Nissan’s back at it with another wild custom build, crafted just for this year’s SEMA in Las Vegas. This time, they’ve whipped up a tricked-out Frontier pickup with one thing in mind: drift. Picture this – a pickup reimagined for the track, featuring a unique suspension, a supercharged engine, and retro Recaro seats that ooze style.
They’ve dubbed it the “Frontier Tarmac.” Now, this beauty wasn’t born in a day. Nope, Nissan teamed up with Forsberg Racing, led by the drifting icon Chris Forsberg, and gave this project life. The concept? It kicked off back in 2021 under the Nissan Motorsports umbrella, and after six solid months of work, a standard Frontier PRO-X turned into a beast.
The engine’s mostly the same under the hood – a 3.8-liter V-6. But Nissan went ahead and dropped in a water-cooled supercharger, then upped the ante with a prototype Nismo carbon fiber cold air intake and a cat-back exhaust. Together, they’ve wrung out an extra 130 horsepower and 119 pound-feet of torque. Now, this truck’s pushing a solid 440 horsepower and 400 pound-feet. Serious power for a pickup, right?
Strangely, Nissan hasn’t spilled much about the transmission. From what you can see, though, looks like the stock nine-speed automatic shifter stayed put. It’s rear-wheel drive only, so all that power’s going straight to the back. And stopping? Custom Nismo calipers are in play, with double calipers on the rear – one set for braking, and another hooked up to a massive hydraulic handbrake, all geared up for drifting.
Chris Forsberg himself had some thoughts, saying, “Performance trucks were cool back in the day. Nowadays? Not so much. Lowered trucks? Barely see ’em.” His last lowered truck project was over two decades ago, in 2003. So this? A bit of nostalgia and a lot of fun.
The inside’s got a touch of class, too – carbon fiber steering wheel trim, and those retro Recaro seats that’re bound to get a second look. They even reworked the suspension, with adjustable coilovers in the front and a flipped setup in the rear for a lower stance, plus a c-notch frame for that extra drop. Forsberg calls it “slammed.”
Catch this Frontier Tarmac at Nissan’s booth. It’ll be hanging out with a whole line-up of custom rides Nissan’s bringing to the show.
Source and Images: Motor1