Nissan Silvia S15 - Japan, Australia, New Zealand

The S15 is the send-off, and Nissan got it right. It is shorter and sharper than the S14. It also makes the most power any factory Silvia ever did and is the only one that ever came with a six-speed. Then the Silvia name died and never came back, which is exactly why clean S15s now cost what they do. Here is the range sorted so you can tell a Spec-R from a Spec-S at a glance.

How to read an S15

The S15 drops the J's and K's names for two straight-up trims. Spec-R is the turbo car: the SR20DET, now up to about 250 horses on a bigger ball-bearing turbo and intercooler, with a proper close-ratio six-speed and a standard helical limited-slip diff. Super HICAS four-wheel steering was on the options list too, but as part of the V Package rather than fitted to every car. Spec-S is the naturally aspirated SR20DE, around 165 horses, on a five-speed. Spec-R means turbo and the good box. Spec-S means NA. That is the line in the sand.

The best factory SR of the lot

The Spec-R's SR20DET is the strongest the engine ever got from the factory, and the six-speed behind it is a genuine step up from the old five-speeds in every earlier Silvia and 180SX. That combination, in the tightest and best-built Silvia body, is why the S15 sits at the top of the range and the top of the prices. It is the one you keep.

Spec-R: the turbo six-speed

The one to buy if you can. Turbo SR20DET around 250 horses, six-speed close-ratio box and a factory helical LSD (Super HICAS came with the optional V Package). It is quick and it tunes beautifully. It is also the last of the bloodline and the best of it. A standard, unmolested Spec-R is a properly appreciating car now, so condition and honesty are everything.

Spec-S: the NA five-speed

The naturally aspirated SR20DE, about 165 horses, five-speed. Cheaper to buy and to run, lighter over the nose, and still the same cracking chassis. A lot of Spec-S cars have had SR20DET conversions, which is fine if it is done well, but a clean original Spec-S is a lovely thing in its own right. Just do not pay Spec-R money for one.

Trim	Engine	Aspiration	Power	Gearbox	Notes
Spec-R	SR20DET	Turbo	~250ps	6-spd close-ratio	helical LSD std; HICAS optional (V Pack)
Spec-S	SR20DE	NA	~165ps	5-spd	NA, cheaper, common swap base
Autech / Varietta	mostly SR20DE	NA*	varies	5 / 6-spd	Autech tuned; Varietta is the NA convertible (*rare Style A turbo)

So which S15 do you actually want?

A standard Spec-R, and the straightest one you can afford. It has the power, the six-speed and the best story, and there is no cheating your way there with a converted Spec-S. If a Spec-S is what the money buys, get a clean original and enjoy it for what it is: a light, sweet-handling last-of-the-line Silvia.

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Japan:
Spec-R, Spec-R Aero, Spec-R B Package, Spec-R HICAS, Spec-R L Package, Spec-R Type B, Spec-R Type B HICAS, Spec-R V Package: SR20DET, 4 Speed Automatic or 6 Speed Manual.
Spec-S, Spec-S Aero, Spec-S B Package, Spec-R G Package, Spec-R L Package, Spec-R V Package: SR20DE, 4 Speed Automatic or 5 Speed Manual.
Autech Version: SR20DE, 6 Speed Manual.
Autech Style A: SR20DE or SR20DET, 4 Speed Automatic or 5 Speed Manual (SR20DE) or 6 Speed Manual (SR20DET).
Varietta: SR20DE, 4 Speed Automatic or 5 Speed Manual, Convertible.

Australia:
Spec-R, Spec-R GT, Spec-S, Spec-S GT: SR20DET, 4 Speed Automatic or 6 Speed Manual.

New Zealand:
Spec-R: SR20DET, 4 Speed Automatic or 6 Speed Manual.

