By Samson Ateka
Safari Rally winner Baldev Chager evoked nostalgic memories at this year’s Africa Concours d’Elegance after entering a meticulously restored 1986 Nissan Silvia 200SX – an ex-works factory car once driven by rally legend Jayant Shah.
The rare car competed in Class 13 for open sports cars made after 1970, and was one of the star attractions at the Ngong Racecourse event.
Chager, who has owned the car for 18 years, says the project has been an 11-year labour of love.
“This is actually a beautiful restoration project. I have had this car for 18 years and began the restoration 11 years ago. It’s an ex-works Nissan factory car driven by Jayant Shah in a number of Safari Rallies, a number of national events in Kenya and Tanzania,” Chager said.
He explained that the restoration was intentionally focused on preserving its historic identity.
“But when we started to restore it, we wanted to give it a perfect nostalgic look and I think we’ve managed to do that with the 1990 colour that Jayant ran in.”
The entry is particularly symbolic at Ngong Racecourse, which hosted the WRC Safari Rally spectator stage in 1990 – the same ground where the Silvia competed.
“This car ran in the very grounds we are standing today on Ngong Racecourse, which hosted the WRC Safari Rally spectator stage in 1990, stepping on the same ground in 2026. So it’s a very historic moment for the car, historic for me,” he said.
“It has been a labour of passion, a lot of hardwork, research to get it to this standard. I’m very proud. It’s one of the rarest Nissan works Safari cars that you’ll find in the world.”
The 1986 Silvia 200SX is one of the few surviving Nissan works rally cars built for African endurance events, making Chager’s example one of the rarest Safari rally cars in existence.