What do you get when you put a builder, a visionary and a slick automotive-care company together? You get the Turtle Wax 240SX. Turtle Wax wanted to become more involved, and asked Andy Goodman of the National Custom Car Association for his input. To say the least, Goodman has vision; his ideas were just what Turtle Wax needed to springboard into its 2005 Get Waxed Tour.
First things first: find a well-known, imaginative builder and have him create a show queen to represent the company at events. Neil Tjin came to Goodman's mind. Tjin has built over 40 unique and one-off cars that have competed in shows across the country for the last eight years, and he's only 26. Neil's 1997 Nissan 240SX started life as a daily driven show car that won Hot Import Nights' Best of Show in 2003 in Philly. This will be his most high-profile project to date: It is the spokes-vehicle for Turtle Wax's Get Waxed Tour.
This project evolved over a 20-month window and still competed along the way. His vision began with power. A JDM S13 Red Top SR20DET motor was chosen as the cornerstone. It was built by Non Fujita of Enonvativ Force in Torrance, Calif. Fujita built a solid motor. With a fully built block and head, he chose a Veilside turbo manifold, and a GReddy intake manifold and downpipe to compliment the reinforced powerplant. From there, the motor was introduced to its new home. Once the motor was secured in its new environment, Tjin began working on all of the goodies that make his car so unforgettable. He added a Tial blow-off valve; E&V silicone tubes, vacuum lines and oil cooler; custom polished intercooler piping; Nitrous Express 100-shot direct port kit, intercooler kit and twin carbon bottles with openers; JDM Silvia radiator and fan; Competition clutch and flywheel; T-Bolt clamps; and Marvel synthetic oil. Not wanting a mundane, high-output engine bay, Tjin dressed it up with a Nismo oil cap, radiator cap and strut bar, along with a Weld spark plug cover and a carbon-fiber tray and fuse box cover.
With the engine bay done, Tjin moved on to the next phase of his buildup, suspension. Keeping with the JDM drift trends, he chose Kei-Office coil-overs and camber plates. Tjin went with Precision 13-inch rotors up front with 11.5-inch rotors out back. All four corners are equipped with Wilwood calipers and stainless-steel braided lines. To round out the suspension, braking and handling department, custom 19x9.5-inch and 19x10.5-inch HRE 441 wheels with phat-polished lips were selected, along with ultra-low-profile Toyo T1 tires: 245/35-19s up front and 275/30-19s out back. These are custom black wheels with polished lips-nothing second class about the rolling stock on this car.