1996 Nissan 200SX Road Legal Drift Car

Highlights

• Sought after model, believed to be a Falken Tyres Drift team car
• Road legal track/drift car
• Highly modified with rebuilt 350bhp SR20DET
• Two-way LSD
• Will be sold with a full year's MOT

Overview

Often cited by the sideways set as one of the best drift cars out there, the Nissan 200SX (or Silvia, to give it its native nomenclature) is a common sight at circuits the world over. Long and sleek, not only does it look cool but it's inherently set up to skid. It's front-engined and rear-wheel drive, it has a lightweight and balanced chassis and it's fitted with a hardy and eminently tune-able four-cylinder engine. Add all that together and you've got the perfect setup to go sideways. Fast.

The Silvia name has been around since the '60s but it wasn't until 1975 that the 200SX name was used by Nissan to identify the car in overseas markets and as far as drifting goes, it's the S-chassis cars that are the most sought after, particularly the S14, which is what we have here.

Debuting in 1993 the S14 200SX was available with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder, either naturally aspirated or with a turbo strapped to it, with the latter producing a relatively unstressed 200bhp. It's a robust motor, that like many engines coming out of Japan at the time, lent itself to tuning and modification.

And it's this customisability and ease of performance gains that make the 200SX so popular amongst motorsport enthusiasts, especially drifters. With an abundance of after market parts available (many from high-end Japanese manufacturers) huge amounts of power can be coaxed from the car's SR20DET engine without compromising the car itself and to many the 200SX is a blank canvas on which to create a motorsport masterpiece.

Built specifically to go drifting at a high level, and strongly believed to be a Falken Tyres Europe team car (which appears to be consistent with the car's decals and condition), this particular 1996 S14 Nissan 200SX certainly looks the business with its after market body kit but it's underneath that particularly awesome paint job where things get interesting. Highly modified and with all the necessary FIA approved safety gear it's ready to hit the track once more and with a dyno-proven 350bhp in a lightweight, stripped out race car with a two-way limited slip differential, the potential for sideways shenanigans is practically limitless.

Make no mistake, this Nissan 200SX is a track car through and through and, while it does need a bit of fettling here and there, it is a straight, solid example with the performance to match its looks, so if you're thinking about getting into motorsport then this looks a tempting proposition.

History and documentation

• 1996 model year
• V5C present and correct
• First registered 30 April 1996
• In current ownership since July 2024
• Multiple keys including emergency power isolator
• Some invoices for parts and maintenance
• The seller advises that the car was originally built for the Falken Tyres Drift team so has limited history
• The vendor tells us that the car was serviced less than 2k miles ago
• Dyno run printout
• The car will be sold with a full year's MOT
• HPI clear
• 127,512 indicated miles

Interior

• Track-spec
• Completely stripped out and painted
• The dash has been cut in order to house the roll cage
• Simple mesh door cards in place of originals
• There is wear and tear and ageing to the paint inside from frequent use
• Five-point harness for the driver
• Two-point buckle for the passenger
• Both seats are FIA approved
• FIA approved roll cage
• Lifeline fire suppression system for both cabin and engine bay
• Emergency power isolation switch/key
• Analogue oil pressure, oil temperature and turbo boost gauge pods
• Digital boost gauge and water temperature gauge
• Water temp sensor and a fan temp controller
• Short throw gear shifter
• Split bias pedal box to adjust braking bias to front or rear
• As this is a motorsport vehicle there are no fans/heating, radio or door locks
• Some surface rust in passenger foot well where the roll cage meets the chassis but the area remains structurally secure
• No evidence of rust in the boot
• Spare wheel included

Exterior

• After market body kit
• Various racing decals
• No dents or major damage
• The vendor reports that the paint shines up well and is very bright
• Some stone chips are present along with wear marks where some body panels meet
• Some cracks to the rear bumper
• The carbon fibre bonnet has two small scratches on the right hand side
• Bonnet and boot pins
• No obvious evidence of any major corrosion
• Rear towing eye and front strap
• All glasswork appears to be in good shape
• 18” five-spoke Rota alloy wheels are in good condition overall with only some light marks to note (a number of spare stock wheels are also included)
• The vendor states that the tyres need replacing as they are quite old
• The underneath looks clean with no evidence of any major corrosion or damage

Mechanical

• 350bhp, 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine which the seller advises has been rebuilt recently
• Furthermore he describes that it can clearly be seen through the borescope that the pistons and cylinders are in very good condition
• Five-speed manual gearbox
• Highly modified
• Two-way LSD - locks under both acceleration and deceleration
• Split bias braking system
• Some spares included
• The lifters and bores are in good shape and compression test results were healthy according to the vendor
• The vendor informs us that the car starts first time, every time no matter how long it’s been sat, it drives like an absolute dream and pulls like a train with effective brakes
• The vendor also states that the rear pads and front wheel bearings have just been changed
• The car has some variable valve timing rattle which, while it results in a noisy idle, doesn't impact performance and is common for these vehicles but needs addressing as a priority according to the vendor; the ignition amplifier module also has intermittent issues as a result of water ingress which results in a misfire, though this is reported to be an easy fix
• intermittent ignition fault causing stuttering that I mentioned 
• The front brake pads will eventually need replacing as they are quite old and having covered no more than 4K miles since 2005 some of the perishable components will likely need replacing

Summary

Whether put back into action as a track/drift weapon or simply used as a collectible show car, this Nissan 200SX certainly makes a statement and most of the heavy lifting in terms of modifications has already been done. The car is set up to race and arguably the track is where it belongs and with bigger injectors there's potential for more power, too, but whatever you decide to do with it, it's definitely a head-turner. Yes there are some minor issues to address but that's all part of the adventure and will allow the next owner to put their own stamp on the car.

To arrange a viewing, click the 'Book Viewing' button located under the 'Place Bid' button. Viewings can be booked up until the day before the auction ends, after which the option will change to 'Contact Seller' for further enquiries. This seller is located in Frome, Somerset.