THE PURSUIT OF FUNCTION

There comes a time in a person’s life, some call it an experience, some eye opening or an awakening. What ever one calls it, the resonance of that occasion creates a memory that sticks with you and it changes you. For my man mike he told me of such an occasion when he was younger and in the midst of getting his license.  The story goes, after school mike and his buddies saw this car doing a burnout, and mike couldn’t tell at first what car was creating all the smoke and enchanting sound. He knew it looked cool so he automatically thought it was out his price range for a first car.

That night mike went online and searched and searched until he found what he had seen early…. A Nissan 240sx, and upon further investigating mike found that this car , the Nissan 240sx was an older car and was relatively affordable. With already working and built up a lil savings it wasn’t even a question to save a lil more and grab a 240 of his own. 

Which over the next six years turned into an obsession not only with the 240 but Nissan itself . Mike went threw bout six  240’s before finally settling on a burgundy 98’ 240sx se you see here in the pics. The first mod was getting rid of the the Ka24 in favor of the beloved inline six turbocharged rb26dett found in the skyline GTR.

This car to some may seem understated or not low enough or it needs more camber. This car is set up to do its job, performance over looks. Now with that being said the chassis itself  was stripped down and an under coat was laid to the bottom of the body. Every suspension arm, link, bushing and what have you has been replaced and painted. With a refreshed and stiffened chassis, a set of tein flex coilovers provide a comfortable ride through the rough streets of the south side of Chicago.  

With 700hp at your feet with the push of the pedal, all the necessary supporting systems were upgraded to handle the high boost. An aem ems  handles the responsibilities of spark, fuel and timing issues occurred when generating 700hp. While a hybrid rb25/z32 transmission setup and upgraded clutch transfers the power to the ground. The engine bay itself, has been given a royal treatment. Stitch welded and the firewall coated with a gold tape for cooling purposes and then the rest painted black to add some contrast.

The interior was kept simple with a roll cage, east bear bucket seats and track spec harnesses. A quality monitor/head unit and decent speakers round out the inside cabin. The simplicity extends to the exterior with an s14 facelift. A fresh coat of  paint and a set of  Bronze Volk TE37’S wrapped in bf goodrich sticky tires keep this Godzilla planted to the ground and it extrudes a menacing distinction to the exterior.

Now that the car is damn near completely overhauled and equipped with a tuned rb26dett making a reliable 700hp. Most would be satisfied and content with the build and ready to enjoy it. For mike, knowing the rb26 was not engineered to be in an s-chassis, but rather it is at home in the skyline gtr. the gtr being a purposely engineered supercar,  so all the while during the 240 build mike kept an eye on the internet gtr market.

Three years passed when a white r33 v-spec with low miles and was unmolested popped onto the market. Mike emptied out most his savings to fly to Washington state to pay for the car and then left back home to Chicago, with no car and no title. What seemed to be the longest week ever, the GTR arrived and then the  title delivered the following week. Now mike has a supercar, the GTR and his supercar, the 240. Both cars unmistakably built with quality, purpose, function and looks from the ground up. Whether in a Nissan factory over in japan or a garage on the south side of Chicago, function only adds to the form of any vehicle.

DRIVER PROFILE MIKE Chicago, il 1998 240 & R33 Your favorite websites? Magazines? zilvia.net What''s playing through the speakers/headphones? 8.77fm Favorite moment with car/bike? sunday cruises MODS -engine- rb26det -drivetrain- hybrid rb25/z32 -engine management- aem ems -stance- tein flex -brakes- wilwood -wheels & tires- volk TE37 / bfgoodrich -exterior- oem -interior- Very simple with east bear seats and track spec seat belts.