The Pulsar Group of Australia
From Mod Mania
With the online age upon us, such forms as car clubs have a new platform for interaction. I myself am a member of PGA, the Pulsar Group of Australia, a car club/forum with members whom are mostly based in Australia. PGA like the name, is a car club for Nissan pulsar owners, from the early n12 model, to the more popular n14 and n15 SSS models of the nineties. The PGA forum works as a medium for members to discuss topics related to car modification, more specifically relating to Nissan pulsars modifications. The PGA website/forum is full of experience and useful information when it comes to pulsars. On the website you will find that just about any topic you might be interested in has previously been covered. As an owner of a 1992 N14 pulsar SSS, I found the site to be an excellent tool and reference, as well as being almost a soul motivator for inspiring me to modify my car to the way it is today.
The Nissan pulsar itself is a small compact car, which originally began production in Japan in 1978. These first pulsars were exported to Australia and were badged as a Datsun 100A/120A/130A/140A/150A. This was to be the N10 model that was produced up until 1982 then replaced by the N12 series pulsar in 1983 to 1986. In 1986 the N13 pulsar range brought with it the introduction of the Vector SSS, a top end sports model in the pulsar/vector range featuring a 1.8 (CA18DE) engine with 93kw of power and 156Nm of torque. The N13 range was super seeded by the N14 pulsar in December of 1991 and was an instant hit, winning the Wheels Car of the Year for 1991 along side the Honda NSX. The new range also featured the first Pulsar SSS, a sports model, which became the hero car of the pulsar range. It featured a powerful 2.0 litre (SR20) 105Kw engine with 179Nm of torque. The N14 pulsar SSS is still today one of the most popular and sort after pulsars past and present.
“The 1991-95 Nissan N14 Pulsar SSS 2.0-litre was so advanced that it dominated its racing category at the time and could still show a clean pair of heels to most of today's hot hatches.”
Joe Kenwright (www.carpoint.com.au)
The N15 pulsar came out in 1996 to replace the highly popular N14 though sales were never as strong as its competitors. The N15 range also saw the last pulsar SSS, a car that retained many of the features that made the N14 SSS such a great all round package. The last pulsar model ever made was the N16 series from 2000 to 2006. The Pulsar was then replaced by Nissan’s new small car the Tiida.
The PGA website/forum has been around since January 2002, where in its humble begins only consisted of about 13 members. The site was formed from just a few mates sitting around talking about their much loved Nissan pulsars, who then decided to start an online forum. Most of these original first members are now the moderators on the site. PGA today has over 11,000 members from all over Australia and even different parts of the world.
I purchased my 1992 N14 pulsar SSS in 2005, and almost immediately had many plans for it. I was ambitious from the very beginning and even though I didn’t have a lot of money I was still determined to make my SSS “my own.” At the time I never knew a pulsar club existed and I didn’t realise that there were so many other modified pulsars out there until I found The Pulsar Group of Australia. I only found the group through searching “Google” for “pulsar SSS,” and it would keep directing me to PGA. I had never used forums before and thought that PGA wasn’t much of a site. Once I had familiarised myself with the forum I learnt how to navigate the site and I was hooked. I had no idea about the amount of information that was available, and that a car culture such as this existed.
PGA is great for discussing topics when it comes to cars, with numerous amounts of threads and topics constantly being posted. The site consists of numerous different sections to separate most of the general areas of discussion, such as:
General Topics - includes members introductions, as well as anything off topic
Specific Topics - these are separated into discussions about motor sport, general pulsar discussion, pulsars with SR20DE engines, turbo charged pulsars, all other pulsar discussion, and in car entertainment.
Regional Topics - topics relevant to each state or region such as meets or cruises
Trading Post - area where members can buy and sell items as well as post a “Want To Buy”
I found PGA most helpful whenever I needed to research a mod or a problem with my car because it is a network of people who all have previous knowledge and experience when it comes to the pulsar. I found that I had learnt so much more about my car from just reading posts on the forum, in a short amount of time. It is great for sharing information and opinions with other members, some of who have dedicated most of the past 6 or 7 years to their cars.
In addition to the online forum, PGA has a Technical section with step by step tutorials on modifications that can be performed to the N14 SSS, most of which are D-I-Y. Members themselves have the ability to write up technical articles on a modification that they have performed. Visual descriptions including images and detailed instructions are generally a must. These articles are initially posted in a certain topic area before being moved into the tech section. These write ups are then known as a “sticky,” which is a thread kept on the site data base, determined by the moderators. These detailed tech articles gave me the confidence to get hands on experience in modifying my own car.
The Pulsar Group has no direct form of income or profit, and also has a policy of no commercial advertising. The group relies on member donations and sales of PGA stickers (to display on your car) as their only form of funding. Donating members get certain privileges on the website such as access to the technical articles, the thread hall of fame, and the ability to sell items in the trading post section.
When it comes to pulsars there are still many sort after and rare parts which members chase and are willing to pay top dollar for. The trading post section on PGA is separated into two sections, for sale and want to buy. This gives the intimate pulsar community the chance to find rare and hard to find parts within the group.
Every so often PGA have car meets, cruises, and even dyno days which are all organised by a member or members in each region. I have gone along to a few PGA outings and have enjoyed the day thoroughly. It is a great way to meet some of the members, and admire the work of each other’s cars. PGA holds annual cruises such as the Great Ocean Road, which is held in January and is one of the biggest for the year. A dyno day is also held usually around June, where members’ cars can be measured for maximum power output. Random smaller meets are usually held in between big events, most of the time on Saturday nights.
I can honestly say that my main motivation and inspiration in modifying my car came from PGA. I couldn’t help but be influenced by my fellow members who go to enormous length in modifying their cars. It’s a constant taunt to try and keep up with one another to be respected as one of the top cars on PGA. I put it down simply as another case of “monkey see, monkey do.” An unwritten competition to be the best, the quickest, and most unique is a constant reminder of the passion and determination on the mind of the enthusiast.
Any of the member’s cars can be viewed in the members ride section on PGA, for those who choose to upload image. A way of showing off their pride and joy online, whilst at the same time looking for feedback and notoriety amongst fellow members. Some of Australia’s top, most modified pulsars/show cars can be found as members on the site.
An outsider could simply not understand PGA or why, or for what reasons we modify our cars, that is why we have car clubs and groups of different nature. We are all different, like our cars, though we are all one when we converse. We are a close community who all share the same love and passion for the car we cherish the most. Throughout any modification performed to my car I referred to PGA before had and always used it as a research tool. Most of what I know now about my car I have learnt and gained from PGA.
