If you didn’t already flip to the last page in this feature for a quick look at this car’s tech specs--don’t. Let’s play a guessing game. Glance over this JDM S15 beast for a minute; it’s pink-covered D-Max widebody kit and cherry blossom-themed graphics, staggered gold lightweight alloys in matching hues, fully built and boosted Tomei Genesis SR20 powerplant. Where would you most likely bet to find it? Front and center in the Yashio Factory garage in Saitama, Japan? Maybe stuffed into one of the tiny service bays surrounding Fuji Speedway. The name Kindai covering its flanks is definitely Japanese, but look at that name on the driver’s door; that’s definitely Taiwanese--is it a glimpse of Japan’s newest foreign drift challenger? What if we told you this little guy is a Southerner. No, not Osaka--Atlanta, GA, born and bred. No, really. We’re serious! For real.
Kindai Neo Motorsports is in fact a U.S. based entity--not a Japanese tuning garage’s Stateside effort in the tradition of Signal, HKS, and the like, but not entirely different. Know a guy named Kenji Yamanaka? Well, when he emigrated to the U.S. with his sights set on the American drift scene, he first touched down in Atlanta . . . and pretty much stayed there. Drift Emporium gave him a shot at the driver’s seat of their V-8-powered S15, and an SR-powered S14 backup--in which he did well, earning over 300 championship points in 2009, competing in only a few events. As a result of the friendship he developed with then crew chief Jerry Yang, the duo went on to co-found Kindai Neo Motorsports, a tuning effort with a name harkening to Kindai Neo Graffiti, Kenji’s Japan-based lifestyle biz. The rest, as they say, is history.
This is largely the duo’s first project, commissioned by Taiwan native Chanin Prapapyueryong to serve as his entrance ticket into the world of Formula D Pro-Am and XDC competitive drifting. With decades of experience tuning Japanese competition vehicles, it should come as no surprise that Jerry and Co. settled on a built SR20 as their powerplant of choice. It should also come as no surprise that they knew exactly where to find the ideal one--the engine bay of Kenji’s S14. The tradeoff was a win on both sides; Kenji was planning to move up to his Titan V-8 powerplant to hang with the rest of the FD Pro grid, and funded it by passing down his fully Tomei-built Genesis SR20DET to help Chanin dominate amateur ranks. The Genesis treatment is just that--a complete rebirth of a lightly used SR20DET mill by way of a Tomei 91mm stroker crankshaft, H-beam connecting rods, 87mm overbore pistons, a fully machined block to suit, a fully ported and polished cylinder head to match, and a full Tomei valvetrain. This one’s twin-scroll Garrett GT3076R turbocharger (.78 A/R exhaust housing), trusty Tial gates, and battle-ready Full-Race twin-scroll turbo manifold were optional equipment--just like the Mazworx-adapted six-speed Z32 tranny and HKS twin-plate clutch now sending all that power to the rear wheels.
Jerry’s handiwork can be seen surrounding it all, though. Notice the custom Mishimoto front-mount intercooler taking the radiator’s place, with matching Mishi rad and electric fans behind it. This allowed Jerry to fabricate shorter intercooler piping for optimal throttle response, and features the side benefit of relocating vital equipment away from the front bumper, (i.e., the crash zone). Also note the stitch welding and gusseting Jerry applied to the bay for extra rigidity--perfect for allowing the car’s footworks--Stance GR+Pro coilovers and bushings, and just about every trick component from your favorite JDM suspension tuners--to really shine through.