Sileighty

History

The Sileighty (also written as Sil80) originated through early street racers in Japan who owned Nissan 180SXs with damaged front ends. Because the Silvia's front panels and lights were lighter and cheaper than the 180SX replacement parts, many drifters used these parts instead. Unknown to the public until the release date, these end user modifications inspired a Japanese auto shop, Kids Heart, to produce a small number of so-called "official" or "real" Nissan Sileighties. It is on record that 400 cars were made by this shop, and were only sold in 1998. Essentially the kouki (late model) 180SX Type-X tuned for drifting, the cars are distinguished from their home-built brethren by the distinctive "Sileighty" name on the rear dressplate and quarter windows. The Sileighty includes performance-oriented modifications such as a new ECU, a stiffer suspension system, an improved limited-slip differential, and an increase in turbocharger boost from 7 psi (0.5 bar) to about 13 psi (0.9 bar), resulting in approximately 230 hp (172 kW), versus 205 from the standard Silvia's SR20DET or the 180SX's 175 hp (130 kW) CA18DET. Oddly enough, many left hand drive 180SX units sold in Micronesia and the South Pacific were built with the Silvia front end as well, though they were never badged as Sileighties, just 180SXs. The Sileighty is not recognized by any government as a Nissan manufactured model; instead it is generally treated as the model of the original car before modification.

Variations

It has become common for owners of the S13 240SX, the North American version of the Nissan S platform, to make their own Sileighties by importing a Silvia front end and installing it onto a 240SX fastback. When done to a S13 240SX notchback or convertible (both of which are based on the regular Silvia, not the 180SX), it's usually referred to as a JDM Silvia conversion.

Another variation is sometimes called the Onevia, which consists of 180SX parts on the front end of an S13 Silvia. Nissan sold similar configurations in the US as the S13 240SX (notchback) coupe and convertible models.

While technically a 'Sil80', the combination of the 180SX body with an S15 Silvia front end can be referred to as an 'S13.5' for clarity, the '.5' denoting the front end conversion, similarly an S14 front end would be '.4' (Or '4a' for an S14a front) and an S13 front end would be '.3'. This naming scheme can be referred to for all models S13-S15, e.g. S13.5, S14.5

Occasionally the S15 front end conversion is referred to as the 'strawberry face conversion' due to the Japanese words for 1 and 5 which are ichi and go and when put together (ichigo) they make the word 'strawberry', hence Nissan S platform vehicles with the S15 front end conversion occasionally being referred to as strawberry faces.