Words: Todd Wylie Photos: Rixsta Sammons
While many of us can look back at our automotive past, recognising points in time when we had the wrong car, Wellington’s Steve Kerr is one of the lucky few who takes a different view. A younger Steve was actually a bit slower than his mates to get his first car, but that was by design, not by failure. Right from the outset he was determined not to have any old shitbox, rather he started his car ownership journey behind the wheel of a Silvia. Saving the funds as a student took some time, but he knew it was the right choice, and one that ended up shaping his life thereafter.
Now, some nine years later, Steve has owned an impressive 22 different Silvias, including a mix of the S13, S14 and S15 models. His love affair with the cars has even seen him take his side hustle of trading parts and turning it into a full time business known as Stealth Ride. Through running the business he’s formed countless great relationships with parts suppliers, workshops, fabricators and customers that have enabled him to take his Silvia dreams to the next level.
Although at one stage he owned seven at once, nowadays the collection is slightly more refined, consisting predominantly of the two you see here along with a few donors and future projects. His work with the cars has shown just how versatile the S-chassis is and how even now, some 25 years since the S15 platform was unveiled to the world, it still looks good and can still be modified in unique ways. We’re sure that’s something that will continue into the future, and if anyone is going to be leading the way on that front, it’s bound to be Steve Kerr!
The Turbo One
An RB26 powered Silvia is kind of a no brainer. Being the ultimate of Nissan motors in terms of ‘off the shelf’ performance parts and aftermarket support, while being able to essentially bolt into an S-chassis, an RB26 can’t be beat. That’s a statement Steve still stands by, and given his history he should know. “The car was always going to be a remodel of my original RB S15. In my eyes, it’s the perfect way to do a S15. Factory style aero body kit, maximum low, big VS KF wheels on semi factory style guards”. He continues “The RB26 package was just something that I always liked. I had an S15 four or five years ago with an RB26 and it was an epic car to drive. I sold it when the market was good and instantly missed it!”. Of course that meant when a friend was selling his one RB26-powered car not long after, Steve grabbed it.
As the motor was stock and complete with the factory twin turbo setup, Steve grabbed another motor that he could build up on the side to throw in it for a bit more fun factor. Thanks to good mates, including fabricator extraordinaire Matt Lauder, the new motor was in the hole just before Chrome 2023. But sadly, it all went wrong on the dyno just before the car was meant to be loaded onto the trailer. “We were bummed. We still took the car to Chrome to show it off but it wasn’t the same knowing we had to pull it back out once we returned”. The main reason for the disappointment was that the motor was purchased having been freshly built with quality internals, but that turned out not to be the case, meaning Steve paid the ultimate price. Hayden Parker from Custom Works was called upon to strip the dud motor down and rebuild it how it should have been the first time around. It could go back into the hands of Chris Wall at Prestige Tuning where it made a not too shabby 448kW on 22psi. Even though the engine needed to be pulled and repaired, the engine bay itself was looking amazing, and that’s understandably Steve’s favourite part of the car. The Hypertune billet intake manifold plays a big part in that appeal, and to Steve’s knowledge it’s the only one of its kind on a street car in NZ. There’s still a bit more to come in the engine bay too, with a radiator cover panel away being painted at the time our photos were taken.
There’s no arguing the car has the look to go with that power output too, thanks to a Stealth Ride aero body kit with Origin Labo bonnet, Moulded Dmax 55mm rear fenders, pumped front fenders and a Stealth Ride lip kit. The custom blue paint and slammed ride height that finish it off are starting to become Steve’s signature look.
The Big Capacity One
This car breaks Steve’s mould a little as it’s not an S15, but an S14 that’s been heavily modified to appear as an S15, something that Steve probably wouldn’t go to the effort of doing again. “Starting with an S15 probably would have been smarter, as converting it took a lot more time and effort”. On the plus side, the car is definitely different, and the whole rear of the body can be unclipped from the chassis, giving easy access to everything underneath. Having owned the car the longest out of all of his various Silvias, it may be surprising that there are still things he would look at changing. The key one being that even though the body panels were moulded off a genuine S15, by the time Steve and friends did the conversion and added the wide fenders it actually ended up about the same width as a standard car with rolled fenders.
Despite that, during the seven years he’s owned it, the car has had countless different engine combos under the hood, even the engine bay itself has been painted about five times. That may be part of the reason that Steve feels more connected to the car than to his others, as there’s simply so much blood sweat and tears that have gone into it.
Despite that, during the seven years he’s owned it, the car has had countless different engine combos under the hood, even the engine bay itself has been painted about five times. That may be part of the reason that Steve feels more connected to the car than to his others, as there’s simply so much blood sweat and tears that have gone into it.
While the current naturally aspirated L98 engine may not be the wildest one it’s been fitted with, it’s certainly the most fun. As the car was built specifically for non-competitive drifting, the move away from the previously fitted twin turbo LS combo was all in the name of reliability and maximum fun factor. “It’s very much been a build of many thought processes, many versions – a reflection of most likely myself and growing older” laughs Steve. With that simplification of the engine package came another rebuild of the car itself, Steve and friends stripping all the paint off it before redoing the body work and even going as far as undersealing the undercarriage and powder coating anything that could be unbolted.
