When Jordan first got the car, it was somewhat of the workhorse car / fun daily for the previous owner who happened to be in the real estate. Test driving it from his friend, Jordan remembers opening the boot and seeing it filled with “For Sale” signs for houses – who said coupe’s couldn’t be practical. With his friend wanting to get something more fitting for a real estate agent, Jordan gladly took it off his hands in pretty much stock condition. No body kit, no accident history and just some minor engine mods to get more power out of the stock SR20.

Originally intending to put in an RB25 engine swap, plans fell through as the package he was intending to buy ended up getting badly damaged just before the purchase. So in an attempt to search for alternative transplants for his awaiting S15 engine bay, an RB26 from an R33 GTR came up and Jordan pounced on the opportunity. The engine had received a stock bottom end rebuild and for the 500hp goals Jordan had, he knew he had to do more than slap on a big turbo.

That being said, the new turbo, a Gtx3582r, was actually the first item crossed off his engine build check list because who doesn’t like to see a massive single turbo in their bedroom. Even if it can’t do anything, it’s almost a constant reminder to yourself of the amount of fun you’re going to have once it’s bolted onto your car.

An accompanying 6 Boost high mount manifold was also purchased along with a 50mm Turbosmart Progate to finish off the turbo setup. After a quick engine health check and green light from Driftking Performance the head was stripped and sent off for a refresh which included Step 2 HKS 272 cams, HKS springs, titanium retainers, ARP head studs, Tomei gears, new head and intake gaskets and some porting throughout the cylinder head.

The bottom end got some additional love for a second time which included an N1 oil pump with Spool billet gears, new water pump and a Gates Racing timing and tensioner kit to see through additional power safely. With the engine assembled by the workshop, Jordan sought the help of some mates to help install the new beating heart into his car. Spending every spare hour he had after work and during weekend, Jordan along with his mates made the necessary adjustments to the S15 engine bay to receive the RB motor. This include the feat of routing the entire fuel system and fitting up the radiator, fans and associated hoses. For a weekend garage job, you’d be hard pressed to find too many faults in the end result.

With the engine in, custom cooler pipes and a full exhaust were installed by the kind folk at Elite Exhausts. Thereafter an R33 gearbox, DCS twin plate clutch and custom one piece tailshaft were mated together to finish off the drivetrain. Some custom catch cans and fluid tanks were also crafted by JMFabrication to allow the fluids to sit snugly inside the smaller engine bay before the engine management component was put in.

Along with a custom engine loom, battery relocation and other electrical tidy ups, Whitey’s Wiring helped connect the final piece of the puzzle which was the Link G4+ ECU to get the car ready to hit the dyno. Opting for a flex tune, the car spent a good amount of time at Tekno performance where it now registers over 500hp on 19psi though Jordan already has plans for more boost in the near future.

Aesthetically Jordan has kept it clean with the addition of the RPF1 wheels (17×9+22 F 17×9.5+18 R), and a few minor additions such as the Dmax rear boot lip, carbon splitter and splitters up front. There’s not much to improve on this now iconic silhouette in all fairness and as we’ve said in plenty of builds on this page, sometimes simple is best. To get the rid height and handling right, the car has BC Gold series coil overs, Hardrace Camber, caster and toe arms front and back, Hardrace solid rear subframe bushes and Whiteline sway bars installed.

The engine bay however is a different story which although isn’t in your face, doesn’t quite feel as subtle as the exterior of the car. The teal finish to the engine cover is not your usual RB26 variation of red as is so often seen but it certainly looks at home especially sitting amidst the polished piping, catch cans, fluid reservoirs and Pewter Grey engine bay.

The splash of subtle colour caries throughout other areas of the relatively stock looking exterior with the wheel nuts, brakes and tyre valves also in a similar colour to the engine covers. The Silvia logo on the spark plug cover is a great finishing touch to pair with the cleverly chosen “GODSILR” number plates to remind you this is still a S-Chassis.

Sitting in the cabin you’re immediately drawn to the AIM digital cluster which features squarely on the steering column. Besides the factory A pillar gauge, you’ll find no other unnecessary measurement devices in the car which to me is somewhat of an evolution of the current JDM interior where previously cars would have 3 or more gauges to monitor car health. Black Bride Low Max seats along with matching fabric inserts in the door panels are always an effective way to transform the interior and to match the red stitching of the seats and Nardi steering wheel, a custom dash mat was made to tie the interior together.

Despite owning the car for nearly 6 years, Jordan says he’s probably driven it for a total of 1 year both with an SR and now the RB so for the immediate future, he hopes to make up for lost time with his immaculately put together car.