Words: Deven Solanki Photos: Hugo van Cingel
“Growing up, the boys and I were all frothing over cars. First cars we got our hands on — straight into the dodgy eBay ‘mods’, rattle-can paint jobs, and, of course, hacking off mufflers to wake up the neighbourhood,” laughs Remi, a 25-year-old sparky from Tauranga. It was the classic rite of passage — big dreams, empty wallets, and a whole lot of backyard mechanics and Supercheap Auto cosmetics.
Remi’s love for cars didn’t start with an S-chassis or anything remotely spicy. It started when his ’rents got him an iPod, and he’d spend hours taking photos and following car pages on Facebook. Before he ever owned a performance car, he was running a Toyota Camry — reliable, but not exactly setting pulses racing. “I drove that thing to work and back, grinding through day and night shifts just saving for something better,” he says. That something better was an R33 Skyline GTS25T that he worked his ass off for. “Owning a 25DET in high school was a big achievement of mine,” he grins. And from that moment, the addiction only got worse.
For months, Remi continued saving, he sold his R33 and sat on the cash, scrolling Marketplace, waiting for the perfect S-chassis. “It’s brutal when you’ve got money sitting there, and Marketplace keeps throwing dope cars in your face,” he laughs. Then, one day, his S13 popped up — gunmetal grey, heads-up display, sunroof. It was exactly what he wanted. Within hours, he had messaged the seller, packed up, and driven to Auckland to check it out. “As soon as I saw it, I knew. This was the car I’d keep forever.” After receiving the keys, let’s just say he was about to become a connoisseur of two-minute noodles in every flavour.
The S13 originally came with an SR20DET, upgraded with an S15 turbo making around 280hp. “It was fun and fast at the time,” Remi remembers. “But the first thing we did was slap a screamer pipe on it — it was a riot to drive around.” Rolling on Work Meister replicas, with eBay parts, projector headlights, and shotgun tips, the car had the stance and the sound like every other S13 on the street at the time. “Did I care the wheels were fake? Nah, bro. Mean dish. That’s all that mattered.”
Like most cars, the honeymoon phase didn’t last forever. He admits he didn’t exactly baby the car — plenty of skids, plenty of missions with the boys. Eventually, the SR started tapping out. “I knew from the start that if the SR ever died, I’d swap it for a JZ. I just didn’t know how far I’d take it. I kept watching swap videos on YouTube, and the more I saw, the deeper I fell into the idea.”
Remi flicked Dan from Genesis Massive a message — more of a long shot than anything — but next thing you know, the plans were in motion. Dan sourced him a fresh 2JZ block and a rebuilt Marlin Crawler-built R154 gearbox and assembled the motor with all the go-fast bits. The bottom end remained stock, but the 1JZ non-VVT-i head got some love — Kelford 264/272 cams and valve springs, HKS adjustable cam gears, and a full suite of ARP hardware to keep the now 1.5JZ locked together.
Once the motor was sorted, Remi ventured to Auckland to pick it up and roped in a few mates to piece it all together in his garage. “I’m no mechanic, and while the SR20 was easy to pull — could get it in and out in an hour—the JZ was a different story. But I had two of the boys helping out, and we managed to slap it in with the gearbox attached,” he says proudly. With the engine and gearbox in, he trailered the car back to Genesis Massive so Dan could get it running.
The S13’s intake setup features a Hypertune manifold paired with a matching throttle body, ensuring smooth airflow. On the hot side, a Garrett GTX3582R Gen II with a .83 T3 rear housing sits on a locally made Sinco manifold, with boost kept in check by a Turbosmart 50mm wastegate.
Now rocking a 1.5JZ and tuned through a Haltech Elite 750, Brian at NDT Developments wrung out 420kW and 600Nm on 18psi — more than enough for the streets in Remi’s books. “It’s pretty nimble, breaks traction whenever it feels like it. Being a Silvia, it’s light as, and the bucket seats keep you locked in — it legit feels like a slammed go-kart and handles like one too. The first time I heard it fire up, it was unreal — idles like a rotary, all lumpy and angry,” he says.
When it came time for a colour change, Remi and his mate Sukhraj Singh (Evlsukh) decided to wrap the car themselves — zero experience, just a whole lot of swearing. Somehow, they pulled it off in a week, laying down the iconic Mazda Soul Red. He kept the exterior clean — factory Aero rear bumper, pods, and skirts, a Spirit Rei roof and boot spoiler, Craft Square mirrors, D-MAX crystal tails, a CA front lip, and the sought-after brick headlights to finish it off.
