Imai-san at Bee Racing noticed I was drooling over the shiny blue S15 Silvia sitting in the middle of his workshop during my last visit there. It’s not every day that you come across a car like this, a project that someone has obviously poured a lot of time and effort into. If you sum up the sheer investment that has gone into sourcing some of the best parts out there, it wouldn’t surprise as much as what the car is worth on the second hand market. Turns out the owner has just sold this Silvia for well under what you might pay a brand new FT86 for example, less than what the bone stock S15 Spec R that it’s based on originally sold for. Whoever bought this got a true bargain, not only for the performance it can unleash…
…but for, how shall I put it, its originality. Imai-san explains that the tiny dry-carbon rear spoiler was done as a joke…
…the owner either not a fan of massive GT-wings that are so popular these days, or very much into RC cars? Who knows! This micro-spoiler cost about $700 to have custom made and despite its mysterious meaning it does serve as an example of the attention to detail whoever built this car obviously had. The carbon treatment…
…continues on the inside, with custom made and molded door cards.
The whole cabin and surrounding trim was stripped down to allow the chassis to be spot welded for added stiffness. A few coats of metallic blue followed before the dashboard and selected components were reinstalled into the interior.
More carbon was used for the center console and switch panel, and to save weight the A/C was removed. The big shift lever operates the HKS 6-speed sequential transmission.
No A/C means the three dash-top air outlets became redundant, making for the perfect location to flush-fit some Defi gauges.
The stock A-pillar mounted boost gauge was replaced with a more precise Defi unit.
Imai-san points out another little curious component fitted for “fun,” a carbon go-kart seat made by the guys at First Molding. Maybe the owner wanted his passengers to suffer!
The rear seats, along with all the side and roof trim were removed, leaving only a nice and clean carbon panel closing off the access to the trunk.
The car’s exterior sports a full aero package, considerably widening all the fenders.
9J wide, 18-inch Work Meister S1s are fitted at each corner, running 235/40R18 Potenza RE11s at the front and slightly bigger 245/40R18 Federal SS595 at the rear. Braking is handled by the Endless calipers, 6-pots up front and 4-pots out back. The anodized blue isn’t the only thing matching the body color…
…there is something under the carbon hood that sports a similar hue.
Powering this S15 is a hand built Tomei Powered Genesis SR225G, stroked to 2,138 cc and fitted with pretty much all the parts out of the Tomei catalogue, including a specially ported and polished head as well as upgraded valvegear. This engine retails for a smidgen under $20,000!
Sitting next to it is an HKS GT2835 turbine, able to supply all the boost the very special SR would ever need.
Imai-san was unsure of the actual power figure but there is usually more than 500 HP to play with on a set up like this. Check out the metallic bronze the engine bay has been painted in. Incredible attention to detail.
Both the top and lower sections of the big HKS intercooler get increased airflow thanks to all the extra openings that were cut onto the bumper.
The custom fuel system is neatly laid out in the trunk which, like the rest of the car, has been stripped out and given the once over with the paint gun.
Nice selection of stickers.
The new owner must be pretty ecstatic having gotten his hands on such a superbly built machine. The question is, will the tiny GT spoiler remain, or will it get replaced by something a little better suited?
-Dino Dalle Carbonare