Austin

Austin’s first car that he purchased when still in high school was a white 1992 Nissan 240SX Convertible. At the time, S-chassis cars were still relatively cheap, and his example was very clean. He ran it hard in the canyons, the 4-speed auto was surprisingly compliant and did the job just fine. He would do multiple canyon runs a night, driving the same road over and over for hours on end. At the time, one of the fastest local drivers. The car currently sits on DMAX coilovers and white Advan VS6’s, it has been manual swapped, and some other upgrades are awaiting install. The car has been sitting for some time now after the original engine blew, a replacement engine is nearly ready, but another project must come

As a young kid, Austin’s dream car was an AE86 Corolla. And no, not because of Initial D. It had always been one of his favorite cars, stemming from playing it in NFS: Underground 2 and Gran Turismo 3. He finally got his first (of 4) AE86’s in 2016, it was a GT-S Coupe that suffered from quite a lot of mechanical issues, and a strange lein issue with the previous owner. His 2nd AE86 was another coupe, but this one was a red SR5. Unlike his first 86, this one was in amazing condition, straight body, and clean interior. Being an SR5, it was shackled with the carbureted 4AC and slushbox 3-speed automatic, but it was a car he drove everyday and could enjoy. Then, after years of searching he found the one AE86 that everyone wants, a GT-S hatch. This one is definitely the roughest looking 86 he has owned, but after an interior swap, quick paint job and some mechanical work - it was driveable. Unfortunately, he discovered the chassis was quite bent, so again the search began for a shell. Late in 2025, Austin found a 1985 Toyota Corolla GT-S Hatchback that had been sitting for 20 years. This chassis is straight, nearly rust free, and perfect for a project. He quickly concocted a plan, and bought the AE86 rolling chassis. The plan is to: repaint the chassis then swap all of the good components from the bent car over to this good chassis over the course of a couple weekends. By the end of it, he’ll have a very solid AE86.

The latest addition is an imported 1999 Nissan Silvia Spec-S (S15). This car was actually built the same month that Austin was born, which is quite the coincidence - a match that was truly meant to be. The S15 is currently is Austin’s daily driver, it is a low mileage example that is mechanically sound. Once it arrived stateside, Austin installed a set of HKS coilovers and some aesthetic Nismo goodies to make the car a stylish and unique daily. With the AE86 project ongoing and the S13 in need of a bit of a revival, the Silvia reminds Austin of how much driving means to him and keeps him motivated.