Like Beauty and Beast, this is a the fairytale story of how a pretty Shropshire lass has fallen head over heels in love with a monstrous widebody Nissan Silvia S15…
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful, tattooed girl called Mel. Mel is the sort of girl who has a big heart and a lot of love to give. She is never one to turn her back on someone or something in need of care. So much so, she has got into a bit of an adoption habit. I’m not talking about taking in a little bunny with a gammy eye, or nursing a disgusting pigeon back to full health. I’m not even talking about giving poor orphaned kids a new home. No, Mel loves adopting unloved cars. She takes them under her wing, fixes them up, gives them a new lease of life and then falls in love with them.
We first met Mel when she told us all about her beloved Maggie, her track-spec 106. She bought the little Peugeot as a complete wreck and transformed it into a mint little motor. She fell so much in love with Maggie that the little 106 even makes up part of Mel’s amazing body art. Now that’s dedication! However, we aren’t here for the Pug. Instead we’re here to check out that dirty wide Nissan S15 she has parked up on her drive.
Mel had booked the 106 in with her good friend Ant at AMG bodyshop to have the interior painted to match the exterior. Our Mel is a bit handy when it comes to bodywork, so was prepping the car for paint herself. “As I was working on Maggie I spotted a massive alloy wheel out the corner of my eye. As I pulled back the bonnets and bumpers I found a dusty rubbed-down-and-ready-to- paint Nissan Silvia S15”, Miss Taylor explains. After speaking to Ant, they both came to an agreement on price and Mel was now the proud owner of one of Japan’s most iconic motors. Hurrah!
Of course, Mel’s history has taught us that none of her adopted babies stay standard for long, and the S15’s fate was destined to be the same. The Rocket Bunny kit that the car now wears was originally intended for an S13 model, but has been painstakingly grafted onto the Silvia’s bodywork. The end result makes the back end of this drift monster a massive 6ft wide…
Want to know more? Check out the full feature on Mel’s S15 in Fast Car magazine issue 380 on sale now in all good shops or alternatively download Fast Car magazine 380 now.
