JDM · JDM legends · Nissan
Silvia Spec-R S15 · 1999–2002
2.0-liter SR20DET turbo inline-4, 250 PS (247 hp), 6-speed, rear-drive. Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
The S15 is the most successful car in Japan’s D1 Grand Prix drift series. Wikipedia’s list of champions shows S15 drivers winning 12 titles from 2001 to 2022, including the very first, with 8 different drivers.
Han lends Sean his S15, and Sean wrecks it in his first race against Takashi. Its engine and parts then go into the Mustang for the final race, and Sean ends the film in an S15 Spec-R. Top Gear Netherlands calls the film car the “Mona Lisa” of the drift world.
Nissan stopped building the S platform in August 2002, as it cut down its many platforms. The S15 was the final Silvia.
S15 Silvia Spec-Rs show up in Initial D, driven by Hiroya Okuyama and by the “Two Guys From Tokyo”.
Never sold new in the US. Never sold new in the US. Nissan sold the S15 new in Japan, Australia and New Zealand (as the 200SX there) and Indonesia; US cars are grey imports. Each car becomes legal to import under the 25-year rule once it is 25 years old by its month of build. S15s were built from January 1999 to August 2002, so the first ones qualified in January 2024 and the last ones qualify in 2027.
On this site: Nissan 240SX S14 (the US car before it) · The US 240SX’s engine, the KA24DE
Plain text from the sources listed: no race photos, anime stills, logos or likenesses. Items marked "Not fully confirmed" rest on one weaker source. Every JDM car
S15 Silvia · 1999–2002
Coupe, 1999–2002. 0–60 times are magazine tests where we have one, otherwise the maker's figure.
163 hp165 PS at 6,400 rpm, no turbo (JDM)
The base car, with the non-turbo SR20DE.
247 hp250 PS at 6,400 rpm, 6-speed manual car (JDM)
The turbo car: the SR20DET with a ball-bearing turbo, a 6-speed manual and a helical limited-slip differential. An Aero version added a big rear wing, side skirts and new bumpers.
A convertible with a folding hardtop, built by Autech on the Spec-S with the non-turbo engine. Only 1,143 were built.
2.0-liter inline-4, turbo
Engine's YouTube owner tone 47/100 (videos about the Nissan SR20DET in every car that uses it, so it differs from this car's own tone below)
Nissan SR20DET engine page →Auto Express says the SR20DET can wear its camshafts fast when oil changes have been skipped. CarsGuide says to look under the oil filler cap for sludge, and to check that the oil on the dipstick is clean.
Auto Express says a rattle on start-up can mean the variable valve timing system is worn. It wrote this about the S14 200SX, which used the same SR20DET.
Auto Express says blown turbo gaskets are common and make the car very noisy at idle, and that exhaust manifolds are a weak point that can leak.
Retro Rides says white exhaust smoke means the turbo is burning oil. Auto Express adds that many of these turbos are now old, and CarsGuide warns that owners often fit bigger turbos and new electronics, so take care with modified cars.
Share of the 172 most-watched Silvia videos that praise or criticize each topic (a praise or trouble word near it in the title or transcript).
The S15 Silvia Spec-R makes 247 hp and 203 lb-ft.
The S15 Silvia (1999–2002) uses the Nissan SR20DET, a 2.0-liter inline-4, turbo.
D1 Grand Prix: The S15 is the most successful car in Japan’s D1 Grand Prix drift series. Wikipedia’s list of champions shows S15 drivers winning 12 titles from 2001 to 2022, including the very first, with 8 different drivers. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift: Han lends Sean his S15, and Sean wrecks it in his first race against Takashi. Its engine and parts then go into the Mustang for the final race, and Sean ends the film in an S15 Spec-R. Top Gear Netherlands calls the film car the “Mona Lisa” of the drift world. The last Silvia: Nissan stopped building the S platform in August 2002, as it cut down its many platforms. The S15 was the final Silvia.
No. Never sold new in the US. Nissan sold the S15 new in Japan, Australia and New Zealand (as the 200SX there) and Indonesia; US cars are grey imports. Each car becomes legal to import under the 25-year rule once it is 25 years old by its month of build. S15s were built from January 1999 to August 2002, so the first ones qualified in January 2024 and the last ones qualify in 2027.
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