Caden Underwood’s Nissan Silvia S15 won some hearts the last time it hit Turnpike and my personal Instagram. But I wasn’t quite satisfied with my work. Life happened, and several obligations cluttered my schedule on the one day I had to shoot, meaning midday was the only real time I could enjoy the car. My lil’ Canon and I sought redemption.
“Let me review the S15 this weekend,” I slyly requested, texting with two emojis of fingers pointing inward towards each other. “Ye,” was all Caden replied. He tossed me the keys to his recently refreshed S15 Spec-S and took my Subaru BRZ’s keys as fair trade. Not a bad way to start our weekend.
I headed straight for the local mountains, snaking from the desert below into the treeline above, eager to make use of proper lighting. I eventually reached one of my favorite turn-offs, just in time for golden hour.
As for the Silvia, it’s mostly the same as the last time I shot it. It still has the same naturally aspirated SR20DE, pushing a modest 160 ponies in a lovably rev-happy, Honda-like way. It still has the same aging Cusco coilovers that provide excellent body control and responsiveness, but also some firmness on the highway. And it still has the same semi-spacious interior oozing JDM aura, with its ETC card reader and OEM head unit intact.
It’s mostly the same, aside from a few minor but immediately obvious tidbits.
Nismo LMGT2 wheels, anyone? Or how about that ergonomically splendid Nismo shift knob? Both bear Nismo’s ‘old logo’ that has become a symbol of the most collectible OEM-plus Nissan upgrades. And while the wheel finishes have definitely seen better days, it tells a story, much like the Silvia’s rare but imperfect Silver Mint Metallic paint.
Caden also took the liberty of making his modestly powered rear-driver more engaging when the urge strikes, swapping the open diff for a Tomei limited-slip differential. It chatters and bucks in low-speed maneuvers. Not terribly so, but enough to scare me into thinking I forgot how to drive stick for a moment.
And that’s fine. Caden bought this to drive, both daily and for fun. It wasn’t bought to sit pretty in a garage collecting dust in the hopes of also collecting value, although it probably has. He has expressed interest in autocross and maybe a bit of grassroots drifting once it’s completely revitalized.
As the sun began to retreat, I was back on the two-lane twisties, chasing the fleeting light to capture its last glow of the day. Alas, I was already shooting at the highest point of the road, and every mile took me deeper into the canyon, meaning the sun was hidden behind jagged peaks before I reached the next photo spot.
Ah, well. It gave me a moment to try some low-light photography and even play with the car’s lighting using long exposure. Maybe one can be an album cover if I ever get into music production.
The next morning, I took Caden’s Silvia for an alien experience the original Nissan engineers never expected their creation to see. The Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings, Nevada, is just a stone’s throw from Vegas and the Nevada-California state line.
At this time of year, patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter (obligatory Fallout reference). Thank God the AC in this near-three-decade-old thing still works.
By the time Caden and I traded our cars back at our local Cars and Coffee, I was reminded of two things: One, make the most of every minute of great lighting when shooting. And two, I really need to stop asking to review friends’ cars in the middle of a Nevada summer.
