After pulling apart his PS13 and selling it on as a rolling shell (for reasons that neither he or I understand), Dan Joyce has been working tirelessly to move his engine and other components into the naturally aspirated S15 that he bought as his new track and street car. I’ve posted a few photos of the car previously during the build stages but today I went to check it out at WrapstarzPro, having just had its vinyl design applied to the bright yellow bodywork.
With so many people managing to ruin the smooth lines of S15s lately with angular bodykits and tyres poking way beyond the confines of the arch, Dan set out to build an S15 that evoked the golden era of drifting. In the early 2000s, style and function worked in unison to create some of the most iconic drift cars of all time.
With an S15 there are few bodykits that can match the style and subtlety of Vertex – there’s a reason their aero has been the go-to choice for the last fifteen years or so.
Origin +30mm overfenders are joined by a D-Max boot spoiler to set off the rear end and add an extra dimension to this S15.
Obviously, wheel fitment was going to be one area of this build that wasn’t going to be overlooked. WORK Seeker EXs feature at both ends of the car, with a pair 17×9-8s with 215/40/17 tyres sitting snug at the front. A pair of 17×9.5-3 Seekers with 235/40/17 tyres fill the rear overfenders nicely, while still retaining enough clearance under compression to avoid any scrubbing while drifting.
Dan’s S15 has the usual requisite of suspension upgrades that you would find on any decent drift car: Driftworks CS2 coilovers and Geomaster front knuckles ensure the car rides smoothly with excellent steering lock, along with numerous adjustable arms that are also from the Driftworks catalogue.
The rear subframe has been raised with SuperForma solid subframe riser bushes, while the 4.1 ratio diff has been mounted to the subframe with Driftworks solid subframe bushes.
The front and rear brakes were both sourced from an R33 GTS-T…
…with the factory handbrake configuration completely replaced with a hydraulic setup.
It’s worth noting that the hydraulic handbrake is completely disguised in the interior; you won’t find a ridiculous 50cm long handle in this car. The master cylinder is hidden within the centre console, with the handbrake handle itself being wrapped in the factory handbrake shroud.
Don’t think that this car is all show and no go: the Red Top Straight Cam SR20 that once lived in Dan’s PS13 has been treated to some fresh headwork that was brought on as a result of a head gasket failure at the end of the PS’s life.
The usual upgrades are also all present and correct: an aluminium radiator, front mount intercooler and oil cooler are all drift day essentials and can be found on any self-respecting Nissan drift car.
Feeding the SR is a GReddy TD06-20G SL2 turbo that has been freshly rebuilt by Midland Turbo. Joining it are a set of Nismo 740cc injectors and a Walbro 255 fuel pump, with a fresh road map by MBAutomotive last weekend resulting in the GReddy Profec B boost controller being set to 1.5bar.
The engine bay is completed with a set of tubbed arches, fabricated by Dan on his driveway before the whole bay was painted (also on his driveway) in the distinctive purple finish you see here.
Moving on to the interior and the first thing you’ll see is the Grip Royal 330mm steering wheel.
Rather than clutter up the dashboard with gauges, Dan instead opted for a Defi ZD Advance to show all the relevant information on one compact display.
No drift car interior would be complete without a double DIN head unit. Queueing at drift days need no longer be a chore when you can watch a few D1SL DVDs while waiting for your next run.
A Driftworks bucket seat is joined by a TRS harness, preventing Dan from falling out of his perch while drifting. All that remains for the interior now is a roll cage, which will be fabricated very soon by Marc at Huxley Motorsport (while under strict instructions not to cut the door cards or remove any large areas of interior trim!).
Speaking of Huxley and the downturned exhaust system is a product of his fabrication work, offering a huge amount of ground clearance to prevent bottoming out.
This S15 represents so many aspects of what is great about the drift scene, although at the same time it’s a shame to see so many people losing sight of building a car to enjoy regularly without having to trailer it to the track.
Being able to frequently remind yourself why you’ve poured all of your time and money into a car by putting your foot down and letting it put a huge smile on your face is one of the best feelings, especially when you can head out for a spirited weekend drive rather than having to spend a great deal of time and money trailering your car hundreds of miles to the track.
It’s because of this ethos that you’ll find the Street Track Life logo proudly adorning Dan’s S15. You’ll also find the STL logo adorning a number of other cars that are enjoyed in a similar fashion later this year, so you can expect a few more features over the coming months!
Thanks go to Huxley Motorsport, Driftworks, WORK Wheels UK, Destroy Stuff, MBAutomotive, B M Autobodies, Graphix-D and Eliza Maciejewska for the vinyl design and Wrapstarz Pro for cutting and applying it all.
Bonus Photos:
