LEE Axton is the proud owner of a Japanese manufactured Nissan 180 SX, only the second of its kind in South Australia he says.
The 1997 vehicle has an SR20DE engine and the model is unique due to it being a 180SX type S version.
“This type of vehicle is a rarity in Australia,” Mr Axton said.
He is the third owner of the car in Australia after it was important in 2002.
He bought it from a Millicent resident.
“I found the vehicle online, and at the time I wasn’t really searching for it, it just popped up and I knew I had to have it,” Mr Axton said.
He bought the vehicle only three months before he was due to travel to Canada for a working holiday in his gap year.
“I missed it while I was over there as I had to store it in my brother’s garage while I was away.”
Having owned the car for two years, Mr Axton used it to travel from Mount Gambier to his university in Adelaide.
“I use it as my everyday car, however, one day I would like to have it just to drive on weekends and keep it in pristine condition,” he said.
“It gets fairly dirty driving to Adelaide all the time.”
The interior of the car is in original condition, with Mr Axton only doing minor repairs and fitting new rims.
“Hopefully with the help of some friends I will be able to add a turbo charged engine in future,” he said.
If parts of the car need to be sourced they can be ordered from Japan, or on online car sites.
A group of city locals share Mr Axton’s passion for Japanese vehicles and meet in a socially to talk about their hobby.
“Around 20 of us meet on occasions and enjoy taking our vehicles on trips to Port MacDonnell or Beachport,” Mr Axton said.
