The pregnant egg, the Japanese jelly bean, I've heard all the names for the Nissan NX 2000 and when my editor asked me to do an article on one, I was less than impressed; that is until I saw the specs and photos of this specimen. From the onset; one can see that the owner and builder has paid attention to detail, and chosen parts from some of the worlds most trusted names.
The outside of the car has been re-sprayed in a custom candy red color, so as to stand out from the rest of the pack. The paint isn't the only thing custom on this modern day hot rod. Having a car that isn't as supported as say a Honda Civic, makes custom parts a necessity, not just something you do for fun. The Carbon hood on the car is a custom VIS piece with an inverted scoop for added venting. Choosing a front and rear lip can be one of the toughest decisions a car owner can make, as lips can make or break the finished product. MS designs were chosen for their front lip and rear spoiler and they add some extra flow to a very curvaceous ride. The only other modifications on the outside of this clean ride are some side markers imported from Japan, and a 6000K HID kit.
A clean ride in New York gets respect, but a clean fast ride gets even more. The much forgotten fact about these little runabouts is that they came stock with the sr20de engine, which responds quite healthily to added air, in the form of boost. Adding a turbo setup from a JDM Nissan Bluebird (Altima in the US) complete with a T25 turbo, was just what the doctor ordered. Not one to leave well enough alone, Nelson decided to up the ante with a few select parts from HKS in the form of an intercooler and air filter. Hotshot answered the call for the intercooler piping kit, a Greddy blow off valve was utilized, and SARD supplied the fuel pressure regulator. Keeping with the Mr. Clean theme here, Nelson had the valve cover polished and added some rare Nismo bits. Nismo was also in line for the drivetrain upgrades he needed with the extra power the car was capable of producing. A Nismo clutch and lightweight flywheel were employed, and are put to good use regularly. We all know that having all the hardware in the world, still won't get you the most out of your setup, so Nelson put a call in to Jim Wolfe Technologies for one of their tuned ECU's.
Even though the NX 2000 was a phenomenal handling cars stock (much to the surprise of many other car owners when these cars were new) Nissan engineers still had to make some sacrifices for the sake of comfort and reliability. Nelson however, said that streetable ride comfort could still be retained along with even more handling prowess. As with many of today's street warriors, TEIN came to the rescue with a set of their SS series coilovers. Body roll was conquered with a set of Suspension Techniques sway bars front and rear. Strut bar duties are handled by Cusco in the front and Active Tuning in the rear. Rounding out the suspension duties is a set of ES bushings.
Like the lips we talked about earlier, shoes can also make or break a great car, and living in a fashion forward city like NYC, you can't be caught flossing a bad set of shoes. Not wanting to be caught with his proverbial pants down, Nelson decided to rock the best. A set of 17 inch Volk Racing GTU in gold, with yohohama parada spec 2 tires will ensure that he's never caught wearing nasty old gym shoes.
All the power and all the looks are nothing without the control to use it. Pirelli says "power is nothing without control", and Nelson must be a firm believer in this concept. He decided to add Wilwood 4 piston calipers up front and upgraded cross drilled rotors, along with stainless braided brake lines all the way around on the car. Hawk pads are used throughout as well, for added insurance.
So, now that the show, and go stop are well under control, Nelson decided to turn his attention to the interior of his pocket rocket. A Recaro SPG and Recaro Speed replace the front seats with custom made seat brackets to keep him and his passenger firmly planted, no matter how "spirited" his driving may get. A Sparco steering wheel now resides where the stocker once was, and a MOMO shift knob is between the seats, so that every gear change is made without fail. A Greddy 60mm boost, and EGT gauge help keep tabs on what's happening under the hood. Fine tuning duties are handled by a Apexi afc, and making sure that even if Nelson forgets to cool things down after a spirited is a greddy turbo timer. Since our photo shoot, an Autopower 4 point roll bar has been installed for a bit of added safety, in the event that something horrible happens.
