Tapped as the savior of the brand, the seventh-generation Silvia made its debut in January 1999 amidst the S14's struggle in the marketplace. Returning to basics, the S15 came with a more compact body, one more akin to the popular S13. This was Nissan's way of saying that the new Silvia wasn't intended to be luxurious, but very sports minded.

Under the hood was the same SR20 2.0-liter DOHC inline-4 that powered both the S13 and S14, only it was more refined than ever. The naturally-aspirated variants produced 163 HP and 141.7 ft-lb of torque while the turbocharged version pumped out 247 HP and 202.5 ft-lb of torque. The S15 was offered in two main trim levels; the naturally-aspirated Spec S and the turbocharged Spec R that boasted a power-to-weight ratio of 0.20 HP/kg.

Retaining key components of the S13 and S14 chassis, Nissan drastically increased body rigidity, which improved handling. The S15's also received a helical LSD.

To broaden the car's appeal even more, a convertible version of the Spec S, called the Varietta, was introduced in 2000. But this year also marked the beginning of the end for the Silvia because it wasn't able to meet Japan's exhaust emission standards for 2000. Production of the S15 stopped in August 2002, marking the end of the 38-year Silvia dynasty that started in 1965.

The S15 Silvia has got to be one of the best-known Japanese rear-wheel drive sports cars. This model is the Spec-R Aero, which features an SR20 straight-four turbo engine. It's very reasonably sized, and weighs in at a lightweight 1,200 kg. Anyone who loves to drift will be taken with its massive turbo power!

The Nissan Silvia is known for its front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, and its powerful turbocharger. The S15 spec-R Silvia is more compact than the S14, and boasts a strengthened chassis. Like other Nissan sports cars, it is fitted with an SR20 four-cylinder turbo engine capable of 246.5 BHP. This Silvia really is the quintessential FR sports car of its class.