**The Enduring Legacy of the Nissan 240sx**
The Nissan 240sx, a sports car that has been in production for over 25 years, continues to be a championship contender on the roads and tracks. Its popularity is evident in its frequent appearance in movies and TV shows, such as "Fast and Furious" and "Tokyo Drift". In fact, the character Letty drives a 97 Nissan Silvia in one of the films.
One notable feature of the 240sx is its association with drifting culture. The car's rear-wheel drive layout and lightweight design make it an ideal platform for this type of driving. As a result, modified 240s can often be seen at drift events and competitions.
The 240sx has also gained a following in the world of anime and manga. In the popular series "Initial D", several characters are associated with Nissan Silvias, including Mika and Sayuki who drive an S13 model.
In addition to its on-screen appearances, the 240sx can be seen in various movies and TV shows, such as "Blank Check" and "Mrs. Doubtfire". The car's unique design has made it a popular choice for filmmakers looking to add a touch of style to their productions.
**A Brief History of the Nissan 240sx**
The 1989 Nissan 240sx was one of the first cars to introduce a heads-up display (HUD). However, the HUD units proved to be problematic and most of the cars on the road today have either broken HUDs or have had them removed by hand.
Despite its popularity among sports car enthusiasts, the 240sx was never marketed as a track-ready vehicle. In fact, Nissan has stated that the car was designed with comfort in mind rather than performance.
**The Drift Tax**
In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to find unmodified 240s for sale at affordable prices. The "drift tax" refers to the significant increase in price that modified 240s can command on the market. According to listings online, a good condition 1993 240sx is worth around $1,500, but modified models can sell for four to six times that amount.
While other rear-wheel drive platforms, such as the BMW 3-series and Ford Mustang, may be used for drifting, they do not have the same level of aftermarket support as the 240sx.
**Legally Importing a Japanese Silvia**
Until recently, it was illegal to import a Japanese Silvia into the US without filing the proper paperwork. However, federal regulations now permit owners to bring these cars into the country provided they are over 25 years old. Established importers can help facilitate this process and may even have cars in stock or be able to find one for sale in Japan.
**The Future of the Nissan 240sx**
Since the death of the S chassis in 2002, there has been a call for Nissan to release another lightweight rear-wheel drive platform. In 2013, Nissan unveiled the IDX concept at the Tokyo Motor Show, featuring throwback styling and a focus on affordability and fun.
Unfortunately, Nissan ultimately decided that they could not see a cost-effective way to bring this car to market. As a result, it is unlikely that we will see another generation of the 240sx in the near future.
**Conclusion**
The Nissan 240sx remains a beloved sports car among enthusiasts. Its unique design and rear-wheel drive layout make it an ideal platform for drifting and other forms of performance driving. While its on-screen appearances may have waned, the 240sx continues to be a popular choice among filmmakers and automotive enthusiasts alike.
WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enoh hey I'm Chris Forsberg this finishing up for TSM most beloved drift car of all time here's the facts you might not have known about his attitude for TSM back won the 240sx has a ton of names first things first you have to know your chassis codes the first chassis the s13 debuted in 1988 as the 240sx in America in both hatchback and coupe in Japan the hatchback was called the 180sx and the coupe was the Silvia both were called the 200sx in Europe the s14 debuted in 1995 it was still called the Silvia in Japan the 200sx in most of the world except in America where it was the 240sx again the s15 debuted in 1999 known as the Silvia in Japan and the 200sx in Australia and New Zealand now you'd guess the s15 was called the 240sx in America but you'd be wrong the s15 was never sold in America and is still illegal to own stateside back to the 240 is perfect for drifting why it's rear-wheel drive cheap lightweight and well balanced and s13 could be purchased new for around 15 grand a good condition used s13 cost under a thousand bucks not anymore but we'll get to that later they weighed 27 hundred pounds from the factory and with a bit of weight reduction could get under 2,500 less than apphia its wheelbase isn't short and twitchy but it's not too long in lazy either it's fifty five forty five front rear balance makes it easier to initiate and control drifting factory drift culture and the 240 came from Japan together the Silvia became popular in early Japanese drift culture when the first Japanese drift magazines and videos hit the States Americans started buying domestic