Background
1.1 What is a 200SX?
That's not as easy a question as you might think. There are at least three cars sold in different parts of the world under this name. Each is unique to it's market.
The base car for this family is the Nissan Silvia, and it is sold in Japan and possibly other parts of South-East Asia under this name. Basically, this is a rear wheel drive two-door "personal sports coupe" powered by a 4 cylinder DOHC engine. Differences in the models will be covered in another section.
1.2 Why "Silvia"?
According to the Chief Designer, Mr. Ootake, the name "Silvia" comes from Greek Mythology and was the name of a beautiful Nymph. According to Roman Mythology (which borrows from the Greek) Silvia was the mother of Romulus and Remus (By Mars) and was the daughter of King Numitor. Her uncle gave her to to the goddess Vesta.
1.3 History
The Early Years | ||
CSP311 | ||
The earliest car I know of to carry the Silvia name was the CSP311 from 1964-68. It was powered by a 1595cc "R" Engine producing 96HP. Exported to several countries as the Nissan 1600 coupe. Don't confuse this with the 4-door "1600" (510). According to David Auld, 554 were built, of which 20 still exist in Australia. | | |
The "Modern" Silvias | ||
S10 | ||
Introduced 1974. The original "modern" version. There were limited exports, and in some markets called as "Sakura". Also sold in the USA as a 200SX with an L20B rated at 90HP. The L20 motor was used in Australia in the 200B (which had an "SX" variant late in it's life), but the 180B and 200B were not Silvias. They were derived from Bluebirds. | | |
S11 & S110 | ||
Introduced 1979. Nissan's flirtation with Rotary engines. Only a handful ever produced. Production continued as the S110 with a conventional piston engine. (designation unknown - any takers?). According to Alan Marr, the Nissan rotary was a 1000cc twin-rotor design. With a 4 barrel carburettor, it was similar to the 10A Mazda engine Like the CSP311, it was exported in limited numbers as the Nissan 1600 Coupe The S110 had an FJ20E when sold in Japan as a Silvia and a 100HP Z20E (twin plug) when sold in North America as a 200SX, swapping to the 102HP Z22E in 1980. | | |
S12 | ||
Introduced 1983. Two body styles (coupe, hatch). Called a "Gazelle" in some markets and "200SX" in USA. Japanese market cars had FJ20 or FJ20ET 2.0 16V engines, Australian Gazelles had CA20 2.0, 8V "twin plug", while European cars had CA20 or CA18ET engines. USA (not Canada) got the VG30E in the "200SX SE" (which given it had a 3.0 was interesting). This car had 165HP in 1987, and 170HP in 1988 (identified by two-tone paint). The Gazelle and North-American 200SX did not have the bulge in the bonnet shown in this photo, as it was restricted to the four cylinder turbo versions. | | |
The "Hero Cars" | ||
S13 | ||
Introduced 1988. Three body styles (coupe, hatch, convertible). Japanese market cars feature CA18DE and CA18DET engines. USA gets KA24DE (12 Valve in 1989 & 16 Valve from 1991). HICAS (4-wheel steering) available as an option on domestic and export cars (restrictions in some trim levels). In Japan, trim levels were J's, Q's and K's K's are generally turbocharged although I am told it was possible to order a normally aspirated K's but this would be unusual. Export market cars have pop-up lights (which makes them RS or RPS13's), while the domestic cars have fixed rectangular lights. When the S14 was introduced, the S13 was renamed a PS13 "180SX" (with pop-up lights) and continues to be sold in Japan. Chassis Numbering on S13's | | |
S14 | ||
All chassis numbers are prefixed with "S14" Introduced 1993. New styling. Pop-up lights disappeared in all markets. SR20DET engine gets Nissan's variable valve timing. HICAS not available on export turbos, but was available on the 240SX SE. Coupe styling only. (no hatch or convertible) Rear badges are highly polished and on the right side. Japanese trim levels are J's Q's & K's as per the S13. Export models had two or three levels depending on the destination. All get SR20DET as the only engine choice, except for North America, which received the KD24DE only. In Japan, Turbo cars get a 3-gauge cluster under the radio with Oil Pressure, Boost and Voltage gauges. Export cars do not. | | |
S14a (S141) | ||
All chassis numbers are prefixed with "S14A" Introduced December 1996. Characterised by the "flatnose" front styling and a gunmetal Nissan badge on the rear. On the rear, the "200SX" badge moved to the left side, and the script changed slightly. (I don't know why...) Mechanically, there are a few slight changes. The boost sensor was removed, because the revised ECU now infers boost from the Air Flow Meter and RPM you can see where it used to take off from the intercooler pipe near the battery. Rear suspension pick-up points were modified. The S14 used basically the same lower arm as the S13, but the S14a uses wider bushes. In late 1998 the Australian cars lost the Climate A/C. In the last printing run of the Australian brochure, I noticed that "Brilliant Blue" (an S15 colour) replaced "Riviera Blue" in the lineup. I suspect this is more a production scheduling change than anything else. | | |
S15 | ||
Introduced January 16 1999. Some suspension parts came from the S14a Silvia and R34 Skyline, some of which being aluminium, reduced the weight. Considerable effort was focussed on tightening up the body. | | |
S16 | ||
Sadly, Nissan have announced that after more than 30 years, the Silvia was to be discontinued in mid 2002 as the SR20DE and SR20DET do not meet incoming Japanese emission standards (odd, because they are not as tough as ADR, which Nissan Australia managed to meet, some writers have suggested this is really to clarify the market for the 350Z, due in 2003). but Nissan Australia kept the car on sale in Australia until some time in late 2002, when all the available shells are used up. The GT-Spec cars are a way of using the remaining Japanese-spec wings. There may be an S16 developed for 2007, 2008. This was hinted at during the Australian launch of the 350Z. We don't have any hard details at the moment, but will be sure to post them as news develops. January 2003: The image at the right was posted recently in a Japanese magazine. We are in the process of having it translated, so at this point, no guarrantee is made as to whether or not this information is genuine. But it sounds encouraging. June 2003: A bit more information has come to light. This is an artist's impression of what an S16 might look like. It is based on an S15 image, and a Renault front end (Megane, I think). The photos of the engine bay were from a Domestic Market X-Trail turbo. July 2004: Continuing delays on the next GT-R, and the success of the 350Z are starting to mark a shift in Nissan's focus. Renault's control of Nissan appears to be moving the company away from many of it's previous niche markets into a more globally-oriented business. Sadly, this does not bode well for a reintroduction of the Silvia. August 2005: Japan's "Motor Life" reports that Nissan are preparing an "entry-level sports coupe" for the world market under the codename of "X6". A translation of the article says:
If there is to be a new Silvia, the Fiorna concept car at the Sydney Motor Show could be a pointer to it. There is not a lot of hard data on it (Mainly because it's a "concept", but it is a 2+2 Front Engine/Rear Drive platform with half-sized "suicide doors" at the rear (ala RX-8 and 1940's Packards) We've put together a small photo gallery and will update it as we go along. We are continuing to monitor developments. | | |