Nissan 240SX has been established as one of the go-to platforms if you want to build a drift missile. So much so that the cars are now absurdly expensive thanks to the “drift tax”. However, Albert, from AD Turbo has done something completely different and totally insane with his 1997 “Kouki” (late-model) S14, which turned it into the quickest street-legal Nissan 240SX that can stand up even to heavily modified GT-R’s.

Xavier from That Racing Channel walked us around the car, together with the owner who did all the work himself. The build comprises of, largely, tried-and-tested parts. These include a fully-build 2JZ GTE engine, which as Albert says, has “pistons, rods, and all the regular stuff you’ll find on a 2JZ”. It also has a Gato intake manifold, 12 injectors (2 for each cylinder), and an 86-85 Precision turbocharger. It's all being managed by a Haltech 2500 Elite.

Power is sent through the stock rear end and a TH400, three-speed automatic. More importantly, Albert converted the S14 to all-wheel drive although he doesn’t reveal many details about the parts he used. What he did say is that he looked to modern-day Nissan GT-Rs for inspiration, as he wanted to build something that can give them a run for their money.

The car is running on 28-inch slick tires, wrapped around 15-inch Bi-lock wheels. Even with all-wheel drive and sticky rubber on both axles, the car is capable of four-wheel burnouts. That’s because, on E85, the S14 pushes out just over 1,200 horsepower to the wheels, at over 40 pounds of boost, which according to Albert is “safe for what it is”, referring to the big single turbo. Get it right, though, and 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) happens in just 1.4 seconds, with the 60-foot mark reached in the 1.3-second range.

Albert switched to a 4X4 setup because the car “didn’t work” as a rear-wheel drive only. At 800 wheel-horsepower it was unmanageable, “doing 140 mph burnouts”. Albert says that the current setup works since the car’s power is manageable. “At the end of the day, it’s all about traction, it’s not really about horsepower. Horsepower is just a number. Traction is what gets you to the other side”.

The 2JZ engine is still a 3.0-liter, which means Albert hasn’t bored or stroked it. He plans to keep it as it is because it works. ‘Whenever it throws the rod, it throws the rod, but until then, we are going to keep on doing four-tire burnouts”, Albert happily explains. In the end, Albert and his 4X4-converted S14 prove that tried-and-tested parts and some moderation can make for great results and still retain much of the reliability. The build does not push the limits, rather it has nailed a sweet spot and sticks in it.