Lovert Mafukure
SOMETIMES the cars you need to look out for aren’t always latest cars, sometimes they are old cars because sometimes, just sometimes old is gold!
There’s a 90s Hatchback, possibly one of the last great Nissan Hatchbacks and it’s none other than the Nissan Pulser Gtir. This is a car that was made when Nissan was still serious about performance and reliability. They made sure the Gtir wouldn’t be like any other because it had an SR20 det! It won competitions and it won hearts.
The Nissan’s SR20 det has proven itself overtime and no longer needs any introduction. It is the engine that has created its own legacy through cars like the Nissan Silvia which is well known for its presence on the Japanese drift scene. It’s a small engine and produces ample power to bet set records.
To understand the SR20 DET better, we would have to break it down a bit. The SR is the engine code while the 20 represents engine displacement which is 1998cc rounded off to 2000cc. The D stands for dual overhead camshafts while the E is for electronic fuel injection.
Lastly, the T stands for the garret T25 turbo charger that is found in most of these Sr20 DETs. So the SR20 det is a 4-cylinder dual overhead cam, 16 valve engine force-fed by a turbo.
This turbo works all the magic for these engines and with different tuning across the different models the Sr20DET delivers between 200 to 250hp when standard. A lot of enthusiasts get more power out of these engines through some modifications. On the Japanese scene you can be lucky to get a Pulsar modified to perfection and boosted beyond imagination, only price will be your main hindrance.
When you hear the name Pulsar, your mind would probably race to give a picture of the old Datsun Pulsar, well, it’s the same family line and the Pulsar GTir model in question is the 90s version. Lets just say it’s the big brother. The Nissan Pulser GTir is a hot hatch and in proper sports fashion its got three doors and can accommodate five passengers.
This little car has the Attesa all-wheel drive system which has come to define the skyline GTR suspension. The SR20 DET made it so quick it was almost in the skyline GTR league hence the nickname BABY Godzilla.
The Pulsar GTIr is the same as the Nissan Sentra that is popular down here having been produced in South Africa. In southern Africa the hatchback was never popular and the SR20 was never popular in the Sentras. Do not let the looks fool you, though it might look just like a Sentra but it is completely different from the Sentra inside. The suspension is upgraded from the standard Pulsar to incorporate the four-wheel drive Attesa system.
The Gtir was made to give those rally Subarus a hard time and it did although it was short-lived. Apart from perhaps a GTR inspired grill and a body kit, the car looks just like a Sentra. It’s not the best looking and does not even have the looks that are out of this world, like I mentioned earlier it’s the heart that has a beauty of its own kind.
The Pulsar drive-train as I mentioned earlier, consists of the all-wheel drive Attesa setup driven by a double syncro close ratio 5-speed manual transmission with racing clutch that was reasonably strong as it was meant for abuse on the race track. For the lazy drivers there was never an automatic transmission on offer as it was meant to be a race car or rally car — A car for the real driver J.
For a first timer, this is a less obvious choice for a car but for an enthusiast it is the ultimate race car. Weighing only 1,2 tonne and acceleration time of about 6 seconds to 100km/hr, it’s to die for! Earlier tests showed this little monster could run a quarter mile within the 13 sec bracket.
This car does not come very cheap as only about 15 000 of them were made and slowly they become classics as the time goes by. Till Next time, Happy motoring!
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