It appears as though cars have been the victims of stereotyping lately. Certain makes and models practically have a template laid out dictating how they should be modified. This seems to be especially true for the Nissan 240SX, a car that many consider to be expendable, with the price of bare chassis—even running cars—dropping into the triple digits. Such factors have led to exponential growth in the popularity of the 240SX. It’s everything anybody could want in a hobby car: cheap, guilt-free, mindless fun. Waldemar “Waldo” Bernedo, however, had a slightly (and by slightly, we mean completely), different mindset with this ’92 240SX build. Before he chose the S13 to become the foundation of his masterpiece, he had a vision of the completed car and kept to that vision throughout the build, never wavering from the initial plan regardless of the cost or technical obstacles. That, in his own words, is what “separates a builder from a hobbyist; a builder has a vision and a plan even previous to the purchase of the vehicle. A hobbyist makes changes to the car as he goes.”
If you’ve taken a peek at the specs and photos you may have noticed that all of its parts were manufactured by reputable companies, the majority being of Japanese origin and/or enjoying rare status, especially in the States. During our brief conversation, Waldo brought up a very interesting point: Companies in Japan are not only still producing parts for the S13 22 years after its introduction, but developing new parts as well; a testament to the S13 as a truly timeless chassis and proof that it’s still possible to create a quality build that’s unique from the masses. While there is nothing wrong with the typical “drift slut”—assembled with just enough cheap, China-made parts to hold the car together and drift half-decently—Waldo knew he wanted to go a different route, but he also knew that simply throwing expensive parts at a car wouldn’t result in much better, save for a suffering wallet. Meticulous planning was absolutely necessary to build a car that flowed well aesthetically and allowed each part to complement the other and the car as a whole.
He started the process over four years ago with the enlistment of Van over at One Ton Garage, who undertook the task of securing an authentic Super Made Instant Gentleman aero kit, along with their headlamp assemblies; keep in mind, this was when most stateside distributors had yet to even hear of Super Made. The headlamp assemblies started as a two-piece design, but Waldo had them modified into a single unit (per side) to improve fitment with the hood and bumper. One aspect of the car that really impressed us was the addition of the GP Sports door caps. The Super Made bumpers and side skirts mount just high enough on the car to cover the lower body line from view, but still leave it visible on the door. Instead of just shaving the body line, Waldo opted to incorporate the door caps to not only cover the body line, but also to smooth out the transition from the side skirt to the door—impressive attention to detail. With such modern aero fitted to the car, updating the rest of the exterior was absolutely necessary. To meet that need, Kouki 180SX taillamps, quarter window glass, and a rare Nismo center garnish (yes, this is the carbon Kevlar unit) were also added, along with an exclusive 326 Power roof wing and fresh coats of Cherry Red Pearl laid down by Mr. Spoiler.