S15 Nissan Silvia With Avante Molded Widebody Looks Like an R34 Skyline GT-R Rival

Nissan may not be the coolest automaker in the world right now, but it has produced many of the most iconic Japanese sports cars. Everybody knows how valuable an R34 GT-R can be, but what if its more affordable cousin, the S15 Silvia, also became an exotic?

The S15 is forbidden fruit right now. Because it wasn’t directly sold in America, you can’t legally import one from Japan until January 2024. That’s going to be a pretty special month, and I’m hoping the last Silvia will be treated like SEMA royalty.

25-year-old Silvias are still some of the best drift cars in the world, basically synonymous with the sport. But what if they were race cars, designed to set Nurburgring lap times instead?

That’s basically what’s happening in this 3D project from Avante Design, who set about creating a “different spec” for the S15. As you probably know, the Silvia goes by many names and is known as 240SX in America, where it’s a popular drift car.

Most of the most famous drift experts started off with a Silvia/240SX, and it’s still a top competitor due to its balance. However, the builds have become stale from a design point of view. Everybody just does the Rocket Bunny kit with bolt-on fenders.

Avante’s idea seems to be more of a traditional high-end Japanese sports car from the 1990s or early 2000s. Specifically, the S15 Silvia is treated to a molded body kit that you’d see on an R34 Skyline GT-R. Just think of Z-Tune, Haltech, V-Spec II NUr and you’re on the right track. We’re talking serious JDM royalty worth in the region of $500,000.

The Silvia/240SX may never be that expensive, but it is subject to the “drift tax” meaning even the most beat-up example is worth three or four times its valuation. Avante’s rendered body kit looks expensive as well, adding wide fender flares and an intricate design for the bumpers. Of course, it’s not complete without spoilers, a large wheel and Nismo-like wheels.

S13, S15, S15, and more

You might already know that the Silvia is also called the S-chassis or that it goes by 240SX in America, a name which is indicative of the displacement. In Japan, the S13 was called the 180SX as a liftback hatch and the coupe was the Silvia.

But the Silvia name is basically just as old and historic as the Datsun Z or the Skyline. The S10 was the first mass-produced example in 1975, for example. I’m quite partial to the S12 with its futuristic front end, as in the 1984 Nissan 200SX with the V6 and pop-ups.

The S15 was only made from 1999 to 2002. It was the last S-chassis and was never sold in America because the 240SX got discontinued in 1998. While Nissan revealed the IDx concept some years ago, it later said production would be impossible for financial reasons. “Frankly to do a platform for 50,000 to 60,000 a year – it’s not worth it,” Nissan’s VP of production said in 2014.

Why? Well, the market for cheap sports coupes just isn’t there any longer. Believe it or not, the 240SX was primarily bought by women, who made up about 75% of sales at one point in America.

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