MAKE MINE A CORONA! 1996 NISSAN SILVA (S14)

If you’re reading this, it’s a pretty reasonable assumption for us to make that you consider yourself something of a connoisseur of all things automotive — or, to put it more concisely, you’re a car enthusiast, a boy racer, or as our Australian cousins tend to put it, a hoon. Regardless of label, stripped to the core, we all subscribe to the same basic infatuation — a passion for four-wheeled octane burning money sponges. But the journey that culminates in the dedication to the thrill of mashing the right foot to the floor varies. Some see the light as they enter their formative young-adult years, enthralled by the promise of freedom and social mobility, while some — like Manawatu native Jaron Olivecrona — hail from a background rich in all things automotive. See, for Jaron — owner of this striking slideways S14 Silvia and fresh off the back of his first full-season Demon Energy D1NZ Pro campaign — cars have always featured prominently in his life. The Olivecrona surname is near synonymous with motorsports in the Manawatu region, thanks to a solid history beginning with Jaron’s great-great-grandfather, Jack Nash, famed in the region for his antics at the helm of a Studebaker throughout the circuit scene of the 1950s. The motorsport gene was passed through the generations to Jaron’s father, Kester Olivecrona, who, as well as crewing for the late Brian Green’s Group B Quattro, in the mid 1980s, went on to build and campaign a rapid FD3S RX 7 in GT Racing New Zealand (GTRNZ). As Jaron grew up amid such a flurry of motorsport activity, not to mention an immersion in a selection of quality high-performance road cars throughout his childhood, an interest in motorsport was always inevitable — if not absolutely compulsory! At 12, Jaron was ripping around Manfeild at the wheel of an ex–Shell Sport Toyota Starlet, with the aim of keeping things stuck to the tarmac in search of the quickest line from apex to apex. Around this time, Kiwi drifting began to be popular, and, with D1NZ in its infancy attracting huge crowds, Jaron soon aspired towards the speed, angle, and plumes of smoke that drifting promised. 

The S14 build started around six years ago. Jaron and his father initially acquired the car — as is the case with many fresh race-car builds — as a derelict road vehicle. However, this wasn’t to be a case of a street car eventually morphing into a full-blown drift car; from the outset, the the intention with the S14 was always to construct a chassis dedicated to the pursuit of being flung sideways. While the S14 was conceived with this single focus in mind, to say the Silvia has been exempt from development would be highly inaccurate. Take the engine set-up, for example. Early in its development, the Silvia saw the substitution of Nissan’s halo motor, the venerable RB26DETT for its original, non functional SR20, and, over the years, Jaron, Kester, and the team perfected the 2.6-litre straight-six to perfectly cater to their drift needs. It’s unusual to see an RB running at D1NZ Pro level that doesn’t displace three litres or even more — but the Olivecrona Drift Motorsport crew has elected to retain the 2.6-litre bottom end, albeit well stocked with an arsenal of heavy-duty upgrades in the form of Eagle forged rods and custom-crafted CP high-compression pistons, and with the notorious RB26 oiling problems taken care of with a dry-sump set-up — the Brennan three-stage pump sending oil from a large Peterson oil reservoir perched where the rear seats would have been and then throughout the various oil galleries to keep the RB well lubricated while it’s banging off the limiter. 

Up top, the RB features a heavily worked-over head, courtesy of Bryan Hartley at The Head Shop in Palmerston North. Bryan’s a bit of a whizz with cylinder heads, and his recent CNC- porting developments for the RB26 head are no exception, with artisan-level workmanship poured into the flowed inlet and exhaust ports. Hartley also supplied a pair of billet camshafts, while titanium double valve springs maintain control of the valves at high revs. Boost comes courtesy of a large Holset twin-scroll turbo, sitting atop one of Sinco’s rock-solid exhaust manifolds and pushing compressed air through a modified OEM manifold and six GT-R throttle bodies. You may have noticed the words ‘high compression’. Jaron’s RB runs around 10:1 compression, fuelled by E85, with boost levels kept relatively moderate — but the net result is a responsive 500kW, as well as over 700Nm of torque available from low rpm, lending the RB a tractable power curve with the ability to get on the throttle at any opportunity and have power available on demand. Then there’s that trademark RB26 sound ... Visually, Jaron’s car looks somewhat different to the usual S14 offering — and, on closer inspection, you’ll see that the Silvia now sports a custom one-piece fibreglass rear clip, a development explained through the good-old-fashioned race- car principle of ‘less is more’. Jaron and Kester reckon a lighter car permits quicker acceleration between turns and the ability to switch angle faster. A mould of the standard S14 rear was taken, then Kester hacked the back of the car off, replacing everything from the rear firewall back with a custom tube-frame structure, its function purely to accommodate the fuel system and support the newly formed rear clip. It’s an elegant and innovative solution, more reminiscent of something you’d see on a dedicated circuit car — a silhouette, if you will. The deep vents aft of the doors encourage airflow through the arches, permitting smoke to flow from the tyres in a fashion just as unique as the bodywork treatment. Up front, a Supermade-style front bar complements - 

Beautiful in its functional appearance, the forged Hartley-built RB26DETT now sports a large Holset HRC40RS turbo, while retaining the 2.6-litre capacity and trademark RB26 sound

SUPPORT

STRUTS: Tein Super Drift coilovers, TDP steering kit, Parts Shop Max hub carriers, camber arms, traction arms, toe arms, and solid-mount subframe bushes BRAKES: (F) R32 GT-R four-pot calipers, (R) dual R32 GT-R calipers for separate brake/handbrake.

