We have all heard of Duy’s ridiculous C-West widebody S15 Silvia in Sydney, IFSU. However we are still yet to acknowledge, the arising younger cousin and prodigy – Tam Le’s Midnight Purple III and also C-West widebody 200SX. Built for tuners, Nissan offers an endless list of modifications for street, performance and show cars. This build merely goes to show how all these qualities can be integrated.
Originally from Cabramatta in Sydney, Tam made the move to Melbourne at the beginning of 2015, just when the car scene started to become much more popular in the Australian community. Since he was a kid, he always held a passion for S15s and with his admiration for its sleek, sporty design, nothing could stop him making his dream come true. Only days after making the purchase on a brand new yellow S15, he established local automotive community page, Melbourne JDM Club. Bringing all enthusiasts together, it eventually expanded to become one of Melbourne’s most significant car clubs today.
At first you may be questioning the conspicuous paint job: what colour is this car exactly? In its initial form it was bog stock as yellow, but Tam decided he would spice things up a bit. Over about 10 months (once a week of work, sometimes a fortnight) and 4 litres of costly iridescent paint, he was able to transform his driveway build into a Midnight Purple III C-West widebody S15. The colours really depend on light conditions, so has to be seen to be believed.
A diverse selection of colours can be seen, ranging from blue to purple to golden brown.
Tam’s personal choice of widebody came down to this aggressive body kit, tailored for the Silvia’s distinct bodylines. This decision was primarily influenced by Australia’s strict road laws and regulations. With a clean, natural look he figured that the C-West kit would be the best option, considering that the factory appearance fit would attract minimal attention from the boys in blue.
The kit flows appealingly with a set of bronze Work Meister S1 3-piece wheels, 19×10 front and 19×11 rear, cushioned by Nankang 235/35r19 and 255/35r19 tyres for the street. Especially with it running minimal camber, it is fair to say that it can be seen as a functional show car. The offsets of the wheels give it moderate dish, and being bronze the combination complements the paint job exceptionally well.
Even the number plate colour selection shows the eye for detail devoted into the car. Tam having done something outside the mainstream is what makes the build a definite eye-catcher and stand out from the crowd.
The ride quality is simply superb, perfect for both luxury and street performance. With Tam’s preference of coilovers over airbags, he chose his car to sit low and comfortably on Shockworks coilovers. He is not much of a fan of the stance culture, therefore extra suspension work such as trailing arms, front and rear sway bars etc was not necessary. Given the positive rake it is additionally what makes it look more aggressive
There seems to be little fuss on the aerodynamics – only custom carbon fibre canards have been installed for that sharp and sporty look and giving the car a little extra downforce. No spoiler as of yet, and so the car retains its sleekness.
In the future Tam plans to have front, side and rear diffusers installed and a V3 wing in preparation for future performance modifications.
Aftermarket taillights have also been installed. The smoked black LED Yashio taillights gives the car a subtle and aesthetic look, especially in the dark. The windows have been tinted a deep black; it would be hard not to question how all these little factors and modifications have been utilized to create a masterpiece.
We cannot forget about how good the car can sound with a Tomei Titanium cat-back exhaust system. The low note that the exhaust emits is simply erotic – any enthusiast could listen to it all day, and with the flutter from the SR20DET, words cannot do it justice.
For a driveway build limited on time it’s a very impressive effort and outcome – hats off to you Tam, that 10 months wait was all worth it!
*PERFORMANCE MODLIST TO BE CONTINUED*
Special Thanks
John Sikalias (aka HNNGGG S15) for helping out with the driveway build, and Steve from Offtap Customs for painting the car
Khang Nguyen, Fueled by Khang: Insta & Face