GT5 Transcripts/Nissan SILVIA 240RS (S110) '83

The 240RS was Nissan's take on what a rally car should be. Based on the 240SX (the Silvia in Japan), the rear-wheel-drive car was powered by the FJ24 engine. This 2.4-liter DOHC inline-4 cranked out 237 HP, thanks to custom crankshafts and a special block. The car's body featured Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) on the hood, trunk lid, and fenders, while every window except the front windshield was composed of polycarbonate.

These changes translated to a curb weight of a mere 970kg. Nissan produced 200 road-going versions of the 240RS to meet FIA Group B standards, virtually all (of(?)) them sold in Europe. In 1983, the Nissan Works team entered the 240RS in the Safari Rally, perhaps with hopes of taking four checkered flags in a row, like they did with the Violet Rally Car years before.

However, it was not to be, as all three factory 240RSs retired due to engine trouble. The only private entry took 4th. The reason behind Nissan's dismal showing could be the attributed fact that the Safari Rally was no longer an endurance rally in the traditional sense, but a European style sprint, with many of the competitors running purpose-built race models with a limited production of 20 units.

Nissan did develop a revised version of the 240RS, but by this time, Group B already became a breeding ground for all-wheel-drive turbocharged race cars, and the 240RS was never able to showcase it's talents.