Back in August of 2017, I made a quick blog post about my buddy Kev’s S13 he was working on building down in Houston. It’s hard to believe that nearly two years have passed since I made that post. It’s also hard to believe how amazing the car looks now…

Kev recently got his car back from paint about two months or so ago and has finally been enjoying the fruits of his labor. The biggest difference since we last checked in is the color. Gone is the original blue paint in favor of Nissan AR2 red from the S15 chassis (among others.) A genuine BN Sports Type 3 aero kit looks incredible when paired with a set of Ganador Super Aero mirrors and the bright red paint. The presence this car has now is unreal. It’s a classic formula, yet it still looks incredible when properly executed.

Under the hood, Kev has swapped out the tired US-spec KA24 engine in favor of an S14A SR20DET swap with a host of JDM goodies like a TRUST front mount intercooler and Koyo radiator. I really love that Kev took the time to get all of the details under the hood just right. It has a very Japanese presence to it which I really appreciate. The turbo and fuel system remain stock at this time aside from a Z32 MAF sensor and an Enthalpy ROM tune, providing plenty of power and excellent reliability.

Interior upgrades since my last post include a set of Defi BF gauges, red BRIDE material on the door cards and glove box, and a complete manual seatbelt conversion with headliner sourced from our good friend Joe in Canada.

Kev’s car made its debut at a FatCats private drift event down in Houston about a month or so before Final Bout. Though I wasn’t there personally to witness it, I could tell from the photos and videos that day that it was special. Kev’s car looks amazing next to ~Essence~ teammate Jimmy’s R32. Amazing team synergy!

It has been awesome to watch Kev slowly piece together the S13 of his dreams. I know he still has a number of things he wants to accomplish with the car, but who doesn’t? I think it’s at an amazing point right now and he deserves to enjoy it. I was hoping to make this post after seeing it in person, but sadly he wasn’t able to bring the car up to Final Bout last month (for understandable reasons- the drive from Houston is no joke!) I should be able to check it out in the fall when I travel down for a visit though.

Awesome car Kev. Thanks for the inspiration! You can see more of the car on Kev’s instagram account @koukikev

Thanks as always for stopping by. Have a great weekend!

Damon