Car Feature >> Matt Powers’ Nissan 240sx

Step into a time machine, dig up those JDM Option VHS cassettes and reminisce for a minute. Do you remember exactly what made you fall in love with drifting? Was it because of the dramatic twin-drifting? Was it the function follows form flair (say that 5 times fast)? Or was it the fact that drifiting was just so different from anything else; based on nothing other than style? Drifting has always appealed to the alt. crowd of motorsports enthusiasts. Tuning only meant removing collars from coil-overs and fitting dope wheels. In essence, car goes down, wheels go out.

There was something magical about seeing a pair of mid 90s rear-wheel drive cars, slammed to the floor with ridiculous wheel fitment, and going sideways at equally fantastic speeds. You could really see the drivers' passion expressed through their driving and through their cars' styling. These cars were usually "built" at home by the drivers, and for the most part, conventional car tuning was never a concern; They only cared about looking bad ass, and looking even more bad ass going sideways.

Fast forward to the present. We all know now that drifting has grown to a world-wide phenomenon which almost demands countless amounts of money to be poured into its professional leagues. Car manufacturers have come aboard, and built drift machines that seemingly defy physics. The Red Bull World Drifting Championship proved this with entry speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour! But, has the original soul of drifting, that was born in the mountains of Japan, become completely lost in the commercialization of the sport? In the 2009 season of Formula D, we will see a whole new level of drift machine come in to play. Samuel Hubinette's MOPAR Challenger and Rhys Millen's Hyundai Genesis coupe are amazing machines, but these are works cars… Although the drama is still there, are these cars missing the style, flare and overall character that made so many of us fall in love with drifting in the first place?

This is Matt Powers and this is his Nissan 240sx. And his car is pouring with character from every corner. He's from sunny San Diego, California. He's about to graduate from UCSD with a degree in philosophy, loves to surf, and most importantly, he loves to drift –and look bad ass in the process. He recently got his Formula D license at the Pro-Am event last year in Long Beach.

To me, this car is really what drifting is all about; looking bad ass and not giving a damn about much else. There is so much style, flare and so much of Matt Powers' soul that has been woven into this car.

In many peoples' eyes, this car is a piece of junk rice-mobile. But, it is a reminder to the character and spirit that factory built drift cars lack. Seeing this S14 roll around the streets of Pacific Beach, California, was a sight to behold. The gargling turbo-charged KA24DE broke pedestrians necks over and over again. It was a complete show stopper.

I watched an older gentleman completely stop from his morning jog and just stare. First following this off the wall car with his eyes, then his head. As he ran out of head turning capabilities, he turned is whole body, giving a look of awe (or confusion) that no Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley or Aston Martin could garner.

A car's character is something that cannot be bought from an online catalog. It is not something that can be imitated. It is something that is built over time through the relationship between owner and car. You can easily order multi-colored bubble shift knobs from Japan, quirky stickers to put on your hydraulic e-brake, 5Zigen FN01R-C 17x10s in the front, Work VS-XX in 17×11 for the rears, but the execution of the whole package also relies on the driver succeeding in expressing his or her own charisma.

There is something attractive with how this car sits so low on the ground, the green racers tape, and old scars from epic battles which are now inscribed into Matt's own history book.

I heard over the grapevine about a past Willow Springs event Matt attended. At the end of one particular battle, his bumper came off, and he had no way of fitting it into the car to drive home. So he snapped the bumper in two and calmy said:

"I'll just re-glass it when I get home."

That is one example of complete devotion to the original spirit of drifting –totally not giving a damn about anything (other than going sideways, of course).

Character. Absolute character.

Every person has different taste in cars, and taste is subjective. Some people may think this car is, like I said earlier, a piece of junk. But as gear heads, we can all recognize the passion that this car radiates, and give it the recognition it deserves. The flame and spirit of street drifting style from Japan is being kept alive by this very 240sx.

Matt will be competing in his first Formula D event at the Streets of Long Beach this weekend. Come and support the only car on the grid without sponsor's stickers!

-Linhbergh Nguyen

P.S. Matt Powers would like to give a shout out to, Tom, Tommy Roberts, and his number one fan, Nate Deck. He'd also like to thank Martin Muench from Part Shop Max, makers of the coil-over, which Matt's car has installed, "designed for maximum lowness"!

Special April Drift Features on Speedhunters

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152 comments

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1

To me, you nailed it. That car is to me what drifting is all about. Best S14 ever

2

Best post yet

3

sick sick sick.. very beautiful may i ask what rims is he using for the rear? whats the dimensions, very hot.his rear is widebody right?

4

KA24DE popularity is on the rise.

5

Damn, raw as hell. Now that's passion.

6

Haha, Nate Deck is the man. Oh, I guess matt powers is kinda cool too :P

7

Some of the best photos ever posted on here for a car feature!!!

8

Awesome write up, pics, and car! Nice work!