S15 Colours Breakdown | VIN Ranges | Option Codes - Japan | Option Codes - Australia

			VIN	Model Code					Specification	Notes
Loading data from server
			VIN	Model Code	Type	Date	Colour		Specification	Notes

S15 Colours Breakdown

					326	AJ4	AR2	BN5	EV1	KH3	KR4	TV3	WK0	WV2	???	Total
Japan
	Spec-R	Coupe	SR20DET		0	295	75	7	224	726	0	1453	4277	2571		9628
		Coupe	SR20DET	AT-4sp	0	24	6	0	6	38	0	54	130	256		514
		Coupe	SR20DET	MT-6sp	0	271	69	7	218	688	0	1399	4147	2315		9114
	Spec-R Aero	Coupe	SR20DET		0	172	68	0	207	581	0	736	2512	1422		5698
		Coupe	SR20DET	AT-4sp	0	15	4	0	15	55	0	53	154	139		435
		Coupe	SR20DET	MT-6sp	0	157	64	0	192	526	0	683	2358	1283		5263
	Spec-R B Package	Coupe	SR20DET		0	13	3	54	18	62	0	309	473	168		1100
		Coupe	SR20DET	AT-4sp	0	3	0	6	0	3	0	19	16	31		78
		Coupe	SR20DET	MT-6sp	0	10	3	48	18	59	0	290	457	137		1022
	Spec-R HICAS	Coupe	SR20DET	MT-6sp	0	14	9	0	21	65	0	86	255	193		643
	Spec-R L Package	Coupe	SR20DET		0	0	56	6	27	126	0	100	265	120		700
		Coupe	SR20DET	AT-4sp	0	0	7	2	3	7	0	11	16	21		67
		Coupe	SR20DET	MT-6sp	0	0	49	4	24	119	0	89	249	99		633
	Spec-R Type B	Coupe	SR20DET		0	0	20	6	26	46	0	68	161	49		376
		Coupe	SR20DET	AT-4sp	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	3	3		9
		Coupe	SR20DET	MT-6sp	0	0	20	6	26	44	0	67	158	46		367
	Spec-R Type B HICAS	Coupe	SR20DET	MT-6sp	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0		2
	Spec-R V Package	Coupe	SR20DET		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	669	1400	668		2737
		Coupe	SR20DET	AT-4sp	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	14	32		54
		Coupe	SR20DET	MT-6sp	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	661	1386	636		2683
	Spec-S	Coupe	SR20DE		0	51	24	8	23	101	0	162	392	529		1290
		Coupe	SR20DE	AT-4sp	0	28	12	3	5	48	0	49	118	267		530
		Coupe	SR20DE	MT-5sp	0	23	12	5	18	53	0	113	274	262		760
	Spec-S Aero	Coupe	SR20DE		0	158	52	0	112	458	0	574	2021	1321		4696
		Coupe	SR20DE	AT-4sp	0	72	29	0	39	166	0	192	625	516		1639
		Coupe	SR20DE	MT-5sp	0	86	23	0	73	292	0	382	1396	805		3057
	Spec-S B Package	Coupe	SR20DE		0	31	14	130	16	87	0	250	433	370		1331
		Coupe	SR20DE	AT-4sp	0	19	8	57	8	39	0	80	166	194		571
		Coupe	SR20DE	MT-5sp	0	12	6	73	8	48	0	170	267	176		760
	Spec-S G Package	Coupe	SR20DE		0	207	55	12	52	453	0	584	1794	2538		5695
		Coupe	SR20DE	AT-4sp	0	112	39	8	21	212	0	221	780	1315		2708
		Coupe	SR20DE	MT-5sp	0	95	16	4	31	241	0	363	1014	1223		2987
	Spec-S L Package	Coupe	SR20DE		0	0	62	14	10	104	0	83	306	257		836
		Coupe	SR20DE	AT-4sp	0	0	40	9	6	44	0	32	129	143		403
		Coupe	SR20DE	MT-5sp	0	0	22	5	4	60	0	51	177	114		433
	Spec-S V Package	Coupe	SR20DE		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	193	369	335		897
		Coupe	SR20DE	AT-4sp	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	43	104	123		270
		Coupe	SR20DE	MT-5sp	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	150	265	212		627
	Autech Style A	Coupe			0	1	19	0	0	0	0	0	20	14		54
		Coupe		AT-4sp	0	1	12	0	0	0	0	0	8	7		28
		Coupe	SR20DE	MT-5sp	0	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	9	1		15
		Coupe	SR20DET	MT-6sp	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	6		11
	Autech Version	Coupe	SR20DE	MT-6sp	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	449	883	543		1875
	Varietta	Convertible	SR20DE		123	0	144	0	0	0	254	567	0	15	40	1143
		Convertible	SR20DE	AT-4sp	77	0	88	0	0	0	179	310	0	5		659
		Convertible	SR20DE	MT-5sp	46	0	56	0	0	0	75	257	0	10		444
	Unknown	Coupe													40	40

