Drifting currently reigns supreme as the undisputed media darling of the import world. Many enter grassroots drift events eager to take their spot as the next Sam Hubinette or Ken Gushi, but does it take balls to be able to conquer the drifting world? Keep in mind, by balls we mean, quite literally, that sack between your legs you call your manhood. We're referring to that piece of misshapen pride that shrinks ever so slightly when Amanda Lam and her 1993 Nissan 240SX blast by you, riding the striped inside curbing of a highly banked turn.
A full-time nursing student who was still in class scribbling notes during the first portion of our photoshoot, Lam didn't start out drifting in protest for women's rights. There are much cheaper and easier ways to get your political motives heard. Rather, Lam picked up this 240SX, her first car, in 2003 with the financial help of her sister and her boyfriend. A rare find even three years ago, this S13-chassis 240SX was clean, had a straight frame and glossy black paint and was completely bone stock. The perfect blank slate for any project.
Taking into consideration that the car was a designated daily driver, early modifications consisted of mostly driver comfort and feel upgrades. Content to just be driving the car, Lam's student budget dictated that all modifications would remain relatively tame. The first round of changes consisted of new brake pads, cross-drilled and slotted brake rotors, a shift knob, a Nardi steering wheel and a set of blingin' new wheels.
It wasn't until the arrival of the Drift Association's Drift Day 10 that Lam discovered what all the sideways sliders were talking about. "At the time, I was only 17 years old but I was determined to learn how to drift and succeed," said Lam. Soon, the pure black S13 was a regular sight at all the local area Drift Days, Just Drift and cone-dodging autocross events.
Understanding that the most important part of any car is the driver, Lam spent most of her income on event entrance fees before deciding to crack the Nissan open. After numerous events, and with her experience growing, larger upgrades began to find their way on to the 240SX. The eventual makeover was led by a Nismo two-way limited-slip differential, picked up at R&D Factory. With better control and response versus the stock open unit, the Nismo LSD opened up the floodgates to the vicious cycle of upgrades. The ability to put power down meant more power was needed, and a Red-Top SR20DET engine was procured out of a JDM S13-chassis Silvia.
The 2.0L SR20DET promises to deliver more than 200hp in stock trim, pushing 8psi of boost. Undeniably one of the easiest and most popular engine swaps for 240SX owners, the SR20 engine has huge untapped power potential with its factory turbocharged design. Bucky Fellini of B3 Tuning swapped in Lam's SR20 engine with the stock engine internals, a stock SR five-speed transmission, ACT Xtreme clutch kit and Prolite XACT flywheel to match. A stock S14-chassis T28 turbocharger was fitted with an HKS internal wastegate actuator and then placed underneath a Megan Racing tubular exhaust manifold. The front-mount intercooler is a Megan Racing prototype kit, stuck in place with Hose Techniques silicone hoses and sporting an HKS Super Sequential blow-off valve sitting dead center. Breathing through a HKS air intake kit, the turbo spits out through a loud, but not too loud, Megan Racing downpipe and exhaust setup.