9

Great Car, Great Pics, Great Post. Good luck this weekend

10

Love it. Summed it up well that this is true street drifting. Booh to the works cars that dont have style. Come Rhys, drop it like its hot and pop out those wheels. ;) ha ha More features like this! These are true speedhunters.

11

mate! awesome work, you've taken it to a new level. Congrats.

12

America... take note: THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT.

Pure heart.



I love it!



KILL EVERYTHING in Long Beach!

13

yeah! matt rules!!!!

best of luck in LBC matty!

:)

14

This is what street drift style is all about
no sponsors, no bullsh*t

does anyone else here believe a car can have soul, character & spirit??
if u've just read this & said no then this kind of thing is lost on you

15

badass! i'm looking for my option videos right now!

16

Keep'n it real. This is how it's done.

17

Haha, once again Linh comes out with the goods. Awesome feature on Matt Powers and wish him luck in FD. The car is truly a hardcore warrior.

18

The style of drift cars is what got me hooked on drifting. This car is why I love it.

19

I've become a fan of matt over tha past 2 years.... idk what it was but this car caught my eye and kept it.





It'll be nice seeing a car with actual Style in FD...... hopefully some of the sponsor'd guys will grow some balls and gain some style

20

"America... take note: THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT."



Oh Mr. Sapp. There are so many ways to do it. BMW's for example. :)

21

best. post. ever.

22

we NEEED desktop on this
i agree with Jason K Lee

23

i got parts shop max coilovers and they kick asssssss there a good down under ground cali/japan company and need to be reped more plus they go low. juct my 2 cents

24

Lord.... I am stunned by the photos, floored by the article.

25

Awesome pictures Linhbergh! This is what I miss seeing. Real street cars with purpose and soul. TA/Drift/Drag show cars are cool but nothing beats a beat down street car that proudly shows its scars.

26

killer article , killer pics

This car is Legend.

27

desktop pics please!!!!

28

AWESOME entry. True SPEEDHUNTER, both S14 and pilot. WALLPAPER, NOW.



~Yawnny Cash

30

awesome article! love the jade green

31

I always liked this car.

Very cool man, I love the lowness!



Nice pictures as well.

32

too fast for love



33

i totally get ur feeling for this ride, i totally agree with u, its just something that cannot be understand by everyone- id chose this s14 over any ferrari or aston martin or any other expensive shitty ass vehicle, not many people know why, the ones that do, i bet are just those who have the most fun with cars & really love em'



34

desktop please! thank you. i've loved this car for awhile now. favorite S14, period.

35

One of the best posts on Speedhunters...evar! Photos are stunning and great writing too!!

Kick some ass this weekend Matt!!!

Oh yeah, and we def need a wallpaper or two...

36

thats rite in LBC!

37

[Lone Race ]"ferrari or aston martin or any other expensive shitty ass vehicle..."

I agreed that this S14 is an astonishing car, but you can deny the passion and the soul of a Ferrari; the sound and the handling.

38

this and gabe's 14 are tied for best looking S14 in the world

39

he drops philosophy like socrates.



Matt's the man!



Go Cakes!

40

Haha, those pictures are amazing.

Passion for fashion.

41

"The flame and spirit of street drifting style from Japan is being kept alive by this very 240sx."

??·SPEED???·ANGLE????·HEART??? thats what its all about. I loved the article & comments, however someone forgot to mention how much matt loves his kitty and his pajamas. Seeing mattycakes in a vest and tie is absolutely priceless.

42

Desktop of 2nd to bottom picture please, its perfect.

43

Tell me the pictures were taken in sunset cliffs?

awesome story! awesome pictures!



44

I once saw matt make out with a girl it was hot

45

wallpaper please. preferablly the front shot.



this car is so awesome, and shows what a drift car should look like.

46

I am also appreciating Matt's personal style too! Black ties FTW!

47

amazing. couldnt have been a better write up on this car

48

Amazing car bro... Just speechless actually...

49

Sick Photography as always! That has to be the coolest 240 ever. Seriously. Green for the money baby!

50

Love the expansive clouds which seems to glorify and compliment the car. Drifting at 100mph huh...i do that on my PS3, makes me a want to do that for real.

51

Cool ride!

Cool write-up!

Awsome shots! Go Linhbergh!

52

Awesome article linh, you nailed it on the head. Its hard to express feelings and emotions in words and you did it very well. Matt's car is also awesome

53

One of the best S14s I have ever seen!



And I wish there was wallpapers of al the pictures of the article; that's really good photography.

54

KILLING IT!!!

55

your cars on our cork board. neat!

best car in the world. serious

56

you idiots! the roll center is RUINED.





car looks fucking spectacular. west slide connection has THE hottest cars

57

Super awesome guy and sweet ass car.

I just don't like it when he drives next to me.



Best article ever.

58

beautiful car in its purpose and style; love the dents, scratches, tape, the lot.

WHAT A CAR!!

