Hybrid How-To: S13 Nissan Silvia

With this hybrid, we created a lightweight, rear-drive, turbocharged sports car with giant-killing potential for a little more than $3,000. Sure, it needs paint and smells bad, but the performance for the dollar is unbeatable.

The 1989-1994 240SX was a very confused car. It had an incredibly balanced chassis that shared its multi-link rear suspension with the 300ZX and Skyline, yet it was tuned for ride comfort over handling. It came with a transmission and differential that can withstand 400 hp, but it only made 140. In short, it wanted desperately to be a sports car, but it wasn't.

In Japan, as usual, things were better. The same car was available as the 180SX, which looked like our fastback 240SX, or the Silvia, which was identical to our 240SX coupe from the A-pillar back, but used fixed headlamps. Both cars were available with a variety of engines, but the one we care about is, of course, the SR20DET. Producing anywhere from 202 to 247 hp in stock form, the SR20 is capable of 400 hp at the wheels with relatively little work.

The S13 Silvia and 180SX were so popular during their initial production run that when their heavier, more luxurious successor, the S14 Silvia, was introduced in 1995, the S13 180SX remained in production. After more than eight years of production, S13s are abundant in Japanese junkyards, making for a constant supply of imported used engines and front clips.

Even though the rear-drive SR20 was never sold in the United States, this swap is popular enough that many of the most important parts are