The impressive looking LS runs eight individual throttle bodies below that big speedway style filter, and a Kelford 282-degree camshaft inside. Making the whole thing work is a MAXX ECU tuned again by Chris at Prestige to the tune of 404kW / 650NM, more than enough for having some fun with passengers on board. With that intake system and a 3.5-inch stainless exhaust it makes a sound unlike any other while Steve bangs through the Jerico 4-speed box.
For the right look, the car currently runs 18×9.5-inch Work T5R 2P wheels (12P offset), the fronts wrapped in Nankang semi slicks and the rears wrapped in anything that’s black and round. TSD Performance coilovers paired with 12kg front springs and 8kg rears help bring the height into check while TSD Performance arms and lock kit help it point where it should. Steve’s not afraid to drive it how it was intended, and can often be found at events such as Chrome making the most of what it has to offer.
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This article originally appeared in New Zealand Performance Car issue 308
SPEC LIST
2002 Nissan Silvia (S15)
Heart
ENGINE: RB26DET, 2600cc six-cylinder
BLOCK: CP pistons, Eagle rods
HEAD: Kelford cams, valve springs and retainers
INTAKE: Hypertune billet intake manifold
EXHAUST: IMR turbo manifold, 3.5-inch stainless exhaust system
TURBO: Aeroflow 6662 Boosted turbo
WASTEGATE: Aeroflow 60mm
BOV: Aeroflow
FUEL: Deatschwerks DW350iL in-tank fuel pump
IGNITION: Audi VAG coils
ECU: MaxxECU RACE and PDM
COOLING: Fenix tucked radiator, intercooler and oil cooler, SPAL fans
Drive
GEARBOX: RB25DET five-speed
CLUTCH: Drews Automotive six-puck
FLYWHEEL: Lightened flywheel
DIFF: Factory
Support
STRUTS: TSD air suspension
BRAKES: Factory
ARMS/KNUCKLES: TSD Performance
Shoes
WHEELS: (F) 18×9-inch (+0) and (R) 18×10.5-inch (+4) Work VS-KF
TYRES: Whatever is cheap!
Exterior:
PAINT: Custom Mazda blue
ENHANCEMENTS: Stealth Ride aero body kit, Origin Labo bonnet, Stealth Ride lip kit
Interior
SEATS: Ganko JP reclinables
STEERING WHEEL: Factory
Performance:
POWER: 442kW
TORQUE: 620Nm
BOOST: 22psi
FUEL TYPE: Gull 98
TUNER: Chris at Prestige Tuning & Motorsport
BUILD TIME: 2 years
LENGTH OF OWNERSHIP: Four years
1997 Nissan Silvia (S14)
Heart
ENGINE: Chev L98, 6000cc eight-cylinder
BLOCK: Factory alloy block
HEAD: Kelford 282 cams, twin-row chain kit
INTAKE: 8 individual throttle bodies, K&N Speedway filter
EXHAUST: 3.5-inch stainless exhaust
FUEL: Smith Industries fuel tank with built-in surge tank, Aeroflow lift pump, Aeroflow twin 044 fuel pumps
IGNITION: MSD LS3 coils
ECU: MaxxECU RACE and PDM
COOLING: Rear-mounted Fenix radiator, SPAL fans
Drive
GEARBOX: Jerico four-speed
CLUTCH: Quartermaster twin plate
FLYWHEEL: Quartermaster
DIFF: R200 5×1
Support
STRUTS: TSD Performance coilovers (12kg front springs, 8kg rear springs)
Brakes: (F) Skyline 4 pot, (R) Twin 2-pot callipers
ARMS/KNUCKLES: TSD Performance arms and lock kit
Shoes
WHEELS: 18×9.5-inch (+12) Work T5R 2P
TYRES: (F) 225/40R18 Nankang Semi Slick, (R) Black, round and cheap!
Exterior
PAINT: Custom Mazda blue
ENHANCEMENTS: Stealth Ride S15 front and rear conversion clip,
Origin Labo bonnet, 326Power body kit
Interior:
SEATS: Bride fixed-back seats
STEERING WHEEL: Mad Mike / NRG
INSTRUMENTATION: Haltech iC-7 dash and Blink keypad
Performance:
POWER: 404kW
TORQUE: 650Nm
FUEL TYPE: Gull 98
TUNER: Prestige Tuning
Driver Profile
DRIVER/OWNER: Steve Kerr
AGE: 27
LOCATION: Wellington
OCCUPATION: Director of Stealth Ride NZ
BUILD TIME: 2 years
LENGTH OF OWNERSHIP: Six years
THANKS: Colin, Hayden R, Justin, Kerry, Annalise, Reuben, Jack, Dan B, Matt B, Jamie S, Shaun, Chris, Geoff, Jamie, Michael, Matt L, Mum, Dad, Jodie, Jared, Brooke, KD, Alistar, Hayden P, Jimmy, Dave D, Dave K, Dave T, Dale, Josh L and Aaron