There are many ways to make a car. Some projects are created due to opportunity and convenience, others due to strict rules and standards, and others simply out of love for a particular subculture. DanishThe S15 Nissan Silvia Spec-R is a curated mix of the above that you look back on with nostalgia. Although I think there is more to it than meets the eye.
The story actually begins in 2009; Dan was just nine years old and his father organized a boys’ day out at Lydden Hill Race Circuit. But Dan’s dad didn’t take him to touring cars or open-seat racers. The boys were in a day of drift car action at the JDM Allstars RD2 event.
That’s how Dan freaked out. Everything we know and love about drifting today – the noises, the speed, the angles and most of all the style – captured his imagination.
Curiosity to learn more, Dan found himself researching the sport when he got home. As the years passed, Dan’s interest in drifting never waned. He watched old DVD clips of Japanese drift competitions that were uploaded to YouTube. He followed internet forums documenting the hobby and generally consumed all kinds of contemporary media about drifting and Japanese street car culture. He understood its origins and what it was about.
Finally, a full decade later, at the age of 19, Dan scraped together his cash and was finally in a position to make his childhood passion a reality. He kept a keen eye on the import market and despite never actively looking for an S15, the car in the photos came up for sale at an asking price Dan knew he couldn’t pass up.
“At first I was a little out of my comfort zone. I had to sell my nice and sensible car to finance the S15 and at the time I really needed something reliable to get to and from work.” Dan says as I get my head around owning something so cool as a teenager.
“He didn’t miss a beat though. The S15 was my daily driver for the first year of ownership. I remember once having to drive it from the south of England to Belgium and back in one day, and of course it made the journey with ease.”
When the S15 was imported from Japan, it arrived relatively standard. It already had a couple of aftermarket suspensions, but Dan’s plan was to build the car to the spec he wanted, so these various bits would be replaced regardless.
The first year of S15 ownership was slow for Dan as he learned how to live with the car. The long-term goal was always to build something that would actually go around the drift circuit, but Dan himself admits it took a while. “I didn’t do a proper drift day until I had the car for a year. I’ve done the occasional roundabout or junction, but I didn’t have the confidence to go on a proper tour until I met some great friends.”
The beauty of car culture is that you naturally make lifelong friends through the hobby, and the people Dan met along the way helped him gain the confidence to get out on the track. A good support group around him got stuck into building the S15, and in the second year of ownership he saw more action and the build naturally progressed over time.
“I didn’t change much for about a year; Munka Kiwamis, a bucket seat and a KAAZ two-way LSD were the first things I added.”
“As I got more and more seat time, I learned more and more about drifting, and as cliché as it sounds today, I started to get a lot of inspiration from D1 Street Legal. [D1SL] cars from the early 2000s. I know it’s a very popular style, but for me this time frame and the style of the cars is the golden age of drifting.” says Dan.
With the styling direction in mind, Dan fought the urge and did the sensible thing first: focus on making the car drive as well as possible before aesthetics took his mind. “There were a few things I wanted to change for peace of mind. A Mazworx SR-VQ transmission was installed, along with an ORC 559D clutch. Standard transmissions don’t have the best reputation for strength and they’re not cheap now, so I replaced them while they were still intact.”
“I then tried to fit an R33 Skyline drum handbrake setup, but I had trouble getting the wheels to lock reliably when I wanted them to, so I opted for a hidden hydraulic handbrake, using the handbrake lever instead.”
Although a practical modification, Dan was keen to keep the interior as functional and original as possible. Big jobs that result in small bumps, like this hydraulic handbrake, indicate Dan’s intent to keep it fairly stock, cluttered, and consistent with the original interior styling cues.
With the drivetrain set up to Dan’s preferred specs, it was time for the fun to begin. “In terms of style, I’ve always loved circuit-inspired aerobics. Canards, GT wings, anything like that. I saw a video of the Drift Speed S15 driven by Hideo Hiraoka and fell in love with it. I thought the Wise Square aero looked amazing and knew I wanted it on my S15.”
“But aero was expensive, so I’ve always seen it as a really long-term, end game for me.”
As luck would have it, another one arrived in the country shortly after Dan bought his S15, this one fitted with a Wise Square kit – I’m sure you can see where this is going. “I was quite disappointed, I didn’t wait and bought that car instead. However, it happened that one evening not long after, my friend sent me an ad for my dream kit.
Dan didn’t hesitate and immediately bought the Wise Square kit. As it turns out, it was detached from the S15, which was imported after it. What happened to the rest of the car is a mystery to me, but it goes to show that sometimes luck just plays into your hands when you build your dream project.
“One of my favorite parts in the car is the Recaro SPG. I found it very cheap on eBay and the man I bought it from said it came from his rally car when it was still a Porsche race car. The seat even has a Porsche OEM part number.”