to 40s and modifying them into drift cars it was relatively easy to swap in turbocharged engines from the Japanese domestic market and the cars popularity spawned massive growth and aftermarket performance parts most of the first professional drifters in America have owned or driven a 240 and it continues to be a championship contending car more than 25 years after its release back for movies love the 240sx and the original The Fast and the Furious Letty in an 97 to 40 shows a guy in an FDR x7f race Wars what she's got in the Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift the protagonist Shawn gives an s15 silvia fondly nicknamed mona lisa' a missile car makeover while doing battle with a 350z in a shopping mall parking garage bonus fact this is the same mall used in hoonigan Black Friday the popular manga and anime initial D features a number of Nissan sylvia's including a sil-eighty driven by maka and sayuki and s13 Silvia driven by a katana and s14 Silvia driven by Kenta and a ness15 driven by her Oya among others 240s can also be seen in the background of many movies and shows such as blank check mrs. Doubtfire old school near The Walking Dead the Addams Family ride aces down fire again the master lies Super Mario Brothers the movie fact pine the 240 have one of the first HUD s the 1989 Nissan 240sx was one of the first cars to introduce the heads-up display unfortunately the HUD units were problematic and most of the cars on the road today have broken HUD or have been resided by hand back six the car was never marketed to the prif tank community I'd say about 75% of our sales are two single better educated women they like the styling and it fits their needs better the s14 appeared larger and added comfort features and was marketed as a luxury sports coupe despite actually being 2 inches shorter and having a stiffer chassis than the previous model back 7 1a 240sx be prepared to pay the drift tax the ones widely available inexpensive unmodified 240s are nearly gone the Kelly Blue Book value on a good condition 1993 240sx is about $1,500 but a quick search shows that cars are actually going for four to six times that this discrepancy has come to be known as the drift tax previously modified track beat in 240 s can be found for Less but still typically cost two to three times the Kelley Blue Book amount there are other capable inexpensive rear-wheel drive platforms that can be used to get into drifting such as the BMW 3-series and Ford Mustang but neither have the vast drift specific parts catalog available to 240sx owners yet fact 8 you can now legally own a japanese silvia in the u.s. coveted japanese market only cars like the Sylvia and Skyline have sometimes made their way to us Shores largely illegally but driving one of these car on the streets has been proven risk a federal regulation basically says that if you try to import a car without filing the proper paperwork proving it is over 25 years old it will crush the car and potentially find you a lot of money thankfully you can now legally own a Nissan Silvia any number of ways but the easiest is by going through an established importer who may already have cars in stock on American shores or will be willing to help you find one for sale in Japan unfortunately it will cost you back nine the next 240sx is a long way away since the death of the S chassis in 2002 there has been an outcry for Nissan to release another simple inexpensive lightweight rear-wheel drive platform in 2013 Nissan revealed the idx concept at the Tokyo Motor Show featuring throwback styling in a rear-wheel drive chassis that aimed to be affordable and fun unfortunately Nissan later announced that they couldn't see a cost-effective way to make it happen frankly to do a platform for 50,000 to 60,000 units a year it's not worth it Gen Y and Gen Z is less interested in that kind of execution of a sports car for a younger generation the Juke is a much more profound way of going to market maybe it's time to let them know how we feel well thanks for watching and make sure to click here to subscribe to donut media and for more videos you can click right over here and if there's any other cars you want to learn about make sure to leave them in the comments belowoh hey I'm Chris Forsberg this finishing up for TSM most beloved drift car of all time here's the facts you might not have known about his attitude for TSM back won the 240sx has a ton of names first things first you have to know your chassis codes the first chassis the s13 debuted in 1988 as the 240sx in America in both hatchback and coupe in Japan the hatchback was called the 180sx and the coupe was the Silvia both were called the 200sx in Europe the s14 debuted in 1995 it was still called the Silvia in Japan the 200sx in most of the world except in America where it was the 240sx again the s15 debuted in 1999 known as the Silvia in Japan and the 200sx in Australia and New Zealand now you'd guess the s15 was called the 240sx in America but you'd be wrong the s15 was never sold in America