When the S14’s production ended in 1999, the Silvia was pretty much a brand in itself. The car won hearts around the globe for its in-your-face body styling and excellent driving dynamics, and at this point, it had become pretty evident that it would go on to become a future classic.
Looking to cash in on the hype, Nissan had already started working on the next-generation S-chassis car and revealed the new and improved Silvia S15 the same year. The new Silvia had a lot to keep up to, and the responsibility to make it even better laid on the shoulders of the numerous engineers and designers tasked with developing the car.
Background
Nissan sold the S13 Type X or “Kouki” variant in Japan until 1998, clearly proving that the demand for a fast sports car with excellent handling characteristics was very much there. When the Type X production ended in 1998, a gap was created in the Japanese market, which Nissan desperately needed to fill before its competitors.
The year was 1999; Bluetooth had just been launched, and so had the S15 Silvia. By now, previous generations were already quite famous with the budding sport compact scene. Moreover, drifters and professional drivers were also equally interested in putting the new car to the test.
Even though there was a demand for the new car, Nissan only initially sold it in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. It’s not that you couldn’t buy it in any other country, but you would have to jump through many bureaucratic hoops to import it successfully. Unfortunately, you can’t import one of these beautiful machines in the United States now, no matter how politically connected or influential you may be, due to a federal law banning the importation of certain vehicles—but more on that later.
Domestic Versions — Silvia S15 Coupe
Compared to the previous generation, the S14 was bigger and heavier, eventually pushing it out of the compact cars class. Consequently, the brand suffered quite a bit in sales, as higher taxes turned a portion of the potential buyers away.
Thus, Nissan reduced the S15’s overall dimensions to bring the new Silvia back into the Japanese government’s compact class. The S15 Silvia was also designed to look more modern, even if that meant adding some aggressive yet polarizing design aspects.
As before, Nissan produced only the Coupe version for the Japanese and international markets but did away with the King, Queen, and Jack variants available in the outgoing generation. The new car adopted a much simpler approach with just two trim levels: the base Spec-S model and the range-topping Spec-R. Nissan also introduced a convertible model and sold a handful of units only in Japan. The company also offered both coupe variants with an optional “Aero” pack with some aesthetic exterior enhancements.
Since the S15 was in production for merely three years, it did not receive a mid-cycle upgrade like the previous generations. The short production span actually came as a surprise to fans worldwide. Indeed, thanks to the smaller size, the new car was selling much better than the S14 Silvia.
Under the skin
The new simplicity trend was not limited to just the trim levels; even the available engine options were simplified. The S15 was now only available with Nissan’s SR series engine, either the familiar SR20DE or its turbocharged sibling, the SR20DET.
The SR20DE power unit in the S15 produced around 160 hp and 142 lb-ft of torque. In a car weighing just over 3,000 lbs, that translated into a 0-60 mph sprint in 7.7 seconds. That might not seem like a lot, but we’re talking about the late 1990s here. Meanwhile, the much sportier SR20DET 2.0L four-cylinder turbo engine produced 250 hp and 203 lb-ft torque, not bad even by today’s standards.
In sharp contrast to Nissan’s new policy of cutting down on available options, the number of transmissions offered increased. In addition to the standard 4-speed automatic and 5-speed manual, buyers could now also opt for a new 6-speed manual (only in the Spec-R variant, though).
The Spec-R S15 Silvia also came with a helical limited-slip differential, resulting in much better driving dynamics on the track, and Nissan’s HICAS four-wheel steering system as an exclusive option.
Meanwhile, the Spec-S received the rough end of the stick as it got none of the essential upgrades. It came with an open differential, a smaller brake booster, and a significantly less powerful engine—no need to mention that the Spec-R was the must-have model for every Silvia enthusiast at the time.
Download your Nissan owners manual here!
Styling features
As mentioned earlier, the S15 Silvia saw significant reductions in its outer body dimensions. However, that doesn’t mean it lost its famous in-your-face design language. The new model was quite aggressive while still managing to look somewhat western. The lines were more streamlined than ever for a much cleaner look. The S15 generation Silvia looked fast, even while standing still.
