240SX PRERUNNER

The Nissan That Defied Its Destiny

- Words and Photos by CHAD DOUGLAS

When you were a teenager in high school, you may have gotten caught up in watching drifting videos on the Internet. One Japanese dream car in particular, the Nissan 240SX, seemed to be everywhere. They are typically low to the ground, can't go over speed bumps, and are meant to get sideways on a back road in the hills. Big wheels and thin tires defined the 240SX, which Jake O'Donnel knows about all too well. Jake has a blue 1995 Nissan 240SX that defies what every person has ever thought about the Japanese-manufactured creation. His vision was to turn his car into an American prerunner fan's wet dream.

Over the five years of this project being built, Jake's 240SX has gone through a few versions and has been featured by a few influential social media accounts, including posts from Terra Crew and The Hoonigans. This rig was created to handle the big whoops at speed and is definitely not low to the ground. Although it can get sideways, it does so on top of totally different conditions other than nicely paved roads.

During the morning time, Jake is an HVAC contractor living his life in Lancaster, California-the high desert and holy grail of off-roading in Southern California.