The S15 Silvia is everything that a sports car should be; powerful, good-looking, fun to drive, and most of all, cheap! The Silvia’s heart (in Spec-R trim) is Nissan’s wonderful 2.0L SR20DET four-cylinder engine, which pumps out an awesome 247hp and 202 lbs-ft of torque with the aid of an intercooled turbo. This engine, which benefits from Nissan’s VTC variable valve timing, displays a very linear powerband, with meat from idle to its 7,200rpm redline. This engine is channeled through a 6-speed manual tranny, and put to the ground through the rear wheels. The suspension is firm and well controlled, with an advanced multi-link design out back, lifted from the Japanese-market Skyline. To haul the featherweight (2,799 lbs) Silvia down from speed, Nissan bolted on 11in discs up front, with true four-piston calipers, and 10.1in stoppers out back.
Wow! That is a lot to take in… rear wheel drive, 247hp, a 6-speed manual, big brakes, lightweight, and a multi-link suspension. However, those are not the car’s biggest selling points. The car’s $22,000 price tag is. Yes, at the current exchange rate, a Japanese Silvia would only cost $22,000 to an American consumer. As soon as that dirt-cheap price sinks in, you will realize that there is no other car currently sold in the US in this price range that could compete with it. But what about real-world performance? The Silvia doesn’t fail to please, with a 0 to 60mph time of under six seconds, a skid-pad score which exceeds .90g, and a 60 to 0mph braking distance of under 120 ft. Overall, it is an amazing package which sticks to the formula that made the original Japanese sports cars so popular.
Why does Nissan even try to create a new Z when they already have the perfect sports car sitting on their own shores? Don’t even try and tell me US crash testing and emissions are in the way, as Nissan could easily overcome them. Certifying the Silvia for the US market would cost infinitely less then making a new Z, which doesn’t even look good from the start! So what if Nissan has to tack a few thousand on to the price. Even then, nothing could touch it for the money. Come on Nissan! Bring back the sports car!
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