Keeping the OEM dashboard is key to a winning drift car interior aesthetic. In the case of the Silvia, Jaron has seamlessly integrated the R32 GT-R cluster to match the RB26 beneath the carbon bonnet.

SHOES

WHEELS: 18x10.5-inch TBC DK

TYRES: (F) 265/40R18 Nitto NT01, (R) 265/40R18 HiFly 

HEART

ENGINE: Nissan RB26DETT, 2600cc, six-cylinder.

BLOCK: RB26DETT block, Eagle forged rods, Custom CP high-compression pistons, Brennan three-stage dry-sump pump, dry-sump pan

HEAD: RB26DETT head, Hartley CNC-ports, Hartley billet cams, titanium double valve springs, radius-cut valve seats, 1mm Cometic head gasket, dry- sump scavenge oil return from back of head, original oil galleries blocked INTAKE: Modified R32 GT-R six-throttle body manifold, port matched to head, 102mm K&N filter, Fenix Performance intercooler

EXHAUST: 3.5-inch straight-through system, Sinco Customs high-mount turbo manifold.

TURBO: Holset HRC40RS, twin-scroll
WASTEGATE: TiAL

BOV: TiAL

FUEL: Walbro lift pump, Bosch 044 fuel pump, custom alloy surge tank, -10 braided lines, -8 return line, Injector Dynamics ID1000 injectors, Turbosmart fuel-pressure regulator.
IGNITION: Splitfire coils, NGK racing spark plugs

ECU: Link G4

COOLING: Fenix Performance radiator, dual 305mm electric fans.

EXTRA: Custom motorsport wiring loom, Petersen dry-sump oil tank. 

POWER

500kW/700Nm at the wheels.

INTERIOR

SEATS:RaceTech

STEERING WHEEL:OMP suede competition 

INSTRUMENTATION: R32GT - R CLUSTER, R32 GT - R AUXILLIARY GAUGES.

DRIVELINE

GEARBOX: TTi five-speed sequential CLUTCH: Custom-specced FLYWHEEL: Custom lightweight

DIFF: R32 GT-R, Nismo two-way mechanical limited-slip, R33 GT-R axles and custom axle spacers

EXTERIOR

PAINT: Gunmetal grey base by Designer Paints, Feilding

ENHANCEMENTS: Custom fibreglass removable one-piece rear clip, custom fibreglass side skirts, carbon-fibre bonnet, Supermade-style front bumper, carbon rear wing with water-cut alloy stays, Lexan rear quarter windows, Lexan rear screen, tube-frame front and rear by Kester Olivecrona

The bespoke fibreglass rear clip is a product of Jaron’s dad, Kester, and his considerable experience in race-car fabrication. It’s light, easily replaceable, and, of course, the deep air vents mean that the S14 puts on a great smoke show when the treads are spinning! the kouki front end, with the usual wide front guards enveloping the semi-slick-shod TBC DK 18x10.5-inch wheels. To keep everything glued to the black top, there is a fairly tried-and-true combo. The front end geometry is kept in check with the proven TDP S-body kit, while Tein Super Drift coilovers with custom spring rates tailor the S14’s behaviour to each track. It’s business as usual inside — a comprehensive roll cage ensures occupant safety should things go pear-shaped, while a Racetech bucket seat keeps Jaron in close proximity to the OMP suede wheel and the shifter for the TTI five-speed sequential. The retention of the stock S14 dash is a welcome sight, a nod to the street roots of drifting, but, in Jaron’s case, nicely integrating an R32 GT-R cluster (10K tacho, anyone?) and auxiliary gauges in the console. His first full-season D1NZ campaign is behind him, and Jaron explained it was a challenge at times — the newly complete engine set-up causing some strife prior to round one, with the car reassembled and back on the dyno at 6am on the morning of qualifying. If anything, though, the constant exposure to motorsport throughout life has stood him in good stead to deal with the teething issues associated with a fresh build, trying innovative techniques, and competing at the peak of a sport on a national level — which he proved capable of from the moment the pedal hit the floor for round one. But, with a couple of generations of passion behind them, Jaron and Kester have digested the education of that first full season, put their heads together, and collectively begun to develop the car for the upcoming summer of sliding, with some tweaks and changes imminent in order to keep the team competitive. With a background of success and that rich family tapestry of motorsport, you can bet the Olivecrona Drift Motorsport team will be here for the long haul, and with that history of success comes the thirst for more. Expect to see the S14 tearing up the tracks of Demon Energy D1NZ across 2016–’17 and the boys as personable, detailed, and enthusiastic as usual as the development of another chapter in the Olivecrona motorsport history continues. 

 Racetech STEERING WHEEL: OMP suede competition INSTRUMENTATION: R32 GT-R cluster, R32 GT-R auxiliary gauges INTERIOR

SEATS: Racetech STEERING WHEEL: OMP suede competition INSTRUMENTION: R32 GT-R cluster, R32 GT-R auxiliary gaugesINTERIOR

SEATS: Racetech STEERING WHEEL: OMP suede competition INSTRUMENTATION: R32 GT-R cluster, R32 GT-R auxiliary INTERIO

SEATS: Racetech STEERING WHEEL: OMP suede competition INSTRUMENTATION: R32 GT-R cluster, R32 GT-R auxiliary gausTERIOR

SEATS: Racetech STEERING WHEEL: OMP suede competition INSTRUMENTATION: R32 GT-R auxiliary gauge