This Nissan 240sx belongs to Tim Shields out of Indiana. Tim Shields & I (along with many of you) are naturally ‘the golden retrievers’ of car culture. What I mean is – we love it all! Metaphorically, we run up to every genre of the automotive world basically with a slobbery tennis ball in our mouth & our tail wagging ready to play. Show me practically any spirited vehicle, give me your 30-second elevator speech on why it’s awesome, and I’ll probably get off that elevator wanting one too. Tractor pulls?? You son-of-a-bitch I’m in! Lol – not everybody’s like that, some people naturally stick to one thing. If you see me sticking to one thing, it’s because I ran out of space and/or cash. But another thing Timmy & and I have in common… 

We’re drawn to underdogs…

Or is it black sheep? Look I get it – the 240sx is the furthest thing from an underdog or a black sheep these days. More of an icon. But either way, I think underdog appeal is a shared & important piece of our generational DNA. Because when the import scene popped-off in the ’90s, it was a driving force behind the whole movement. Small cars with small/potent engines, and huge egos… gunning for the predictable V8s. The sport-compact scene of the 90s & early-2000s was lightning in a bottle. All-but-unrepeatable. That being said – I’m here for it should someone want to sound the war-horn & summon the troops lol. 

It’s the underdog appeal that makes it worth doing…

Sport-compacts were off-script with no boundaries. And that made it exciting! But somewhere along the line, we’ve kinda lost that defiant, organic fire. And we started conforming… un-coincidentally right around the same time the internet went in our pockets. Now, we’ve followed so many people/pages, that it’s mildly sucked the fun & mystery out of it. We’ve seen so much… that it’s desensitized us. And what used to be genuine interest, has now mutated into influencers fishing for your likes, views, and attention. The thirst that previous generations kept for the hobby, has been doused-out with over-saturation & total exploitation. Sometimes less is more. And finally, the 3rd-thing that Tim and I have in common. 

Emotional value is more valuable than monetary value…

Invest into things that give you sizzling experiences. Things that fill-up your cup. Invest into emotions & passions… and moments that make you feel alive, connected, & grateful. A car is material – no doubt. But what you feel in that moment when it all clicks together (and it’s slightly different for everybody) – that’s LIFE rushing in! It’s like what a dog must feel when it’s tugging at the leash… and it breaks! Sometimes that can be hard for car enthusiasts to put into words.

So look – if you’re buying ‘the thing’ to impress people – you’re off track. That’s just jewelry with a steering wheel & a depreciation curve. But when you’re consumed with this stupid obsession that outweighs rationality/sensibility, and feels completely irresponsible yet irresistible – that’s your spirit taking the wheel. And that’s you – authentically!

Tim never fancied himself a 240 guy… 

Quite the opposite. He had a mid-90s Civic Coupe in the late-90s and early-2000s. White interior, body kit, custom paint. And he’d probably still have that car today, had it not gotten hit. But – long story short – Timmy found himself with a supercharged Cobalt SS in 2007. And somehow or another – that Cobalt SS gave him an affinity for the black sheep, domestic, supercharged/turbocharged, 4-cylinder GM sport-compacts of the time. He eventually had a Saturn Ion Redline that had been turbo-swapped (from supercharged)… making 425hp. Anyway I say that to say this: Tim Shields was…

Not a Nissan 240 or S-chassis fanboy…

In fact – he’d often heckle his 240 friends for jumping on the bandwagon. But here’s where it gets heavy. One of his close 240 friends was diagnosed with cancer, and lost the battle. Tim got his friend’s 240 for sentimental reasons. And that’s what I mean by emotional value having more value than street value or resale value. The up-ticking value of the 240 is irrelevant to Tim. It’s the sentimental value that matters. And here’s the kicker: In the process of finishing his friends 240, Tim realized he was wrong all along… they’re actually great cars. 

“Do you drift it?”

The Nissan 240sx obviously gets typecast as a drift car. But contrary to popular assumption, Tim’s not trying to drift this thing, or become the next pro-driver superstar. It’s honestly just a street cruiser. Something to drive on feel-good days. And something to park at shows/events with the homies.  

It’s a purple Nissan 240SX slammed on BBS’s… 

And although this car’s on-trend, it’s not built for trends. It honestly just kind of turned out that way. See – Tim tends to jump on deals/opportunities when they arise… and that kind of steers the overall direction the car goes. For example, he bought the purple wrap when it popped-up cheap on marketplace, not even knowing that it’d eventually be for the 240. And the BBS wheels were borrowed last-minute from a friend for Slammedenuff Gatlinburg to give it some flash. Afterward, they both kind of came to the conclusion the wheels needed to stay on the 240 permanently – so a deal was struck.

Often times, project cars have an inexplicable way of…

Flashing us back to moments & sensations that might otherwise be fuzzy or forgotten. And in a world that’s becoming more-&-more detached and distracted, keeping your passions alive… keeps you sharp. The string-pullers want you to be a predictable, obedient consumer on repeat. And the modern automotive manufacturers would love nothing more than to get you ‘subscribed’ to a new autonomous/appliance vehicles that narc on you. Car culture is the antithesis of that. And it’s the resistance to it. Car culture represents independence, free-thinkers, an appropriate amount of defiance, and capability – opposing forces to today’s world. 

So make sure you take that flag, and drive it firmly into the ground…

Don’t forget who you are. And don’t let ‘em convince you that any of this is actually ‘for your safety’ or ‘for the environment’… and not ‘for their control & profit’. Lol – it’s an interesting time to be a car enthusiast, that’s for sure. It comes with a little more fight than it used to. Remember when you could just like cars? And the carmakers were actually on your side? And there wasn’t this underlying threat of stripping-away your control, your ownership, your privacy, and your freedoms? While masking those intentions as either safety and/or sustainability? Sorry – that got a little real for a second there…

Ok – back to the purple 240… 

There needs to be more cars on the street worth looking at these days. Cars like this 240sx. I get it… gone is the 90s-era of coupes & colors. But gone with it – is an undeniable spirit & liveliness to our environment on the roads. Where the windows were down, and drivers were more in the moment. Want another example? Look no further than McDonalds & Taco Bell at your next red-light. And compare the once liveliness – turned into lifelessness. High prices for a low experience – we need to correct that course.

Within our sphere of influence, we need cars that are expressive, affordable, & cars that welcome the aftermarket in. In other words, cars that inspire the next generation to look away from the screens, and see vehicles as more than mobility. We’re losing it. Creating a world of tech… without experience, art, or inspiration. Carmakers dropped the ball; lost the plot. So now it’s primarily on car culture to pick it up, and create a movement that inspires. This is why car culture needs true defenders… and not gobs of influencers chasing trends & conforming to algorithms. Maybe it’s time for a little less golden retriever… and a little more wolf.

Photos by Kyle Eaton @baggednclean

 

Engine / drivetrain

KA24DE (dual cam) swap

T28 turbo

Stock SR injectors

Custom 3” exhaust 

Q45 differential 

Suspension / Wheels / Brakes

Raceland coilovers

BBS RS 18×10.5

Floating center caps 

Stock calipers with drilled & slotted rotors

Interior

Grip Royal suede-wrapped steering wheel 

Suede headliner

S14 front seats

Exterior

KBD bodykit 

Duckbill spoiler

GK Tech aero mirrors

Vinyl Frog Glossy Metallic Grape Purple wrap (wrapped by Mogul Protection Films in Carmel, IN)

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