59

this car is so beond awsome. there is not one car in D1 or FD that has this much style. period

60

Car: Dope

Photos: Dope

Writing: Dope

61

That car=EPIC.



It's too raw for words, and just pours passion.



Amazing.



62

By the way, what sunglasses are those?

63

great photos. great car.



nuff said

64

Couldn't have asked for a better backdrop. Solid photos, solid car.

65

cool radiator

66

the colors on that S14 are insaine.

And it's so damn low! Sweet!

67

those photos are absolutely stunning!



i wanna see more of that photographers work.

68

Dude, that was sex novel writing! Made me feel and shit, got all emotional and into it.



But as was said before. You nailed it. Cars like that were the reason I got into drifting.



Cars like Gushi's and Faust's (sp?) Tc's move me the wrong way because they are so far away from what I think should be there. But, that's what happens with money I guess.



I know who I'll be rooting for this season. (maybe JR too :-P )

69

I absolutely love this 240. It's gorgeous and so badass

70

pretty phresh write up



good luck at fd

71

colourful write up

flamesuit on....

to me it was a little bit overkill

72

I know a few people that spend a ton of money to create a catalog JDM car that lacks style and passion. Cars like this let you know the owner actually loves cars as opposed to those that just want to show off how much money they’ve spent. Love this S14.

73

shit is amazing, no question

74

I demand a desktop of the first pic :D

75

Matt's car is amazing, after seeing it and hearing it run a couple times, it's definitely the best S14 I've ever seen, if not one of the nicest cars I've seen. It just oozes style. Much props to Matt and I'm wishing you luck at Formula D, hope too see you throw some shit down against those sponsor-backed cars.





-Zach

76

I love the photos, it really brings out the characters that you speak of

I never knew a zenki s14 can look so great! (i always liked the kouki more but this proves me wrong)

77

WOW! truely and awesome article and one bad ass guy.



matt you bring drifting to a level of awesome! congrats dude and keep up the work!

78

One of the ebst articles on SH - Write up was spt on, photos are AWESOME. I love this car, all the best for FD Matt!

79

this car is awesome! fully love the style of it, built not bought, thrashed not parked... and function over form! brilliant!!!!!

80

amazing photography, and great article describes it exactly. i appreciate speedhunters for being able to cover stories such as this. we need more articles like this. thank you again speedhunters.

81

i just came, literally, photos beautiful, words beautiful, car is sex

82

Is this a Uras body kit on his S14?



And I see now that the KA24 is getting up there in the drifting community, making me deicde whether I was an SR20 or a KA24, lol.

83

Don't forget Thor, Rancho San Diego, Me, you, Max, Scooter, and a tree:



"FUCK IT DUDE, JUST GOOO!!"

84

The cloud/blur chopping is really, really tacky.



Awesome car.

85

Thankyou for taking a stab at a car that would usally go overlooked these days. Matt way to keep true to what got you into drifting in the first place.

86

it nice for next month calender.

87

Way to keep it raw Mattycakes! Nice pics and a decent write up to boot. I hope people are taking notes...

88

San Diego represent!



I love it when I see a local get into the spotlight.



Mattycakes and the westslide crew ftw.

89

this car is the illest, is that ocean side?!

90

body kit is dmax rear, origin stylish front and parts shop deuce sideskirts





location is La Jolla

91

just dirty........

92

Needs an LS1

93

second to last picture as desktop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

94

As an s14 owner i can safely say..... THAT IS PORN!!!

95

You know I love you and your car Matt

96

coolest car ever IMO..

97

Because of the overwhelming response to Matt Powers' 240sx article and countless requests for wallpaper

98

Absolutely beautiful zenki S14!

99

s14 is sicc as hell character means everything

100

thats a dope ass s14!!! anyone have spec's on the ka-t?

101

lol@ parts shop max coilovers I just sold mine. They are cheap Chinese coilovers, bouncy and no handling. Don't waste your money, get some real coilovers.

102

I love you lihn



I love you matt

103

What's w/ the small brakes? 300zx at least?



I miss my s14 for this reason.

oh well, fatass SC's do just as good ;)

104

When I think back to 2009 there were a few new cars that really stood out from the pack like Yuta's

105

When I think back to 2009 there were a few new cars that really stood out from the pack like Yuta's

106

When I think back to 2009 there were a few new cars that really stood out from the pack like Yuta's

107

I dreamed about this year's Formula D Long Beach since the close of the 2010 season in October of

108

So old school. So dope.

109

One word: Inspiring.
But what kit is that?

110

Sadly most of the cars on the FD grid have completely lost their character... I intentionally searched the archive for this specific feature just to make my day better :)

111

Sadly most of the cars on the FD grid have completely lost their character... I intentionally searched the archive for this specific feature just to make my day better :)

112

to answer my own question: BN Sports kit with BN sports Fenders

113

I miss ka-t.org <3 Rick where are you!?

114

This is still true :(

115

still the coolest

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