You wouldn’t think this Nissan 240SX is daily-driven, much less thrown sideways on the weekends. But despite a few door dings and battle scars, the overall appearance of this S14 is stunning with a hardcore Japanese style that’s dope as f*ck. Big deep dish wheels, mega wide over-fenders together with an SR20DET motor swap, owner James Kent wanted to create a thing that you’d see drifting across the mountains in Japan and he’s accomplished just that.
James calls Canada home but he’s moved around considerably in his lifetime. He grew up in Toronto and was was prepared to dive to the car world when he turned 16. But everything was put on hold when he suddenly relocated to Hong Kong. You can imagine he was a bit disappointed having dreamt about his own project car only to move to a country where he couldn’t own or even drive an automobile. But his enthusiasm didn’t stop. When he moved back to Canada in their early 20s, he was ready to make up for lost period in his new hometown of Vancouver. Originally thinking about an Audi, everything changed when James found himself eating dinner close to several members of the local 240 community. He admired the close friendship involved with everyone and it was clear to him that he wanted to be a part ofwhich was a ’95 Zenki slammed on cut springs and outfitted with “the worst camber possible” he told us. Although it might have looked cool to many, he learned an important lesson when he lost traction on a rainy day and wrecked the car. He realized he had to create a car from your ground up and do it the right way, especially after making a few trips to Japan himself (see sidebar). So, he picked up this ’97 240SX and the “Yokosuka Nights” S14 project began.
The 240 started life automatic, red with 100,000 km in the odometer. It wasn’t well before he wished to take his Kouki to another level, though james threw on some imitation wheels and kept the drivetrain and chassis lightly modified to get a couple years.
Remembering straight back to his first accident, whilst the car was declared totaled, the shell was salvaged and in good condition. So, after sourcing a fresh aero package, he used the shell as payment for the midnight purple paint job-not a bad trade!
Under the hood, the stock KA wasn’t going to work anymore so James pieced together everything for the ideal SR20DET swap. He upgraded the fueling components and bolt-ons himself but when it got to transplanting the motor and tranny, local shop GarageFive helped with all theBeneath The Influence
Suspension was next. He dealt with Fortune Auto to determine the best specifications for him-a balance between drift and street. So, the coilovers were created to order using custom-valved shocks with stiffer springs.
The automobile was finished up last year with Weds fenders, a and wheels ZMAX hood. Originally, James ran the staggered wheels on the stock body pulling the shit out of the fenders just so he could drive. But with the newest over-fenders riveted on, he was able to adjust the camber, tire stretch and ride height just right for his driving style.
Over the last five-years, James is now an active member in the tight-knit local S-chassis community and he’s also now a member of Circuit Soul, one of the top car crews in the Northwest. He uses his car every day, having to avoid speed bumps and endure the cops hassling him just like everyone else. But even then, he’s kept true to the Japanese drifter theme in the car and isn’t afraid to drive it every day to function or buy it slideways from the canyons.
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