Nissan Silvia For Sale
One of the most popular Nissan sports cars in the United States (before the 350/370Z and GTR) is the Nissan Silvia, also known as the 200SX and 240SX in North America. Made over six generations, the Silvia is a small sports car known for its front-engined rear-wheel drive configuration. Hence, later models are popular with racers, particularly in the drift scene.
The first proper Silvia was the S10 of 1975. Called the Datsun 200-SX in the USA, it used a 2.0-liter engine, and was offered with manual or automatic transmission. Paul Newman is known to have built and raced one in the 1978 IMSA Class C, where the car won 19 out of 22 races.
The S110 came in 1979, and featured new styling, but the same engine. However, it gained a 2.2-liter unit in 1982. The luxurious SL variant brought features such as a removable glass skyroof. The S110 was replaced by 1984’s S12. This is where pop-up headlamps first appeared for the nameplate. United States buyers could get a 1.8-liter turbocharged engine, which was later replaced by a 3.0-liter naturally aspirated V6 with 165 horsepower.
The S13 for the United States was introduced in 1989 and diverged from the Japanese market S13 Silvia. While the Japanese market model did away with pop-up headlamps, the US-market variant retained them. Furthermore, the car was known as the Nissan 240SX. Power came from a 2.4-liter engine with 155 horsepower. A convertible variant was also offered.
The S14 of 1994 continued the trend of styling divergence between the Japanese and United States market models. The United States model lost pop-up headlamps, in favor of fixed units. The engine and power output remained, but changes were made to improve power delivery and refinement. Higher trims came with features such as a CD player, leather seats, and keyless entry.
The S15 was the final generation of the Silvia. It was not sold in the United States, only being offered in Japan, Australia and New Zealand. High performance variants could now produce over 200 horsepower, courtesy of a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. The Silvia was discontinued in 2002.
Nissan Silvia FAQs
Is the Nissan Silvia still in production?
As with most JDM legends from the 90s, Nissan discontinued production of the Nissan Silvia in 2002. However, in 2024, Nissan's Vice President of Global Strategy admitted there's a good chance we'll get the Nissan Silvia back. Let's hope its soon!
Are Nissan Silvia's reliable?
As with most Nissans, Nissan Silvia's are in fact pretty reliable. As long as proper maintenance and service has been done you can drive with peace of mind knowing that your Nissan Silvia will last a very long time.
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