Ever since Dodge started that whole design challenge thing, we've come to realize there's a lot of untapped potential in the pickup market. And Nissan, in particular, is missing the opportunity to combine the heritage of the GT-R with a truck.
I mean, there's clearly a lot of truck love going on at Nissan HQ. Apparently, the Titan is one of the most American vehicles ever because most of the parts are sourced locally. Also, the engines are good and the Titan Warrior concept was a beast.
Nissan barely makes any cool cars right now, but people still can't ignore the GT-R R35. The old supercar killer has been on the market for over a decade, and for many years was almost unrivaled. Its powertrain technology struck many rival automakers as witchcraft.
Twin-turbo V6 engines are also Ford's thing now. And despite strong criticism for dropping the V8, the F-150 Raptor remains the go-to sports truck. But what would have happened if Nissan had played in the same sandbox?
Last year, we explored that sci-fi genre with an R35-based Nissan truck rendering. But before the GT-R did its own thing, we had the R34 Skyline that was just as much a hero of the Japanese performance scene, revered for its capabilities.
Artist dm_jon made just such a machine happen, combining the proportions of the R34 Skyline with a low, sporty truck. It doesn't look that practical, more of an Australian ute than a full-blown construction worker. But the combination between old GT-R lines and custom unpainted truck parts certainly sells the "Raptor Rival" idea.
The only thing that would make this better are pop-up headlights and window louvers. You don't see many of those on sports trucks, and it would really sell the vintage Nissan nostalgia. As an added bonus, we've included a Toyota 86 pickup of sorts, which by the way exists to some extent.
Nissan barely makes any cool cars right now, but people still can't ignore the GT-R R35. The old supercar killer has been on the market for over a decade, and for many years was almost unrivaled. Its powertrain technology struck many rival automakers as witchcraft.
Twin-turbo V6 engines are also Ford's thing now. And despite strong criticism for dropping the V8, the F-150 Raptor remains the go-to sports truck. But what would have happened if Nissan had played in the same sandbox?
Last year, we explored that sci-fi genre with an R35-based Nissan truck rendering. But before the GT-R did its own thing, we had the R34 Skyline that was just as much a hero of the Japanese performance scene, revered for its capabilities.
Artist dm_jon made just such a machine happen, combining the proportions of the R34 Skyline with a low, sporty truck. It doesn't look that practical, more of an Australian ute than a full-blown construction worker. But the combination between old GT-R lines and custom unpainted truck parts certainly sells the "Raptor Rival" idea.
The only thing that would make this better are pop-up headlights and window louvers. You don't see many of those on sports trucks, and it would really sell the vintage Nissan nostalgia. As an added bonus, we've included a Toyota 86 pickup of sorts, which by the way exists to some extent.