It’s beautiful. It’s too bad that it’s so rare.
There used to be many sporty Nissan cars in the lineup, from the small Sentra SE-R to the massive GT-R in some markets. The Silvia was an entry-level rear wheel-drive sports car, but it was still a step above the Z car. The Silvia is a classic of drifting, having been made available as a new vehicle in 1999. The Silvia has been evolving for nearly 40 years.
In 1965, the Silvia was a handsome coupe with styling by Albrecht von Goertz of BMW 507. The platform and underpinnings were the same as the Datsun Fairlady Roadster, but the Silvia’s styling was more straight-edged. They were hand-assembled and produced 554 units before Nissan discontinued production in 1968.
The new Silvia was not introduced until 1975. It had a unique design due to its round body and sharp-edged greenhouse. The two-door Skyline, a contemporary model of the Silvia, shared some styling cues. These models were even exported to America as the Datsun 200SX.
New generations of Silvia introduced new styling elements and turbocharged versions to the lineup in the 1980s. The famous S13 generation arrived at the end of the decade. The S13 was available with fixed or pop-up headlights, and either notchback or fastback body options. Convertibles were also available. There was also a variety of engines. The only engine available in the United States was a 2.4-liter four-cylinder naturally aspirated powerplant for the 240SX. However, turbocharged mills of 1.8- or 2.0-liter capacity could be found elsewhere.
The S13 was followed by two additional generations from Nissan. The automotive market was changing and Nissan retired the Silvia in 2002. Rumours circulated years ago that the company was looking to revive the nameplate in order to produce a variant on the IDX concept. However, the vehicle never arrived. It doesn’t seem likely that the Silvia will return anytime soon, with the Z and GT-R due to be replaced in the next few years.
