Don't call this SR20DET-swapped Nissan Pao cute, it'll mess you up

Japanese hilarity ensues…

You know the Nissan Pao? Back in the '80s Nissan ran a little brand experiment – the ‘Pike’ series. These were all retro-european styled cars based on the K10 Nissan Micra. Its sister cars included such inspirational products as the Figaro, S-Cargo and the Be-1.

Here's what it's meant to look like...

Normally, this little front-drive beater gets by with a just-above-kei-class 1.0-litre four-cylinder producing all of 38kW. Its selling point is the styling that mirrors european ledgends, specifically the Mini Cooper.

But one day, someone thought: “Wouldn’t the Pao be great with Silvia running gear?” – as you do… and this brilliant little SR20DET drift car was born.

Woah... never has an SR20DET looked so big...

Honestly, if you were to ask how much of the Pao was really left underneath, the answer would be… not much… but that doesn’t make this car any less amazing.

Custom fabricated tunnel and mostly S13 gear inside.

The Pao had to be significantly re-engineered from the chassis up. To make it RWD, the car now has a floorpan from an S13, to accomodate the SR20, gearbox and the driveshaft a custom tunnel had to be built. They say in the video “This is the S13 Silvia is 90 per cent” – which we assume is google translate for – “This car is 90 per cent Silvia.” – it even shares the S13’s suspension, pedals seat and switchgear.

That's pretty cool...

Just from the very '90s looking video, it certainly sounds the part. The owner says he built it because he “wanted to drift a pretty car”. Courtesy of the shorter wheelbase though, drifting looks damn hard. The presenter struggles to get it sideways without spinning.

It looks like so much fun, we reckon they totally should have done a Pao Spec-R like this from the factory.

What do you think of the SR20DET Pao drift car? let us know in the comments.