Nissan · 1965–2002
Nissan Gazelle
The Nissan Silvia (Japanese: 日産・シルビア, Hepburn: Nissan Shirubia) is the series of small sports cars produced by Nissan. Versions of the Silvia have been marketed as the 200SX or 240SX for export, with some export versions being sold under the Datsun brand. The Gazelle was the twin-model of Silvia sold in Japan at different dealerships for the S110 and S12 generations; the Gazelle name was also used in Australia for the S12 generation. For the S13 generation in Japan, the Gazelle was replaced with the 180SX, which was a hatchback model of the Silvia with pop-up headlights that was also sold as the 200SX and 240SX for export purposes.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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CSP311
In 1962, Albrecht Goertz was working as a consultant for BMW, having created the BMW 507, and saw the potential of Japanese manufacturers. Yamaha had created the Technical Research Institute to develop their own sports car in 1959, and had built the YX30 sports car. As Yamaha had a working relationship with Nissan, work began on project A550X, but at some point the project fell apart and work was cancelled. Kazuo Kimura and Fumio Yoshida were both working on Project A550X and when the professional relationship between Nissan and Goertz ended in 1964, the work on the project contributed to the Silvia. The Nissan Silvia CSP311 made its public debut at the Tokyo Motor Show in September 1964 as the "Datsun Coupé 1500". The introductory model was a hand-built coupé based on the Fairlady platform. The CSP311 was powered by the 96 PS (71 kW) 1.6 L Nissan R series engine. The engine was equipped with twin SU carburetors. Due to being nearly entirely hand made, only 554 were produced, mainly in 1965, before production stopped in 1968. Most of the vehicles remained in Japan; however, 49 examples were exported to Australia and another 10 went to other countries. 4 were also developed with a LHD interior for export to Europe, where they were displayed at events and shows. In December 1965, Nissan provided the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department with 2 CSP311 Silvias for highway patrol use. These were modified in various ways, but the engine remained standard. The CSP311 patrol car was the first Japanese high-performance patrol car, chosen due to being the fastest production car in Japan at the time with a top speed of 165 km/h (103 mph), and due to its disc brakes giving it good stopping power.
S10
The S10 was the first mass-produced Silvia built on the all-new S platform, intended as Nissan's compact, rear-wheel-drive, sporty car platform. Japanese versions were exclusive to Nissan Japanese dealerships called Nissan Prince Store along with the larger C110 Skyline. The S10 featured less "traditional" lines than similar offerings from rivals (such as Toyota Celica and Mazda Capella coupé), sharing a common appearance with the larger Skyline. Initially, the S10 was intended to be powered by a wankel engine, however this idea was scrapped due to the oil crises of the 1970s. The S10 was based on the Datsun Sunny Coupe. In the small number of export markets (except for the United States) where it was available, this generation was sold as the Datsun 180SX. In the US it was the 200SX, reflecting the larger engine used there. During the 4-year lifespan of the S10/S11, over 145,000 units were produced until production stopped in 1979. Japan. In Japan, the S10, officially named "New Silvia" was initially fitted with a 1.8 L L18S straight-four engine, which it shared with the Datsun 610/Bluebird 180B. Maximum power is 105 PS (77 kW) at 6,000 rpm, sufficient for top speeds from 165 to 175 km/h (103 to 109 mph) depending on which of the three transmissions were fitted: four-speed or five-speed manual, or a three-speed automatic. The Japanese version featured Nissan NAPS emission control technology at its introduction. In 1976, the S10 received its first upgrade; the new version met new, tighter emissions restrictions and brought with it a change of the model name from S10 to S11. The 1976 update also included the new Type LSE top trim level which got a new L18E engine with electronic fuel injection instead of the carburetor. In 1977, the S11 received upgrades including interi
S110
This iteration of the Silvia (sold in United States and Canada as the Datsun 200SX and in Mexico as the Datsun Sakura, Japanese for cherry blossom), available as a 2-door hardtop coupe and a new bodystyle 3-door hatchback. The Japanese market version of the hatchback was called the Gazelle and was exclusive to Nissan Store locations sold alongside the Fairlady Z, while the coupe body style Silvia remained exclusive to Nissan Prince Store locations alongside the Skyline. Its sharp-edged styling was shared with the new Nissan Leopard sedan and coupé, also exclusive to Nissan Store. Like the previous generation, the S110 Silvia was uniquely progressive in that it was originally intended to feature a rotary engine, designed and built by Nissan. The resulting unit was fairly unreliable, and forestalled production. Coincidentally, this Silvia shares its chassis code with the Mazda Cosmo, the first Japanese production car to feature a rotary engine. The chassis was shared with the B310 Nissan Sunny and the larger A10 Nissan Violet platform. The car was redesigned shortly before it was released and the stillborn Wankel power plant was replaced by a line of twin-plug conventional piston engines from the new Z-series range. These included the Z20 and the turbocharged and later the fuel-injected Z18ET, although the latter of the two was only available to the Japanese domestic market and after the mid-life facelift. This took place in late May 1981 and included new bumpers and a reworked front design. Albeit a sporting design, the 135 PS (99 kW) Turbo model received largely the same chassis as regular models and did not have any kind of turbocharger boost indicator. At the time of the facelift, the DOHC FJ20-engined RS model was also introduced. Gazelle. Nissan rebadged the Silvi
