The Nismo 270R is a high-performance limited-edition sports car built on Nissans S-chassis.

When people think about limited edition JDM cars they usually consider something like the R34 GT-R V-Spec, RX-7 Spirit R, or perhaps the Subaru Impreza 22B STI. But the Nismo 270R has them all beat in terms of rarity.

The 270R was only manufactured in 1994 and was limited to just 30 examples which makes it one of the rarest production JDM cars in the world.

Unlike some special models where they just get a minor engine tune and some fancy graphic decals the 270R was built to be the best-performing S14 to date, and we’ll explain to you why.

Exterior and Interior Design

Just by looking at the 270R you can tell that this car means business. If Nismo’s ‘Edge’ Aero body kit didn’t set it apart already then perhaps the vented bonnet or front-mounted intercooler will.

All 270R were painted black and along the rear, you will notice a white decal spelling ‘Nismo 270R’ in large white letters, as well as a ‘270R’ badge on the rear.

A modest and functional spoiler as well as a single exit bore exhaust is befitted to the 270R.

Along to go with that came a set of 17” five-spoke Nismo alloy wheels that certainly looks the part. Almost to the point that it would make it a disservice of putting on anything but the original wheels.

The interior is also considerably different from a regular S14.

What’ll strike you first is the Nismo branded front and rear seats. All 270R’s came with this distinct white and grey quilted pattern, the same pattern continues down the footwell where you’ll be greeted by some ‘270R’ branded floormats.

And if Nismo branded stuff is right in your alley then you’d be happy to know the 270R has a lot of them. To start off, you’ll get a sleek-looking Nismo branded wheel (Nissan even removed the airbags, “because racecar”). You’ll also notice a variety of different Nismo branded boost and pressure gauges. Including a boost gauge which hilariously enough is embedded in the driver’s door. And perhaps most importantly of all, a Nismo branded car key.

The 270R was also fitted with the extremely rare S14 Nismo 300 km/h speedometer.

Performance

Back in the 1990s, Nissan was extremely frugal with the usage of the Nismo brand. Only a very few limited-edition performance cars got to bear the Nismo badge, such as the Nissan Sunny RZ1 Nismo. Unfortunately, the Nismo badge doesn’t hold nearly as much credibility as it used to consider they decided to make a Nissan Juke Nismo which had nothing but exterior changes.

Back to the Nismo 270R, Nissan had the intention to create the fastest and most hardcore version out of the Silvia line-up. And we have to say, they didn’t disappoint.

The 270R is powered by a tuned version of the 2.0L turbocharged I4 (SR20DET). But unlike the regular S14 which only produced 217 hp, the 270R produced an impressive 270 hp, hence the name 270R.

But the engine alone is far from all the upgrades the 270R got. To go along with-it Nissan put in a stronger clutch. A Nismo 2-way LSD was fitted together with upgraded brakes. In terms of suspension the 270R got a pair of new Nismo control arms, under-chassis bracing, sway bar, as well as firmer springs and shock absorbers.

For the sake of performance, Nissan completely stripped out the stereo and replaced it with a ‘kill switch’.

All of these were coupled exclusively to a 5-speed manual transmission.

Price

As you might have guessed the Nismo 270R is not cheap. Not only is it the highest performance version of the S14, but there were also only 30 production units ever made, and that was almost 30 years ago. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that at least a few out of the original 30 have unfortunately passed on.

However, if you are one of the lucky ones who has been given the opportunity to purchase a Nismo 270R you can expect to have prices starting at around $50,000, with most sales hovering around the $55,000-$70,000 range. A very pristine and low-mileage example could potentially be worth upwards of $100,000.

Due to the limited supply, it is becoming rarer to see 270R coming up for auctions, and the time for them to show up seems to be longer in between.

How Many Nismo 270R Are Left?

No one can really tell how many Nismo 270R’s are left today. People crash and others get stored away never to see the light of day again. For the cars stored away, you could almost guarantee that those will never show up at an auction ever again. Many of these owners don’t own these cars out of a joy of driving, but rather more as art, or as a collection of sorts.

As unfortunate as that is, it would come as no surprise if there are less than 20 road legal examples left. And out of those perhaps a handful are being actively driven today.

These are just our estimations, so take this with a grain of salt.