What do you get when you put a builder, a visionary and a slick automotive-care company together? You get the Turtle Wax 240SX. Turtle Wax wanted to become more involved, and asked Andy Goodman of the National Custom Car Association for his input. To say the least, Goodman has vision; his ideas were just what Turtle Wax needed to springboard into its 2005 Get Waxed Tour.
First things first: find a well-known, imaginative builder and have him create a show queen to represent the company at events. Neil Tjin came to Goodman's mind. Tjin has built over 40 unique and one-off cars that have competed in shows across the country for the last eight years, and he's only 26. Neil's 1997 Nissan 240SX started life as a daily driven show car that won Hot Import Nights' Best of Show in 2003 in Philly. This will be his most high-profile project to date: It is the spokes-vehicle for Turtle Wax's Get Waxed Tour.
This project evolved over a 20-month window and still competed along the way. His vision began with power. A JDM S13 Red Top SR20DET motor was chosen as the cornerstone. It was built by Non Fujita of Enonvativ Force in Torrance, Calif. Fujita built a solid motor. With a fully built block and head, he chose a Veilside turbo manifold, and a GReddy intake manifold and downpipe to compliment the reinforced powerplant. From there, the motor was introduced to its new home. Once the motor was secured in its new environment, Tjin began working on all of the goodies that make his car so unforgettable. He added a Tial blow-off valve; E&V silicone tubes, vacuum lines and oil cooler; custom polished intercooler piping; Nitrous Express 100-shot direct port kit, intercooler kit and twin carbon bottles with openers; JDM Silvia radiator and fan; Competition clutch and flywheel; T-Bolt clamps; and Marvel synthetic oil. Not wanting a mundane, high-output engine bay, Tjin dressed it up with a Nismo oil cap, radiator cap and strut bar, along with a Weld spark plug cover and a carbon-fiber tray and fuse box cover.
With the engine bay done, Tjin moved on to the next phase of his buildup, suspension. Keeping with the JDM drift trends, he chose Kei-Office coil-overs and camber plates. Tjin went with Precision 13-inch rotors up front with 11.5-inch rotors out back. All four corners are equipped with Wilwood calipers and stainless-steel braided lines. To round out the suspension, braking and handling department, custom 19x9.5-inch and 19x10.5-inch HRE 441 wheels with phat-polished lips were selected, along with ultra-low-profile Toyo T1 tires: 245/35-19s up front and 275/30-19s out back. These are custom black wheels with polished lips--nothing second class about the rolling stock on this car.
Now comes the all-show part of the project, the body. Tjin wanted a racy look for his car, and carbon fiber is the best way to meet that need. But anyone can bolt on a carbon-fiber hood and trunk. But how about making the top half carbon fiber? Everything from the fenders up is made of carbon fiber--including the roof. To date, this is the only 240SX to feature full carbon fiber on the top third of the chassis. He also gave the car a facelift with a JDM-spec Silvia S15 front-end conversion. Silvia S15 H.I.D. headlights, fenders, radiator support, a Madden S15 carbon-fiber hood and a Bomex S15 front bumper round out the OG-Japanese look of this beauty. To keep the body lines flowing, Bomex S14 skirts, mirrors and rear bumper were installed.
Moving to the interior of the car, Tjin spared no expense. A six-point Cusco roll cage was installed, along with a host of driver amenities like: a Momo steering wheel and hub adapter with Tekniq Autosport snap-off system, Nismo S15 floor mats, a four-point racing harness and racing seat, Stewart Warner gauges, and Veilside titanium pedals and shift knob. A custom center console was fabricated to be the home for an assortment of Ignited goodies, nitrous switches, and a Pyle 7-inch monitor with DVD head unit. Custom fabricated housings were made for the three Bazooka amps, subwoofers and nitrous bottles, as well as custom door panels, all of which are dressed in Mad Carbon leather. What good is all this zoom with no boom? An assortment of Bazooka speakers and subwoofers can be found throughout the cabin along with two additional 7-inch Pyle TV monitors. The sound system is connected through a network of Stinger expert-series cables and wires. Three Donnelly cameras along with monitoring hardware are stealthily installed to give the driver several views of his environment.
Up until now, Tjin was touring the country and attending numerous events. Goodman approached Tjin about the Turtle Wax proposal and struck a deal. After some discussion and guidance, Goodman and Turtle Wax turned Tjin loose to work for yet another purpose: to be the centerpiece in Turtle Wax's Get Waxed Tour. Since the car was originally orange with carbon fiber, it needed a new skin. Tjin turned to RPM Racing, Inc. of Long Island, N.Y. Interestingly, RPM Racing focuses on exotic European performance cars. The company is no stranger to high-ticket performance, and this little Japanese import is a testament to the company's flexibility. RPM stripped down to the bare chassis, and began the painstaking process of lining up everything perfectly. Not a single wiring harness was left when the shop techs applied a more-appropriate Turtle Wax color, Candy Green. Every inch of the engine bay now matched the exterior and jams of the car. RPM Racing also went over the 240SX with a fine-tooth comb when putting it all back together. The techs meticulously fixed or repaired any out-of-place wiring or nuts and bolts to give the car a stunningly refined appearance. RPM Racing's primary focus was performance, so the techs also tweaked the motor and pulled a few extra ponies out while they were at it.
After having such an interesting career as a show car, this car is going on its last tour. Throughout 2005, it will be the icon for Turtle Wax's campaign, and then it will be given away at the 2005 SEMA show in Las Vegas. So don't forget to sign up when you see her on tour. And don't worry, with a long year ahead of her your potential 240SX will be traveling like a rock star in her own matching, custom-built truck and trailer.