SP Rides: Two-Tone Skyline
by Michael Kitchens
A skyline can be a beautiful, tumultuous thing, full of vibrant color and dark shadows defining the meeting of the earth and sky in a single glance. For Samuel Najac, this 1995 Nissan 240SX is a skyline unto itself for a number of different reasons. Let’s get it straight, this is no ordinary Nissan 240SX. Inside this two-toned beast beats the raging heart of the Skyline GT-R, a fully modified RB25DET pushing over 554RWHP at 23 lbs of boost. You can pick your jaws up off the floor now, I’ll wait.
To understand how this monster came to be, one simply has to delve into Samuel’s journey thus far. Born to Haitian immigrants twenty-four years ago in New York and raised in Florida, he learned to appreciate the automotive world through the mechanical trade his father plied. “He never discriminated, he loved everything. We were the only ones in the neighborhood with 12 cars in the backyard.”
At the age of 17, Samuel was offered a job at a racecar fabrication company, ISC Racing Services, which was Mazdaspeed’s suspension counterpart. In seven months, he worked his way up to Lead Technician and gained massive amounts of experience working on Mazda RX-7 and Miata racecars.
After three years of hard work, Sam decided he needed a change of pace and a chance to do something different so he decided to join the Army. “I guess I took it as a challenge.” says Sam with a wry grin on his face. A challenge is just what he got. In December 2008, while on their way home from technical school, Samuel was involved in a head-on collision equivalent to 150MPH that nearly claimed his life. In a dramatic and selfless rescue, while battered and bleeding, Samuel pulled his trapped co-driver from the burning wreck thereby saving her life. For his bravery, he was awarded the Soldier’s Medal, the highest honor a soldier can receive for an act of valor in a non-combat situation.
Upon his arrival in Hawaii, a few months after the accident, Sam was without a ride so naturally he began to look around. He purchased a beat-up, stock 240SX that was half-primered and full of dents and rust. He immediately pulled the motor, harness, and trans while sourcing an RB25DET motor from John McKinney (McKinney Motorsports), a former customer from his Mazdaspeed days. After a thorough massaging by Ted’s Machine Shop, Samuel installed the Skyline GTR engine and 5-speed trans.
Paint and interior were next on the list. Chad Andrade of Premiere Auto Service & Performance laid down the stunning two-tone black and blue paint scheme. Originally, Samuel asked for a blue paint job, but Chad took it a bit farther. “It came out great, much better than I expected.” Samuel then added color-matched 18x 8.5s XXR Wheels in the front with 18 x 9.5s in the rear, smothered by Federal Supersport 595s. The interior is sparse and clean with a Momo steering wheel, various gauges, and a custom speaker setup featuring two 10-inch Phoenix Gold subs.
This car is insanely powerful but its potential has yet to be seen. Sean Igawa from Munkywurks Garage did the tune but hit a roadblock due to the small size of the wastegate. Samuel intends to add a secondary wastegate and turn the boost up to 29-30 to see what they can seek out of this Frankenstein conversion. In addition, he’s planning on a new paint, some different wheels, and swapping out the harness for a cleaner aftermarket version.
As a new co-owner of Premiere, Samuel believes that “People helping people is powerful stuff”. He has a laundry list of people and companies that helped make this 240SX become the gorgeous vehicle on these pages and is very happy to return the favor. And what a beautiful Skyline it is.
OWNER: SAMUEL NAJAC
Does What: Soldier, U.S. Army
Hobbies: I work on cars any chance I get. I love making cars go fast!
Contact: samuelnajac20@yahoo.com
1995 Nissan 240SX
Color: Blue Black
Build Time: 2 years
Engine: RB25DET Nissan Skyline motor, Tomei poncams, CP forged pistons, Eagle H-beam rods, Supertech dual-valve springs, Ti retainers and seats, Garrett GT35R turbo, Greddy BOV, Injector dynamics 1000cc injectors, Tomei fuel pump and AEM series 2 ECU
Suspension: Megan Track series coilovers 32-way adjustable, Megan adjustable rear upper control arms, Megan adjustable rear toe arm, Megan traction bars
Interior: Momo steering wheels, AEM UGEO AFR digital guage, A pillar triple gauge holder, custom diamond plate floors, original factory leather seats and door panels
Exterior: Drifz Duraflex widebody kit, custom 2-tone paint job (2004 VW R32 blue and jet black), factory rear spoiler from an FD Rx7, smoked head and tail-lights, carbon-fiber Seibon hood, full ceramic 30-percent tint, paint job by Premier Auto Service
Wheels/Tires: XXR black and blue wheels (18 x 8.5 front, 18 x 9.5 rear), Super Sport 595 tires by Federal Motorsports