After several different wheel setups, Dan picked up a rare 18 inch Yokohama Advan RGII wheel. The styling of the S15 was finally completed when it stumbled upon the Sard GT rear wing, which is actually from an S14 built by Agent-K in Japan. The provenance of such parts not only adds to the style Dan was looking for, but also to the authenticity of his S15 dream.
In the four years that Dan has owned the S15, he has competed in quite a few drift races, but the build is still unfinished. “Going forward, I want to see the car keep changing and evolving, the drivetrain, and visually I think it’s almost where I want it to be. A Cusco D1 “dash-dodger” roll cage wouldn’t go amiss. Of course, I would like to immerse myself more in the bike, if the money allows.”
“For now, though, I really want to use the car for what I built it for. I was recently accepted into Dorifest 2, [the follow up to the event covered on Speedhunters last year] which I’m really excited about and I think grassroots drivers like myself here in the UK want more of it. An event that focuses on the style of the cars as well as the driving itself.”
This leaves me with some food for thought: since Dan is involved in the larger push for golden age based street style JDM drift cars, I think he’ll probably be back with more to offer. At least here in the UK.
People like Dan, who have a genuine interest in history and the styling choices of yesteryear, make a good argument that even though the styling of their cars started 20 years ago, it hasn’t gone away. The golden age is still going on!
Michał Fidowicz
Instagram: candy showroom
2000 Nissan Silvia S15 Spec-R
Engine: Nissan SR20DET 2.0L DOHC 16-Valve, Blitz SUS Power Air Filter, Stainless Steel MAFless Intake, Parts Shop MAX Turbo Elbow/Drain, Garrett GT2871R Turbocharger, Driftworks Supercool Intercooler, 3-inch Nimo Tip Exhaust System 555cc Injectors, Walbro 255lph Fuel Pump, Blitz oil filter sandwich plate, Gktech water temperature sandwich plate, GKtech oil catch tankGreddy oil cooler and oil filter transfer block, Garage21 oil cap, Garage21 dipstick, Nismo radiator cap, Driftworks Supercool WELD intercooler, shield, Circuit-Sports coil pack ground, HEL turbo lines, Link G4X engine control system, Nismo engine mounts
Drive chain: Nissan CD009 350Z 6-speed transmission, Nismo transmission mount, Mazworx SRVQ bellhousing conversion, Serialnine transmission, ORC 559D twin disc clutch, Gktech clutch shock absorber kit, Nismo clutch pivot pin, VRSQ stub-DsQ, flywheel shaft, KAAZ 2-way adjustable LSD 3.9 gear, S14 auto R200 ribbed cover
Suspension/brakes: Driftworks CS2 Coilovers 7k Springs Front/9k Springs Rear, Driftworks Front Tie Rods, Driftworks Rear Tie Rods, Driftworks Rear Sway Bars, GKtech V4 Rear Camber Arms, GKtech Adjustable Lower Control Arms, GKtech Roll Center Correction Kit, GKtech OEM Extended Tie Kit Ends, Cusco Tie Rod Brace , GReddy engine strut brace, Cusco master cylinder bumper, R33 GTS-T front caliper, R33 GTS-T rear caliper, EBC discs/pads, Garage21 braided brake lines, poly-bush handlebars, diffuser rack, rear hub and subframe, Hardrace sway bar front/ rear, GKtech ABS removal, GKtech hidden hydraulic handbrake
Wheels/tyres: Yokohama Advan RGII 18×9 inch +29 wheels, Nankang NS-2R 225/35R18 front tires, Riken UHP 225/40R18 rear tires, Nismo wheel nuts
External: Behrman D1GP Pro Spec Rear Fender, Behrman D1GP Pro Spec Side Skirts, Behrman D1GP Pro Spec Side Skirt Diffuser Pieces, Behrman D1GP Pro Spec Front Bumper and Splitter, Sard Fuji Spec-M GT Wing, DMAX Tail Lights, OEM Wind Deflectors, Honda CBR Exterior Mirror mirrors, Nismo smoked side indicators, Nissan Brilliant Blue (TV3) paint
Internal: Recaro Profi SPG driver’s seat, SCHROTH Racing 6-point harness, Nardi Classic 330 mm handlebars, HKS shift knob, Razo pedal set, Defi BF oil temperature, pressure, water temperature, pressure gauges, Defi ZD gauge, HKS turbo timer, Broadway interior mirror, Pioneer Carrozzeria ZHX700 Head Unit, Pioneer Carrozzeria TS-X480G Rear Speakers, FET Karo Floor Mats, Shirtstuckedin Cup Holder, Do-Luck Rear Internal Cross Brace, Fire Extinguisher
