Julio Losh’s 1991 S13 Silvia Q’s

A fulfilled dream only inspires more.

It feels a bit unfair writing a piece on Julio’s car.  We’ve been close friends since High School, and unlike the rest of my works, I’ve known the subject of this one since it drove off the boat in America.  I’ve developed my theories, likes, and dislikes over the years, I’ve worked on it with my own hands (albeit not very much), I’ve seen it in almost every state.  But this is an article about Julio and HIS Silvia, not my predispositions; although they are positive, they aren’t his.

The first time I saw Julio’s Silvia, it wasn’t Julio’s; it was our friend Aldo’s, but its turbo wasn’t spooling, and it didn’t sound eager to perform.  From ruined black original paint to the body roll you’d expect from a JDM auction car on the cheaper side, it was far from the dream you see now.

A small deposit and the last few steps of a long road behind him, and it was his.

Let’s go back to what led to this point; no one buys a poorly painted car with a broken swapped engine without some sort of aspiration or hallucination.  Fortunately, as far as I know, his was mostly the former.

A young julio spent years watching Initial D and playing Forza games, noticing S-chassis in his favorite shows and videos. Recreating his favorite cars in Forza piqued the interest in trolling Craigslist for “JDM cars”. He didn’t know much about them, but something about how they looked and how they performed in media marked a point of no return. Eventually, a black hatchback 240sx (of which I, unfortunately, don’t have any photos) entered his life. That car was short-lived due to a stint in the Miata world taking over, but some years later, a two-tone coupe would be his. His favorite body style, in the best version he could get in America. A single cam KA24DE, Pop-Up headlights, and a spin turn e-brake button were enough to start making the dream a reality.

In another part of Washington, Aldo was learning to import vehicles, making connections, learning the systems, and eventually, pulling the trigger on an affordable choice. When his Silvia finally got to America, we promptly went to take a look; I think it might’ve been the first right-hand drive vehicle I was able to look at in-depth. It was fascinating for me, but for Julio, it was a chance at his dream. He offered to buy it almost immediately, and after a couple of weeks of negotiation and planning, he was driving it home.

He quickly started to modify the typical stuff, coil-overs, steering knuckles, a welded diff, wheels, tires, you know, the things most people do to drift successfully. But the cars Julio saw on Initial D, Forza, and countless YouTube videos didn’t just have the bare minimum, and there was no way he was stopping there. Enter the T28 turbo, a PBM Intercooler to keep things cool. Esqueleto type 1 bucket seats, a Cusco 6-pt cage, and a little dash of flair to ensure it looks the part.

Realizing he now owns a JDM vehicle, part-hoarding was just part of the game. So, on the hunt, he went, amassing piles of headlights, bumpers, wheels, and tires over the years because it’s just a matter of time before something gets destroyed, right? Well, with that thought process came the idea of learning to paint. It started with painting a lip on his Miata, but the idea now had blossomed into painting an entire car. Some supplies from the paint shop nearby and harbor freight paint gun, and he was ready to go. Eventually, the rippled, scratched, and desiccated paint had to go.

First, we see a light pink, almost white, but it’s pink, I promise. This one was technically a failed attempt at a slightly different color, but I personally still liked it. I also enjoyed the people asking if Julio was “the guy with the white 240?” to which I always responded, “Mhm, yes, that’s him.”. With a newly painted car comes new exterior mods, which means aftermarket lips, side skirts, and these ridiculous clear tail lights that he somehow still has on to this day.

Eventually, as can only be expected, the car was damaged while drifting. So a new paint job was on the horizon, this time, darker pink. But, the color came out as expected, and it was a beautiful color. So he awarded himself with a B-wave front bumper.

Significant crash number two (I think) comes next, which means substantial paint job number three—this time, Bright Yellow, but something a bit different.  You see, something many people don’t know about Julio is he likes LEGOs, specifically Star Wars LEGOs, which naturally means his interest branched out to Star Wars in general.  With a weird appreciation for the prequels, the Naboo Starfighters, you know, the yellow ones, became a quick favorite.  Naboo Starfighters have a stainless steel nose (or stainless space material from a galaxy far, far away). So Julio’s yellow car couldn’t be one hundred percent yellow, but instead, a dash of silver in the front, oh, and let’s throw some flames on the hood, and Veilside side-skirts/spats for good measure.  As the trend would dictate, another crash was coming, and it did. Significant crash number three brings a new paint job, but this time it was too soon for a full paint job, so the front end gets painted to match the car, and as anyone should expect, the headlights get painted as well.  

Julio usually elects to drive to events, I’d like to clarify that Julio owns a large truck and could easily tow his car. But he prefers to drive his extremely yellow 1991 Silvia Q’s with a K’s swap, bigger turbo, and heavy modifications everywhere he can. He’s built a dream car that stemmed from Japanese drifting history and media, and it’s not even close to it’s final form. A fulfilled dream only inspires more; a complete vehicle only leaves the lust for a new direction. And a love like this doesn’t falter easily. So whether he takes his magical SR20DET that doesn’t want to die (knock on wood) to Dick’s Drive-in, or from Seattle to Thunderhill Raceway in California, the car, or better stated, the dream gets him there.