As for the suspension itself, the 180 is supplied with a set of 326 Power Chakuriki dampers with front and rear spring rates of 18kg/mm and 16kg/mm respectively. Considering that 326 Power is a Hiroshima institution, it’s only natural that Nakagawa would show some hometown love. The identical goes for the reservoir cover which flies the colours of town’s beloved Carp baseball team.
Together with the custom framework and coilover set-up, the automobile runs several custom chassis and suspension modifications from Quo.net, one other local garage. The work includes modified front and rear subframes, one-off knuckles, sway bars and tension rods.
The engine is the tried and true SR20DET fitted with some alternative upgrades like a modified CTS turbo, a GReddy intercooler set-up, a GReddy oil cooler and a one-off surge tank from Quo.net.
Power for the SR is available in around 350ps – typical of amateur-spec drift cars in Japan. Not an excessive amount of. Not too little. Excellent.
Let’s not forget the one-off exhaust system which dumps out from the middle of the automobile and brings to mind the Fairlady Z race machines of the ’70s with its pair of huge suggestions.
The retro style doesn’t end there. You possibly can say the automobile’s Rocket Bunny wide-body kit was equally inspired by the race cars of the Nineteen Seventies.
And in the case of modeling Kei Miura’s retro-inspired design, it’s hard to get significantly better than this. Nevertheless, this kit has also been tweaked barely to suit with Nakagawa’s vision for the automobile.
Namely, there are gigantic diffuser set-ups affixed to each the front and rear of the body, which take the automobile’s raw competition-inspired vibe to the following level.
And the way in regards to the wheels? Well, Nakagawa has had several different sets as he’s evolved the kind of the automobile, but his current alternative of black-centered Work Meister M1s is likely to be the very best combo yet.
The Meisters measure 18×9.5-inch within the front and 18×11-inch within the rear with 215/40R18 and 245/35R18 tires respectively. The result’s something that appears great and fills out those giant Rocket Bunny fenders with perfection.
Climbing contained in the 180SX, you’ll discover a very functional interior. There’s a full roll cage and only one seat – a Bride bucket with a Sabelt harness.
Looking into the hatch, you may see the ATL fuel cell is fed through a gap within the quarter window panel.
You’ll also find other goodies like AutoMeter gauges, a Blitz boost controller, and a Carrozzeria double-DIN stereo deck.
Let’s not forget that cool shift knob either…
The Sunoco livery on the body is one among the newer additions to the automobile and for those who’re like me, you would possibly wonder if Nakagawa had struck up a sponsorship cope with Sunoco Japan. The reply is not any.
The reality is, he just loves the Sunoco-colored Camaro racers of the late Nineteen Sixties and desired to bring a bit of that classic spirit to his Nissan. Mission completed.
Since I’m someone with automotive tastes that shoot in every single place, I just love the thought of injecting some classic American motorsport style right into a Japanese drift automobile. It’s another example of the cool creative touches that usually set Japanese builds apart.
Regardless that he rarely drives the automobile on the road lately, the 180SX had no problem driving from Nakagawa’s house to our photo shoot location. Yes, I sat on the ground – and it was bearable despite the fact that I used to be almost literally sitting on the bottom. Possibly not the safest thing on this planet, though.
And while that is one among the world’s lowest S13s, it rides surprisingly easily down the streets of Hiroshima. Sure you may’t avoid the occasional scrape, but nothing makes the automobile undrivable.
Then there are the reactions of other motorists and folks on the road. Priceless.
Much more impressive is that in January, Nakagawa drove the automobile to Chiba for Tokyo Auto Salon 2014, looking exactly because it does here and sitting millimeters off the bottom. That’s a 12-hour highway journey – even longer than it takes me to fly from California to Japan.
Once I asked him what’s next for the 180SX, Nakagawa told me he was considering selling the automobile. He’s taken the S13 on quite a journey, and like plenty of builders, he’s starting to feel the urge for a brand new project.
And what might that next project be? Well, he’s still in search of possible candidates however the words NSX and Supra each got here up within the discussion. If that next project is anything like this automobile, possibly I should start planning my next Hiroshima visit soon.
Mike Garrett
Instagram: japanifornia
This Article First Appeared At www.speedhunters.com