The S13 sits pretty on Part Shop Max adjustable coilovers and triple-chrome-plated 18×10-inch and 18×11-inch Blitz BRW03s, thanks to VR Wheels. “I had to fork out some serious coin for the Blitz wheels, but I was lucky to get them off a mate for a deal.” Due to being four-stud factory, Remi upgraded to an R32 big brake conversion for extra stopping power.
At one point, he toyed with the idea of going widebody and bagged — he even had a D-MAX and BN Sports kit collecting dust in the garage. But he just couldn’t bring himself to cut into the factory body. “It was too clean to hack up for over-fenders,” he says. At this point, the build was getting serious.
Despite it already being a certified street weapon, Remi’s far from done. The plan now is to strip it all down, respray it in a dark colour, refresh the interior, and redo the suspension. “The wrap was a sick idea at the time, but now I wanna do it properly. Full paint, full resto.” From a daily-driven SR20 beater to a 1.5JZ-powered monster, this S13 has come a long way. And knowing Remi, it’s only gonna get better from here. “This car ain’t going anywhere. It’s a keeper.”
SPEC LIST
1992 Nissan Silvia (S13)
Heart
Engine: 1.5JZ-GTE, 3000cc six-cylinder
Block: 2JZ-GTE
Head: 1JZ-GTE Non-VVT-i head, skimmed, ported, machined and acid drained, Kelford 264/272 cams, Kelford springs, HKS adjustable cam gears, HKS timing belt, ARP head studs, crank bolts and cam bolts
Intake: Hypertune intake manifold and throttle body
Exhaust: Sinco turbo manifold, 3.5-inch straight pipe, AdrenalinR resonator
Turbo: Garrett GTX3582R Gen II 0.83 T3
Wastegate: Turbosmart 50mm
BOV: None
Fuel: Turbosmart FPR 1200, Hypertune fuel rail, Injector Dynamics 1050cc injectors
Ignition: R35 GT-R coil pack, Platinum Racing Products ignition coil kit
ECU: Elite 750 ECU, Elite 750 Premium Universal wire-in harness 2.5m
Cooling: Fenix Radiator 50mm, electric fan
Extra: Braided hoses and AN fittings throughout, clear timing belt cover, custom oil catch can, polished valve covers
Drive
Gearbox: Marlin Crawler-built Toyota R154 five-speed
Clutch: ORC Twin plate with push conversion
Flywheel: ORC Flywheel
Diff: Factory LSD
Extra: Custom one-piece driveshaft, Kazama engine and gearbox mounts
Support
Struts: Part Shop Max adjustable coilovers
Brakes: R32 Skyline big brake callipers, rotors, and pads
Arms/Knuckles: Aftermarket Japanese adjustable arms throughout
Shoes
Wheels: (F) 18×10-inch (-1) (R) 18×11-inch (+26) Blitz BRW03 triple chrome-plated
Tyres: (F) 235/40R18 (R) 245/40R18 Zeta Alventi
Exterior
Paint: Mazda Soul Red wrap
Enhancements: Aero rear bumper, rear pods and side skirts, Spirit Rei roof and boot spoiler, Craft Square wing mirrors, D-MAX Crystal LED rear tail lights, CA front lip, brick headlights, Syndicate Sport clear lens
Interior
Seats: Bride Low Max bucket seats
Steering Wheel: Drift steering wheel
Instrumentation: Haltech IC-7 Digital Dash, MOMO pedals
Performance
Power: 420kW
Torque: 600Nm
Boost: 18psi
Fuel Type: 98 Octane flex fuel
Tuner: Brian at NDT Developments
Driver Profile
Driver/Owner: Remi Clevenot
Age: 25
Location: Tauranga
Occupation: Electrician
Build Time: Two and a half years
Length of Ownership: Eight years
Thanks: Thanks to Genesis Massive for the engine and fab work. Big shoutout to my mate Sukhraj Singh (Evlsukh) for helping wrap my car — minimal experience, lots of swear words, and a few long days later, it turned out great. Thanks to Ezra from Limitless Tyres for fitting the tyres — these wheels were tricky to size, but we got there. Props to NDT Developments for tuning the car — stoked with how it turned out, couldn’t recommend them enough!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
This article originally appeared in New Zealand Performance Car issue 313