Nissan 1400 Is a Truck-Cycle Hybrid, Goes Up to 12K Rpm

I remember the first time I saw a motorcycle-powered car. It was a normal smart that was powered by a 1,300cc Suzuki Hayabusa engine. Talk about an insane package! Of course, the car was RWD, and sliding it around seemed to be quite effortless. And then there was Ariel, a company that built the Atom V8. And that particular engine was developed by grafting two Suzuki motorcycle engines together.

Of course, a lot of people have resorted to using motorcycle engines for their cars. Some 12 years ago, I even witnessed a Daewoo Tico taking on a BMW M5 E60 and giving it a run for its money. Of course, the South Korean car was powered by a high-revving bike engine. But more often than not, people who build these cars tend to do a sloppy job at it. After all, we should remember that performing an engine swap should only be the first step.

You have to consider suspensions, chassis, and brake upgrades afterward. You can't just use a powerful engine on a car that wasn't factory built to take on a challenge of that nature. We've seen a lot of interesting projects coming out of South Africa in recent years, and this old Nissan 1400 is certainly one of them. The people behind this project go by the name of "Mad Dog Racing," and that alone should tell you all you need to know about this vehicle.

The moment you get a glimpse of the engine bay and see the 1000RR inscription is when you start understanding what this build is about. Everything seems to have been well developed. While some pickup fans may be disappointed about not having an actual cargo bed in the back, petrol heads are bound to be excited about the suspension design. And seeing the rear of the truck is also a sign that weight has been kept to a minimum.

How much you ask? How about 1,455 lbs (660 kg)? That's only 110 lbs (50 kg) heavier than an Ariel Atom V8. But at the same time, it's 485 lbs (220 kg) lighter than a Smart Fortwo. With about 200 horsepower at your disposal, it's not hard to imagine that this can be a very exciting little car. Going up to 12,000 rpm is fun on any day if you can handle the noise and the cramped cabin space. But hey, at least you get a sequential gearbox to get even closer to the kind of rush you'd feel while riding a bike.

Building this vehicle took about 700 hours, but somehow I get the feeling that this would be a very popular car among bikers and car enthusiasts alike. The Porsche wheels fit great into the whole painting, and they amplify the sporty character of a car that never really provided much excitement.