Slightly different to most places around
the world, Singapore has very strict policies when it comes to the road
worthiness of cars. The most well-known policy would be Certificate of
Entitlement (COE) regulations. Due to this, it became a major factor why
performance cars in Singapore are considered a rare commodity. Even though the
S15 Silvia is not really that rare of a car, but the story behind this one is
somewhat of an interesting tale.
I first encountered this car last year when my friend Ivan drove it up to Kuala Lumpur. That night we met up for a round of drinks with a few other close friends at the Rock Café in Sunway’s Industrial Park. It was after that Ivan decided to show us the S15 he drove up with. My first impression on the car was that it was subtle and aggressive at the same time. Somewhat interesting, especially for a guy who loves S-Chassis. Then he exposed the engine bay and the first thing I noticed was the welds on the intercooler pipes. That is automotive art right there.
Second time around, we met at the same place that we met a year before. Only this time, we were accompanied by another friend, Dennis with his Honda EK Hatch. As I asked more about the car, I later found out that the rightful owner of the car is always out and abroad. Even if he was in Singapore, the car itself hardly comes out. In other words, the owner is practically a ghost. Therefore, most of the time the S15 ever sees daylight is when Ivan have the car under his watch.
The S15 was sent over to Spark Motorsport for a fresh build on it. The car was destined to be a privateer drift spec car but the S15 never had a chance to see track action ever. Due to that, in 2012, it was converted back to a street tuned car. The S15 now doesn’t look like a serious track ready car though. In fact, it is as if it has a unique character on its own. It’s not every day you’ll see a Mickey Mouse hand as a shift knob don’t we?
But even though with character it portrays, the motor that’s sitting inside isn’t a slouch. The SR20 was built up at Spark Motorsport with a nice list of parts dropped in including some overnight parts coming from the land of smiles. It was fitted with a HKS 2.2L Stroker Kit for the bottom end and force fed with a Garrett GT28 series turbine. The intercooler pipes I mentioned earlier, those were titanium custom welded at Spark Motorsport which caught my attention in the first place.
The S15 has quite an interesting exterior. May not be as loud and attention seeking compared to some cars but it can still spark interest when a person looks its’ way. The wide Vertex ridge aero kit with the Grigio Telesto grey paint on the S15 is not exactly eye-catching but it can make you wonder who the antagonist that drives that car is. It gives a presence yet it blends in the urban landscape of Singapore. It could even make you question if you have actually seen a ghost.
TUNING MENU
Owner: Anonymous
Model: 1999 Nissan Silvia Spec R S15
Location: Singapore
ENGINE:
2.0L SR20DET Inline-4,
HKS 2.2L Stroker Kit,
ATI Crank Damper,
SARD Fuel Regulator,
Clinic 1000cc Injectors,
Oil and Transmission Cooler,
Garage Defend GT Radiator Cooling Panel,
Thailand-made Intake Manifold,
S90 80mm Throttle Body,
Blitz Air Filter,
Fujitsubo Exhaust System,
Garrett GT2871R Turbine,
APEXi Intercooler Core,
Custom Titanium Intercooler Piping by Spark Motorsport,
DRIVETRAIN:
Custom Dog Box Transmission Thailand Made
NISMO LSD
SUSPENSION, CHASSIS AND BRAKES:
BC Suspesion Adjustable Coilovers,
Driftworks Caster Arms,
Driftworks Rear Camber Arms,
Driftworks Toe Arms,
Front Strut Bar,
Brembo Front Brakes,
WHEELS AND TIRES:
Works Meister S1
Front 17 x 8.5jj
Rear 18 x 9.5jj
Low Profile Tires
Front 235/45/17
Rear 265/35/18
EXTERIOR:
VERTEX Ridge Wide Aerokit
Lamborghini Grigio Telesto paint
INTERIOR:
GRIP Royal Steering Wheel,
GReddy Profec B Boost Controller,
Defi 2-Din meter (Oil Pressure, Boost)
Napolex Mickey Mouse Shift Knob,
BONUS IMAGES
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