S12
The S12 was produced from August 1983 to 1989, with revisions to the exterior trim in 1986 (referred to as "Mark II"). It used retractable pop-up headlights and was sold in two configurations — a coupé (often called a "notchback" due to the side profile view of its rear window section) and a hatchback. The hatchback version bore some heavy resemblance to the 3-door liftback versions of the Toyota Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno AE86. A number of different engines were equipped in the S12 chassis, depending on geographic market and production year, with an additional change in available engines again with the mid-cycle facelift. The NAPS system was carried over on the CA20E which replaced the Z engines of the S110 in North America. A CA18ET 1.8l turbo engine with ECCS was added for SE trims, Certain US trims had the S12 equipped with an optional VG30E V6 engine, also shared by the 300ZX (Z31). The FJ20 was replaced with the CA18DET in the Mk2 revision in markets where it was offered. On the original, pre-facelift model, the bumpers featured matte-finish raised surfaces, and sides featured half-inch rubstripping. Cars featured a honeycomb radiator grille, and long corner lights. The RS-X trim in Japan and Europe received a hood bulge accent to accommodate the oversized dimensions of the FJ20E/ET engine, and featured a faux front vent with monogram (either FJ20, DOHC, or TURBO); In North America, the 1984 Turbo came with a "TURBO" monogrammed hood bulge accent, although all subsequent North American Mark I hoods were flat regardless of trim. In some markets, the 1984 and 1985 could be had with a foam rubber deck spoiler. In 1986 the foam rubber deck spoiler was changed for a fiberglass version with an integrated third brake light. Some hatchbacks and all Turbo models cam
S13
The S13 Silvia was introduced in May 1988. Beginning with this generation, Nissan replaced the Gazelle with the 180SX, which served as the junior companion to the Fairlady Z at Nissan Bluebird Store Japanese dealerships. As before, the Silvia was exclusive to Japanese dealerships called Nissan Prince Store next to the Skyline. This generation became popular in its home market and won the 1988 Car of the Year Japan Award in its first year of production. Starting with this generation, the Silvia was no longer exported; instead, rebadged 180SXs were sold in most markets. European versions of the S13 Silvia were sold as the 200SX, while in North America it was known as the 240SX, all of which used the 180SX front-end. The 200SX nameplate was on hiatus in that region, however it would eventually return on a 2-door coupé version of the B14 Sunny/Sentra (1995–99) (itself based on the Japan-only 2-door Lucino) that replaced the 2-door coupé B13 Sunny/Sentra (1991–94) and NX. The S13 Silvia was primarily sold as a 2-door coupé (with some convertible models being sold in limited quantities). The 3-door hatchback version of the S13 Silvia was called the 180SX (which replaced the Gazelle). The North American 240SX, itself an export version of the 180SX, was offered in all three different body-styles, including hatchback, coupé and convertible models (all of which wore the 180SX's front clip, the fixed headlight Silvia front end was never an option in that market). Following industry trends, the S13 Silvia switched to fixed relampable headlights. The 180SX, introduced at the same time as the S13 Silvia, used retractable pop-up headlights. Projector optics were offered as an option. The S13 was one of the first uses of Nissan's multi-link rear suspension, the technology of which was
S14
The S14 Silvia debuted in Japan towards the October 1993. It was lower and wider than the S13. New rounded styling contributed to the illusion of a greater increase in size than actually occurred. Wheelbase and track were both increased, leading to slightly improved handling. The fastback and convertible bodystyles were discontinued internationally, leaving only the coupé in production. It was sold as the second generation 240SX in North America from 1995 to 1998, equipped with the non-turbo KA24DE engine. Trim level designations were similar to the S13, however the Club Selection package was dropped. "Aero" variants of the Q's and K's were offered that featured large rear wings and mild ground effects. The S14 Silvia K's received a new version of the SR20DET, with a slight bump in power due to the implementation of Nissan's variable cam timing system known as N-VCT, on the intake cam, and a larger T28 turbocharger. The engine now produced 220 PS (162 kW; 217 hp) at 6000 rpm and 274 N⋅m (202 lb⋅ft) of torque at 4800 rpm. There was a mild styling update to the S14 during 1996, which added aggressive-looking projector headlamps and tinted taillights to all models. The older version is known as the zenki (前期, literally "prior period"). Fascias and other exterior trim pieces were also revised. The turbocharger now used a more efficient ball bearing center section. This updated version is also known as the kouki (後期, literally "later period") S14, or by enthusiasts as the S14A. Unlike export markets, where sales of the S14 chassis variants faltered, the Silvia remained popular in Japan. However, the width dimension exceeded 1,700 mm (67 in), which pushed this generation out of the compact class tax bracket and made Japanese buyers liable for higher road taxes. Sales of the S
Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.
Specifications
- name
- Nissan Silvia
- Manufacturer
- Nissan
- Production
- 1965–1968, 1975–2002
- Class
- Sports car
- Layout
- Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.
More photos
Sources
- Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q925966CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_SilviaCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1372105105 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nissan-Gazelle.JPGCC0 · Photo: Ypy31 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.