	Japan Subtotal				123	942	601	237	736	2809	254	6283	15563	11113	80	38741
	%				0.32	2.43	1.55	0.61	1.90	7.25	0.66	16.22	40.17	28.69	0.21

	200SX Spec-R (AUS)	Coupe	SR20DET		0	1	90	0	156	255	0	203	102	569		1376
		Coupe	SR20DET	AT-4sp	0	0	22	0	14	38	0	48	28	128		278
		Coupe	SR20DET	MT-6sp	0	1	68	0	142	217	0	155	74	441		1098
	200SX Spec-R GT (AUS)	Coupe	SR20DET		0	0	19	0	47	74	0	56	30	155		381
		Coupe	SR20DET	AT-4sp	0	0	5	0	3	9	0	11	9	33		70
		Coupe	SR20DET	MT-6sp	0	0	14	0	44	65	0	45	21	122		311
	200SX Spec-S (AUS)	Coupe	SR20DET		0	0	119	0	154	259	0	276	138	764		1710
		Coupe	SR20DET	AT-4sp	0	0	27	0	10	26	0	38	37	131		269
		Coupe	SR20DET	MT-6sp	0	0	92	0	144	233	0	238	101	633		1441
	200SX Spec-S GT (AUS)	Coupe	SR20DET		0	0	21	0	39	79	0	64	32	177		412
		Coupe	SR20DET	AT-4sp	0	0	2	0	1	4	0	11	4	29		51
		Coupe	SR20DET	MT-6sp	0	0	19	0	38	75	0	53	28	148		361

	Australia Subtotal				0	1	249	0	396	667	0	599	302	1665	0	3879
	%				0.00	0.03	6.42	0.00	10.21	17.20	0.00	15.44	7.79	42.92	0.00

	200SX Spec-R (NZL)	Coupe	SR20DET		0	65	17	0	103	10	0	114	38	130		477
		Coupe	SR20DET	AT-4sp	0	24	3	0	28	0	0	35	13	41		144
		Coupe	SR20DET	MT-6sp	0	41	14	0	75	10	0	79	25	89		333

	New Zealand Subtotal				0	65	17	0	103	10	0	114	38	130	0	477
					0.00	13.63	3.56	0.00	21.59	2.10	0.00	23.90	7.97	27.25	0.00

	S15 Totals				123	1008	867	237	1235	3486	254	6996	15903	12908	80	43097
	%				0.29	2.34	2.01	0.55	2.87	8.09	0.59	16.23	36.90	29.95	0.19


					326	AJ4	AR2	BN5	EV1	KH3	KR4	TV3	WK0	WV2	???	Total

VIN Ranges

	First	Last	Total
Pre-Production Japan + NZL	S15-000051	S15-000094	44
Series 1	S15-000101	S15-038131	38031
Varietta	S15-500001	S15-501143	1143
Pre-Production Australia	JN1GAAS15A0000001	JN1GAAS15A0000016	16
Series 1	JN1GAAS15A0000101	JN1GAAS15A0003963	3863
			43097

Option Codes - Japan


1	G	2 Door Coupe (Convertible for Varietta)
2	BY	SR20DE, SR20DET
4	A B	2 Wheel Steer 4 Wheel Steer
5	R	Right Hand Drive
6	T U	Spec-S Spec-R, Spec-S Aero
7	A F Y	4 Speed Automatic 5 Speed Manual 6 Speed Manual
8-10	S15	Car Model
11	E U	Non Turbo Turbo
12	D Z	Standard Cold Weather Package
13	4	Seating Capacity: 4 people.
14-18		See below

Japan all except Autech Version, Autech Style A and Varietta
14th Digit		-	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	J	K	L	M	N	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z
-	Standard	●
WIPR2	Rear Wiper		●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
SPOI5	Rear Spoiler					●	●				●	●
MUDG3	Side Sill Protector					●	●				●	●
WHSTE	Leather Steering Wheel (Red Stitching) and Leather Shift Knob			●		●			●		●												●	●
OMET2	Oil Pressure Meter					●					●
BMET2	Boost Meter				●		●			●		●			●	●			●	●					●	●
LMPF5	Front Fog Lamps					●	●						●		●		●		●
SMET5	Titanium Meter Finisher				●		●			●		●	●	●	●	●					●	●			●	●
LMRF2	Rear Fog Lamp							●	●	●	●	●		●		●		●		●		●		●		●
WHSTC	Leather Steering Wheel (Blue Stitching) and Leather Shift Knob												●	●	●	●
STTMQ	Orange or Blue Interior												●	●	●	●
STTMW	Silver Interior																●	●	●	●
WHST3	Leather Steering Wheel (Silver Stitching)																●	●	●	●
STTMR	Faux Punched Suede Seat and Door Trim																						●	●	●	●

