2000 NISSAN SILVIA SPEC R (S15)
NAME: TRAVIS TREMLETT // AGE: 21 LOCATION: AUCKLAND // OCCUPATION: PHOTOGRAPHER, MARKETING
NZ Performance Car: Hi, Travis. Tell us how you got into cars and about the first you owned.
Travis: Hey, guys. I’ve always had a fascination with cars from a young age. And, because I played Need For Speed a lot, I wanted to one day own a Silvia. My first car was a Nissan Pulsar, which did the trick getting me around, but my mind was always on getting into an S-chassis. I finally did with a silver S15 before the one I currently own, but I sold it to purchase this, as it was in completely factory form.
You’ve taken photos of, and been exposed to, lots of cars, but is the S15 still your favourite?
Yeah, for sure. It’s always been that dream car. I love the body lines of it, and it’s so easy to make look good. The right set of wheels and ride height with a few tasteful additions and you’re set. Plus, being young when I got the first one, I wanted to be one of the ‘cool kids’ and, of course, make turbo noises everywhere I went.
Fair enough — who doesn’t enjoy turbo noises? Where do you get your inspiration from for the modifications?
My main inspiration came from one of my friends over in Australia, Amartej Dhami (armie_95), who owns an absolutely immaculate white example that was featured on StanceNation. And I’ve always liked the clean aesthetics, not overdoing things, so wanted to get my hands on a pure factory example that I could build up myself, which is what I’ve done with this car.
And what’s it been like daily-driving a turbo car that’s slammed on coilovers with an exhaust and kit pieces?
It’s like a game of hide and seek with the police — not because it’s illegal, but just so I’m not unduly hassled, you know? But, in saying that, surprisingly, driving it isn’t as bad as people think — you just have to know what you can and cannot drive over, when to go for it, and when to hold back. But, sometimes, you have no option other than to just hit things and hope for the best [laughs].
Do you have future plans for the car, or is it about right?
Nah, at this stage, I don’t have any plans. Though, I may change the wheels up at some point, or do a minor tune upgrade for more boost in the future. I do plan on keeping it for a long time, as they’re becoming almost impossible to find clean — so no need to rush anything.
That they are. Cheers for the yarn, Travis.
ENGINE: Nissan SR20DET, 1998cc, four-cylinder; three-inch exhaust, twin three-inch blast pipe tip, Fenix front-mount intercooler, custom intake pipe, braided water and oil lines DRIVELINE: Six-speed manual, R200 limited-slip differential (LSD) INTERIOR: Nardi deep-dish steering wheel, Recaro SR3 seats EXTERIOR: Factory aero kit, custom front splitter, custom side extensions, custom end extensions, custom LED tail lights WHEELS/TYRES: 18x9.5-inch (+15) CST Hyper Zero, 215/40R18 Westlake SUSPENSION: Parts Shop Max coilovers, Parts Shop Max camber arms, GKTech toe arms POWER: 184kW