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years, and it shouldn’t be a surprise that by
the time he was 17, he found his way into a
’96 Nissan 240SX.
Unfortunately, the S14 was totaled when
someone ran a red light and T-boned Kyle
at 60 mph at an intersection. Thankfully,
he was fine, but the Zenki was totaled. The
search for a replacement project car began
for either a Kouki S14 or an FD Mazda RX-7.
With both cars discontinued by this time and
the availability of any used examples scarce,
Kyle wasn’t sure he’d be able to find what he
was after. Ultimately—and unsurprisingly—
his mom came to the rescue.
While reading the newspaper, Kyle’s
mother found a black ’98 240SX SE for sale
at a local dealership, one of just a few brand-
new 240s still available for
sale in the entire country.
Kyle says, “We rushed over,
and the rest is history!” This
S14 ended up being the car
Kyle drove to pick up his date
to prom, and he’s owned it
ever since.
In the late ’90s, before the
birth of the U.S. drift scene,
the 240SX wasn’t a very
popular car. Still, Kyle knew he
couldn’t be alone and formed
a group called SFL240SX,
bringing S-chassis enthusiasts
TUNING MENU
1998 NISSAN 240 SX (S14)
OWNER KYLE MURPHY
HOMETOWN MIAMI, FL
OCCUPATION INDUSTRIAL SALES
INSTAGRAM @sfl 240 sx
POWER 600 hp
ENGINE KA 2 4DE with Wiseco .20 over pistons with 10.5: 1
compression; Carrillo Pro H-beam rods with CARR bolts; Brian
Crower Stage 3 272 ° cams; Supertech valvesprings, retainers;
head and block mod for 11 mm Evo head studs; Cosworth head
gasket; NGK spark plugs; polished Xcessive intake manifold;
Ground Zero equal-length manifold; Garrett GT 3582 R turbo
with polished compressor and jet-coated turbine housings; DEI
ONYX carbon-fiber turbo blanket, fire sleeves, and fire tape; turbo
velocity stack (for shows); TurboGuard screen (for street); Infiniti
Q45 throttle body with polished bracket; TiAL Q’s 5 0 mm black
blow-off valve, 38mm black wastegate; Radium Engineering fuel
rail; ID 1700 x injectors; K 20 Smart coils with polished rail; Koyo
radiator; Flex-a-lite dual electric fans; carbon-fiber cooling panel;
Circuit Sports radiator overflow tank; Chase Bays power steering
reservoir kit, fuel pressure gauge; NISMO motor mounts, radiator
cap, thermostat, oil cap; polished intercooler piping, reservoir
covers; Dukefab custom catch can; AEM E85 dual fuel pumps;
flex fuel sensor; Weldon fuel pressure regulator with polished
mounts; 3-inch downpipe with flex; wastegate screamer pipe
with flex; HKS Hi-Power 3-inch exhaust; XS Power intercooler;
black braided lines, -AN fittings and couplers; Optima RedTop
battery; Treadstone fittings, clamps, couplers, hoses; Titanium
DressUpBolts; neochrome parts throughout
DRIVETRAIN Z3 2 300 ZX five-speed transmission swap;
Mazworx adapter kit; Xcessive shifter relocation bracket; SPEC
Stage 3+ clutch, flywheel; custom one-piece driveshaft; NISMO
transmission mount, clutch fork pivot, clutch slave; R33 Skyline
starter, speed sensor; J3 0 limited-slip differential; 3.916: 1 gear ratio
ENGINE MANAGEMENT AEM Infinity standalone ECU,
wideband gauge; Wiring Specialties Pro harness; BTI 3.5-inch
touchscreen CAN-Bus gauge; electronic boost controller
FOOTWORK & CHASSIS Fortune Auto FA5 00 Gen 6 coilovers
with Swift springs; NISMO Power brace; Suspension Te chniques
sway bars; Cusco strut bars; TEIN tie rods and ends; SPL tension
rods, subframe collars; Kazama Auto rear upper control arms; JIC
Magic toe arms
BRAKES Z3 2 color-matched aluminum calipers, drilled and
slotted rear rotors, e-brake cable; Z 1 Motorsports caliper
relocation brackets; Z33 12.75-inch two-piece drilled and slotted
front rotors; Hawk HPS pads
WHEELS & TIRES 1 8x 9 + 10 front, 1 8x 10 + 1 7 Work Equip 01 Five
Star wheels; 22 5/35R 1 8 front, 2 45/35R 1 8 rear Michelin Pilot Super
Sport tires; Kics R4 0 Neochrome lug nuts; NISMO hub bolts
EXTERIOR JDM Silvia front and rear bumpers, front turn signals,
fog deletes, rear valances, rain visors, rear spoiler; GReddy front
lip; Autech Silvia front grille; Kouki side skirts; Chargespeed
20 mm front fenders; rolled and pulled rear fenders; Craft Square
carbon-fiber mirrors; shaved antenna and hood emblem; BMW
E4 6 M3 Laguna Seca Blue paint
INTERIOR NISMO seats, GT Spec four-point harnesses and
pads, pedals, hub, 33 0 steering wheel, leather shift knob, gas
cap cover; Works Bell Rapfix 2 quick release, steering wheel lock;
StreetFaction fire extinguisher mount; Mazworx powdercoated
harness bar; R33 Skyline dead pedal; carbon-fiber shift boot;
custom dash gauge holder; DRAGint mats; H3R Performance
Halguard fire extinguisher
together in Southern Florida. After the
2003 arrival of D1 Grand Prix in California,
more enthusiasts were getting their hands
on rear-wheel-drive Japanese cars, notably
the S13 and S14, and Kyle’s circle of friends
began to grow as the S-chassis garnered more
appreciation. Not to mention, his own 240
project continued to evolve.
Kyle has always been a fan of the factory
look, explaining “the aggressive styling
and the angry eyes of the Kouki S14 had
my heart from the first time I saw one.” He
carefully picked and chose upgrades that
enhanced the original
character of the car rather
than replaced it. The classic
S14 bodylines are retained
but subtly widened, and
the JDM Silvia bumpers
work well with the other
exterior details that have
been added along the way.
The only obvious deviation
from any JDM influence is
the Laguna Seca Blue paint
borrowed from the BMW
E46 M3, which Kyle had
never seen on any S-chassis
builds when he had it
sprayed back in 2002.
Inside the cabin, you’ll find NISMO parts
just about everywhere you look, and Kyle
mentioned there are even more goodies at
home. This includes multiple steering wheels,