15th Digit		-	A	B	C	D	E
-	Standard	●
TYR5H	16" Aluminium Wheel		●	●
DIFF7	Rear Helical LSD		●
DIFF6	Rear Viscous LSD				●
DWHLG	Chrome Colour Coating					●
DWHLZ	Steel Wheels (Type B)						●

16th Digit		-	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	J	K	L
-	Standard	●
ROOF2	Sunroof		●		●		●		●		●		●
GLSSW	Privacy Glass			●	●			●	●			●	●
KYLS4	Keyless Entry					●	●	●	●
GLSDP	Without Water Repellent Door Glass									●	●	●	●

17th Digit		-	A	B	C	D	E	F	G
-	Standard	●
STERX	Audioless		●				●
STERW	CD + MD System			●
SPKRB	7 Speakers			●
TELV2	Multi AV System (CD)				●
TELV3	Multi AV System (DVD)					●
SPKRZ	No Speakers						●
NAVI3	J Navigation (CD)							●
STERV	1 DIN CD + MD + Radio								●

18th Digit		-	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	K	L	M	N	P	Q
-	Standard	●
STTMQ	Orange or Blue Interior		●			●	●		●
LMPHW	Xenon Headlamps			●		●		●	●		●		●		●
ABAGS	Side Airbags				●		●	●	●					●	●
LMPRC	Headlamp Inner Silver									●	●
ETCTC	Aluminium Pedals									●	●
STRRJ	1 Way Trunk Through											●	●	●	●
MIROW	Door Mirrors Without Titan Clear											●	●	●	●

Autech Version
PB4#Z	Autech Version
PB6#Z	Autech Version + Privacy Glass

17th Digit			A	B	C	D
ACON4	???		●	●	●	●
LMPHW	Xenon Headlamps			●		●
LMRF2	Rear Fog Lamp				●	●
WIPR2	Rear Wiper		●	●	●	●

Autech Style A
TK1#Z	Autech Style A
TK2#Z	Autech Style A + Privacy Glass

17th Digit			A	B	C	D	J	K
WIPR2	Rear Wiper		●	●	●	●	●	●
LMPHW	Xenon Headlamps			●		●		●
BMET2	Boost Meter (Turbo models only)		*	*	●	●
SMET5	Titanium Meter Finisher (Turbo models only)		*	*	●	●
GLSSW	Privacy Glass				●	●
STERX	Audioless				●	●
DIFF6	Rear Viscous LSD						●	●
KYLS4	Keyless Entry		●	●	●	●	●	●
ACON4	Climate Control (Non turbo models only)		*	*			●	●
SUNVB	Sun Visor with Vanity Mirror (Non turbo models only)		*	*			●	●
DWHLB	15" Alloy Wheels (Non turbo models only)		*	*			●	●
LMPRC	Headlamp Inner Silver		●	●	●	●	●	●

Varietta
UA3#Z	Convertible
UA4#Z	Convertible + STTMJ

17th Digit				B	C	D
LMPHW	Xenon Headlamps			●		●
DIFF6	Rear Viscous LSD				●	●

Option Codes - Australia


1	G	2 Door Coupe (Convertible for Varietta)
2	BY	SR20DET
4	A	2 Wheel Steer
5	R	Right Hand Drive
6	U	Spec-R, Spec-S
7	A Y	4 Speed Automatic 6 Speed Manual
8-10	S15	Car Model
11	U	Turbo
12	M	Australia
13	4	Seating Capacity: 4 people.
14-18		See below

Australia
14th Digit	-	A	B
No Optional Equipment	●
Alloy Wheel-Plated		●	●
Alloy Pedal		●	●
Side Sill Protector			●
Rear Spoiler		●	●
Leather Seat Silver		●	●
Leather Steering (Silver Stitch)		●	●

15th Digit	-
No Optional Equipment	●

16th Digit	-	A
No Optional Equipment	●
Sunroof (Spec-R)		●

17th Digit	-
No Optional Equipment	●

18th Digit	-
No Optional Equipment	●