Nissan Silvia S14 / 200SX / 240SX - The S13's bigger, stiffer sibling
The Nissan S14 showed up in 1993 and fixed most of the things the S13 got wrong -- mainly chassis flex. Sold as the 200SX in Europe and 240SX in North America, this fifth-generation Silvia took the same basic formula and made it more serious. Wider track, longer wheelbase, stiffer shell, same SR20DET turbo four under the hood (in JDM spec, at least). It comes in two flavors: Zenki (1993-1996, the softer-looking one) and Kouki (1997-1998, the one everyone wants). The S14 drives like an S13 that went to finishing school -- still playful, but noticeably more composed when you push it hard.
What Nissan actually fixed
The S14 chassis got extra spot welding and bracing that the S13 desperately needed, especially for tandem work where flex turns into unpredictable behavior. Nissan widened the track by 35mm and stretched the wheelbase another 35mm, which gives the car more stability at angle without feeling sluggish. The multi-link rear suspension carries over but with improved geometry under load, so it stays more planted through sustained slides. Up front, the MacPherson struts got upgraded components for sharper turn-in. The practical result? Less chassis twist during hard driving, more consistent feedback through the wheel, and a better foundation for aggressive coilover setups and angle kits. The S14 doesn't fight you when you bolt on serious suspension -- it actually works with it.
SR20DET, refined
The S14's SR20DET got a few factory improvements over the S13 version: revised turbo with better spool characteristics and stronger internals. Stock power sits between 200-220hp depending on market, which is enough to learn on but leaves plenty of headroom. The typical drift build goes bigger turbo, upgraded fuel system, aftermarket ECU, and supporting mods to land somewhere in the 350-500+ horsepower range. The engine sits low in the bay with good front-to-rear weight balance, which helps maintain consistent angle through long transitions. Pro teams run S14s partly because the SR20DET holds up under sustained high-RPM abuse without constant rebuilds (assuming you don't starve it of oil, which is on you). Aftermarket support for performance parts is deep -- you won't have trouble sourcing anything from a manifold to a complete built motor.
Zenki vs Kouki, and the people who made them famous
Zenki has the rounded headlights and softer lines. Kouki has the projector headlights and sharper face that drift culture adopted as its own. Mechanically, they're the same car, so this is purely an argument about looks (and it's an argument that will never end). Daigo Saito and Fredric Aasbo have both taken S14s to podium finishes in Formula Drift and D1GP, which tells you the chassis can hang at the highest level even against newer, more expensive hardware. The S14 sits in a sweet spot: stiffer than the S13, cheaper than the S15, with the same proven SR20DET at the center of it. Production ended decades ago, but demand hasn't followed.