| Meet Silvia,
The Japanese home-market version of the new 240SX. Positioned upscale of its
price-sensitive, insurability-driven U.S. counterpart, the Silvia is available in
notchback coupe and convertible body styles only and is packed with the techno toys
Japanese car buyers have come to expect. The Silvia shuns the pop-up headlamps and
twin-slot grille of the 240SX for a wraparound, aerodynamic light-bar front end. Two
18O9-cc. 1 6-valve. twincam powerplants are offered: a normally aspirated, fuel-injected
version developing 135 bhp at 6400 rpm and a turbocharged intercooled unit pumped up to
175 bhp. Standard on the turbo model is a viscouscoupling, limited-slip differential. Also
available is electronic anti-lock braking and Nissan's latest 4-wheel-steering system, |
HICAS-II, with
a very quick 13:1 ratio and 2.4 turns lock to lock. The convertible version comes from
Autech Japan, Nissan's wholly owned coachbuilding subsidiary, and the car's folding soft
top is provided by the U.S.based ASC Inc. The necessary structural |
improvements
made to reinforce the ragtop's floorpan add nearly 300 lb, so Nissan makes the 175-bhp
turbo engine standard to maintain performance levels. Is Nissan planning to bring the
Silvia convertible to the U.S.? Time will tell. -Ron Sessions |