and is still illegal to own stateside back to the 240 is perfect for drifting why it's rear-wheel drive cheap lightweight and well balanced and s13 could be purchased new for around 15 grand a good condition used s13 cost under a thousand bucks not anymore but we'll get to that later they weighed 27 hundred pounds from the factory and with a bit of weight reduction could get under 2,500 less than apphia its wheelbase isn't short and twitchy but it's not too long in lazy either it's fifty five forty five front rear balance makes it easier to initiate and control drifting factory drift culture and the 240 came from Japan together the Silvia became popular in early Japanese drift culture when the first Japanese drift magazines and videos hit the States Americans started buying domestic to 40s and modifying them into drift cars it was relatively easy to swap in turbocharged engines from the Japanese domestic market and the cars popularity spawned massive growth and aftermarket performance parts most of the first professional drifters in America have owned or driven a 240 and it continues to be a championship contending car more than 25 years after its release back for movies love the 240sx and the original The Fast and the Furious Letty in an 97 to 40 shows a guy in an FDR x7f race Wars what she's got in the Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift the protagonist Shawn gives an s15 silvia fondly nicknamed mona lisa' a missile car makeover while doing battle with a 350z in a shopping mall parking garage bonus fact this is the same mall used in hoonigan Black Friday the popular manga and anime initial D features a number of Nissan sylvia's including a sil-eighty driven by maka and sayuki and s13 Silvia driven by a katana and s14 Silvia driven by Kenta and a ness15 driven by her Oya among others 240s can also be seen in the background of many movies and shows such as blank check mrs. Doubtfire old school near The Walking Dead the Addams Family ride aces down fire again the master lies Super Mario Brothers the movie fact pine the 240 have one of the first HUD s the 1989 Nissan 240sx was one of the first cars to introduce the heads-up display unfortunately the HUD units were problematic and most of the cars on the road today have broken HUD or have been resided by hand back six the car was never marketed to the prif tank community I'd say about 75% of our sales are two single better educated women they like the styling and it fits their needs better the s14 appeared larger and added comfort features and was marketed as a luxury sports coupe despite actually being 2 inches shorter and having a stiffer chassis than the previous model back 7 1a 240sx be prepared to pay the drift tax the ones widely available inexpensive unmodified 240s are nearly gone the Kelly Blue Book value on a good condition 1993 240sx is about $1,500 but a quick search shows that cars are actually going for four to six times that this discrepancy has come to be known as the drift tax previously modified track beat in 240 s can be found for Less but still typically cost two to three times the Kelley Blue Book amount there are other capable inexpensive rear-wheel drive platforms that can be used to get into drifting such as the BMW 3-series and Ford Mustang but neither have the vast drift specific parts catalog available to 240sx owners yet fact 8 you can now legally own a japanese silvia in the u.s. coveted japanese market only cars like the Sylvia and Skyline have sometimes made their way to us Shores largely illegally but driving one of these car on the streets has been proven risk a federal regulation basically says that if you try to import a car without filing the proper paperwork proving it is over 25 years old it will crush the car and potentially find you a lot of money thankfully you can now legally own a Nissan Silvia any number of ways but the easiest is by going through an established importer who may already have cars in stock on American shores or will be willing to help you find one for sale in Japan unfortunately it will cost you back nine the next 240sx is a long way away since the death of the S chassis in 2002 there has been an outcry for Nissan to release another simple inexpensive lightweight rear-wheel drive platform in 2013 Nissan revealed the idx concept at the Tokyo Motor Show featuring throwback styling in a rear-wheel drive chassis that aimed to be affordable and fun unfortunately Nissan later announced that they couldn't see a cost-effective way to make it happen frankly to do a platform for 50,000 to 60,000 units a year it's not worth it Gen Y and Gen Z is less interested in that kind of execution of a sports car for a younger generation the Juke is a much more profound way of going to market maybe it's time to let them know how we feel well thanks for watching and make sure to click here to subscribe to donut media and for more videos you can click right over here and if there's any other cars you want to learn about make sure to leave them in the comments below