And if that wasn’t enough, the Aero package brought several exterior upgrades, including a sizeable rear wing along with more pronounced side skirt panels.
Need more power? Specialty car developer Autech got you covered! The Japanese tuning company offered various upgrade packages for both trims, including performance-oriented kits ranging from a simple ECU tune all the way to significant engine mods.
Export Version — Nissan S15 200SX
Surprisingly, the Nissan 200SX did not post the best sales figures when it came to export markets. Of course, there were several reasons for its poor performance. But for a start, Nissan only officially sold the 200SX in two other countries, Australia and New Zealand, while residents of countries would have to grey import the car—that doesn’t really help with sales, to say the least.
Of course, it wasn’t only Nissan’s choice. Indeed, all S15s, including 200SXs, were banned from being imported to the United States due to a federal law requiring foreign cars to be modified to meet US pollution standards.
Thankfully though, the law only bans importing these vehicles if they are less than 25 years old, which means you’ll be able to legally import an S15 Nissan Silvia in a couple of years.
Time to start saving up!
Under the skin
Even in export markets like Australia and New Zealand, Nissan offered the S15 200SX in the same two trim levels. However, there weren’t many differences between the grades. They both came with the SR20DET turbo four-pot engine, detuned to produce fewer horsepower than the JDM-spec models. The SR20DET’s naturally-aspirated sibling, the SR20DE engine, was never made available in export markets.
Styling features
In terms of outer appearance, the export models were pretty much identical to the JDM ones. Nonetheless, there are still minor differences. For instance, the 200SX came with different wheels finished in a unique silver shadow chrome shade and also packed a larger rear wing when equipped with the Aero package.
Changes in the cabin were even more subtle; chrome door handles and gear selector surrounding trim, plus a set of sports pedals—that’s pretty much it.
Silvia Varietta
As is customary with all Silvia generations, Nissan also sold a unique special edition, the Silvia Varietta—basically a hard-top convertible S15.
The Varietta was based on the Spec-S trim, so it came with the 160-hp SR20DE naturally-aspirated engine and the option to choose between the 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic transmission. It might not seem like such a desirable model given the smaller mill, but Nissan produced merely 1143 Variettas, so it’s now pretty hard to find a clean and well-maintained example. If you’ve got your hands on one, it’s probably worth a pretty penny!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
When did the S15 come out?
The Nissan S15 was released in 1999 and was sold only in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Production ended in 2002, and sales outside of Japan were so bad that some of them didn’t sell until 2007 in New Zealand. Sales in Australia weren’t much better either, with only 10% of all S15s sold there — and this was their second biggest market!
The S15 was only sold in these countries because local laws didn’t require any significant changes to the original JDM cars, unlike the previous USDM S-Chassis cars equipped with a completely different engine. And while Nissan sold that engine in the States until 2002, the additional R&D cost needed to put it in a new model simply outweighed potential profits.
The main indication of the popularity drop of small sports cars is that Nissan sold over 200,000 S13s in North America but less than 40,000 S14s over roughly the same lifespan. On the other hand, Europe always had the SR20 engines in their Silvias, both NA and turbocharged. Still, new and rigorous emission standards barred the SR20 from hitting European roads — what a shame.
Last Words
Nissan officially ended the S15 Silvia production in August 2002. And even though that was already 19-odd years ago, many like-minded car enthusiasts like you and me still hope for the legendary Silvia nameplate to return as a modern sports car at some point.
Can Nissan do it? Should Nissan do it? Share your thoughts below!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about this iconic Japanese legend as much as I have enjoyed writing about it. Luckily, even though the Nissan Silvia series comes to an end here, this is far from over…
We’ve got tons more Japanese Legends coming up!
Read more:
• Nissan Silvia CSP311 — 1st-Generation (1965-1968)
• Nissan Silvia S10 – 2nd-Generation (1975-1979)
• Nissan Silvia S13 – 5th-Generation (1988-1993)
• Nissan Silvia S14 – 6th-Generation (1993-1999)
• Nissan Silvia S15 – 7th-Generation (1999-2002)
