Photo: Nissan
In the mid-sized pickup truck segment, the oldest car available today in America is the Frontier. Nissan hasn’t redesigned the U.S. brother of the Navara since 2004 for the 2005 model year, hence the outdated styling and rather affordable starting price of $19,290 excluding freight.
The Frontier also shows its age under the skin, especially when it comes to the transmission choices. The entry-level King Cab S with rear-wheel drive and the four-cylinder engine comes with a five-speed stick shift, and at the other end of the spectrum, the Crew Cab PRO-4X with the V6 and 4x4 can’t do better than a five-speed automatic transmission.
While the engineers are putting the finishing touches for the Frontier’s 2021 redesign from the ground up, Nissan couldn’t afford not to boast the off-road capabilities of the mid-sizer at the SEMA Show. Enter the Desert Runner concept, a one-of-a-kind build with 37-inch Baja T/A tires from BFGoodrich and Fifteen52 TurboMac HD beadlock wheels.
The conversion from bone-stock Frontier to Desert Runner started with an engine swap. Instead of the 4.0-liter naturally aspirated V6, Nissan chose to level up to the 5.6-liter Endurance V8 from the Titan. That’s plenty enough for a truck this size, but the race-spec rebuild also includes a Garrett GTX3584RS turbocharger, an intercooler, go-faster camshafts, pistons, valves, custom header for the turbo, and free-breathing exhaust system.
Instead of a torque-converter automatic such as the seven-speeder in the Titan, the Desert Runner is mated to a six-speed manual with a lightweight flywheel and clutch kit from Jim Wolf Technology. The suspension hasn’t been forgotten either, now featuring a long-travel kit, triple bypass shock absorbers, coil-overs, and Giant Motorsports Link Killer leaf springs.
Even the bodywork stands out like no other Frontier before it, made to look more aggressive by MA Motorsports with Fiberwork Pre Runner fenders, new bumpers, a spare tire carrier, and off-road lighting package from Rigid Industries. The finishing touch comes in the form of a body wrap from Speed Designs.
“What about the interior?” There’s nothing much to talk about the cabin given how little there is in there, a no-frills racing conversion with a harness bar, Sparco harnesses, racing seats, and quick-release steering wheel.
While the engineers are putting the finishing touches for the Frontier’s 2021 redesign from the ground up, Nissan couldn’t afford not to boast the off-road capabilities of the mid-sizer at the SEMA Show. Enter the Desert Runner concept, a one-of-a-kind build with 37-inch Baja T/A tires from BFGoodrich and Fifteen52 TurboMac HD beadlock wheels.
The conversion from bone-stock Frontier to Desert Runner started with an engine swap. Instead of the 4.0-liter naturally aspirated V6, Nissan chose to level up to the 5.6-liter Endurance V8 from the Titan. That’s plenty enough for a truck this size, but the race-spec rebuild also includes a Garrett GTX3584RS turbocharger, an intercooler, go-faster camshafts, pistons, valves, custom header for the turbo, and free-breathing exhaust system.
Instead of a torque-converter automatic such as the seven-speeder in the Titan, the Desert Runner is mated to a six-speed manual with a lightweight flywheel and clutch kit from Jim Wolf Technology. The suspension hasn’t been forgotten either, now featuring a long-travel kit, triple bypass shock absorbers, coil-overs, and Giant Motorsports Link Killer leaf springs.
Even the bodywork stands out like no other Frontier before it, made to look more aggressive by MA Motorsports with Fiberwork Pre Runner fenders, new bumpers, a spare tire carrier, and off-road lighting package from Rigid Industries. The finishing touch comes in the form of a body wrap from Speed Designs.
“What about the interior?” There’s nothing much to talk about the cabin given how little there is in there, a no-frills racing conversion with a harness bar, Sparco harnesses, racing seats, and quick-release steering wheel.
Google News