1995 Nissan 240SX – Ghost In The Machine
Getting to know Meliton Villamor's 2JZ-GTE-motivated Nissan S14 for Top Drift pro-am
In 1995, a Japanese anime film called Ghost In The Shell challenged its audience to question the definition of humanity determined by what is on the inside. If a being has a robot body with a human brain, is that being human or robot? How much does the inside define the exterior? I know that’s a pretty deep premise to kick off an article about a drift car, but stick with me because I'm going somewhere with it.
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Is a Toyota Corolla still a Toyota if it has a Nissan SR20DET engine under the hood? Is a Ford Mustang with a Skyline RB26DETT engine still a Ford? What makes a Nissan, a Nissan? What makes a Toyota, a Toyota? Is it simply the emblem on the hood? What's under the hood? Considering all the ways a car can be modified today, the answers to these questions aren't so simple.
This brings us to Meliton Villamor's 1995 Nissan 240SX (S14 in chassis speak), a vehicle built to compete in the Top Drift pro-am series. This car started out as a daily driver, but we all know how that goes. Things kicked off with a few small modifications, and then the next thing he knew he was dropping a JDM SR20DET engine into his A-to-B car. After what Meliton referred to as "conflict with the local police department" and a referee ticket, he decided that maybe daily driving a car with a not-so-legal engine wasn't the best way to enjoy his build.
It was at that point that Meliton decided to take the plunge, re-register his S14 as non-op and turn it into a dedicated drift car. For a while at least, the SR20DET remained under the hood. Then, on one fateful day, Meliton went on a ride-along with his friend and Formula DRIFT driver Dan Burkett in Dan's Toyota Supra built by RAD Industries. After a wild and nearly vomit-inducing ride, Meliton decided he needed to have some of that sweet, sweet 2JZ power for himself.
Meliton enlisted the help of RAD Industries to install a refreshed Toyota 2JZ-GTE engine into his Nissan S14, a move that would have been considered sacrilege just a few years ago. The engine was also converted from a twin-turbo set up to a single turbo configuration utilizing a BorgWarner EFR 7670 turbocharger. The engine breathes a bit better with the help of a Drift Motion header and Work 9 straight exhaust.
To get his S14 as sideways as possible, Meliton installed a Wise Fab angle kit and a set of Dmax shocks paired with Swift springs at the corners to keep the car balanced. The S14's shoes come in the form of ESR wheels with 17x8.5-inch fitment up front and 18x9.5-inch in the rear.
