For some, the bus was a lesson in humiliation, an embarrassing transition between adolescence and adulthood made less agonizing only by the possibility of potential four-wheeled liberty in the near future. Many could only hope that day would come. Then there were kids like Alan Brentzel, who used his time as preparation, plotting his escape one car magazine at a time.
During bus rides to school, Brentzel acknowledged relenting to the temptations of peer pressure. A group of boys would spend that time, noses buried in car magazines, creating imaginary lists of cars and cars parts they would one day purchase.
Brentzel, who now owns 151 Motorsports in Annapolis, took his freedom a few hundred steps further than most. Performance upgrades and tricked-out cars are now a part of his everyday life. Still, his first car wasn’t a Ferrari, but a 2002 Pontiac Grand Am. And after learning the hard way that handing over the keys to someone who claimed to know what he was doing might very well spell disaster, Brentzel decided to take this experience and learn all there was to know about his own car.
A few years down the road, Brentzel found a 1992 Nissan 180sx, one of the premier platforms commonly used for competitive drifting. This automotive sport requires drivers to throw their cars into sideways slides to earn style points against other drivers on closed courses. The wheels on the bus may go round and round, but they don’t go side to side like this car. What made this 180sx unique was that it was a direct import from Japan, right-side steering and all.
After inquiring about his find, he was disappointed to learn that the car had been sold. Resignedly, he bought a Mitsubishi 3000GT in its place. Within a week of purchase, the seller of the Nissan 180sx called to inform him that the original buyer had backed out and the car was for sale. Brentzel wasted no time to make good on the purchase.
The car is powered by the SR20DET engine and a T25 turbo, and Brentzel added just about every bolt-on available to the already 205 horsepower setup. In drifting, horsepower is not necessary for speed so much as it is to force the car into breathless twists and turns. Instead of attacking the drive train and beefing up the suspension and steering, Brentzel actually installed a custom sound system first. A full Focal k2power system, Pioneer f900bt head unit makes up the brains of the operation. A Bride Zeta 2 racing seat was installed, followed by a menagerie of parts including Racing Gear coilovers, performance clutch, 3-inch downpipe and exhaust. Brentzel’s only challenge seems to have been getting the parts on quick enough, as no fitment issues that plague other hobbyists have thus far victimized his Nissan.
Brentzel said that despite buying the car directly from Japan, he still occasionally endures “Japanese Domestic” chivies about the car. Even with the right-hand driver’s side arrangement being a sterile example of Japanese craftsmanship, some still believe it a modification. It’s even pushed him to consider changing the current configuration to a left-hand driver’s 240sx setup just to show that he doesn’t follow trends, but makes them.
What do you drive? I drive a 1992 Nissan 180sx.
Why do you drive it? It is one of the best drift cars out there.
What makes this car so special? This is a real 180sx with only 40,000 kilometers on the whole car. Most of the work was done in Japan, so everything on the car you can’t even get in the U.S.
What is your most memorable driving experience? The first time I really drifted. There is nothing like it, and I’m hooked!
What was the first car you owned? A 2002 Pontiac Grand Am.
What music are you currently listening to in your car? I’m listening to country, rap and rock on my iPod.
And your first ticket? What was it for? Speeding. Doing 72 mph in a 55 mph zone.
