The 2019 Frontier Desert Runner Was Nissan’s Most Outrageous Pickup Truck Concept

When it comes to well-built mid-size pickup trucks, the D40 Frontier (or Navara in other parts of the world) is among the best choices out there. Introduced at the North American International Auto Show back in 2004, the D40 Frontier became one of Nissan’s most successful global models.

It enjoyed its longest production run in the U.S. where it has been built for seventeen years. The model was finally discontinued this year, with a redesigned version built exclusively for the North American market taking its place.

Back in 2019, the D40 was celebrating a decade since it received a facelift. Without any major upgrades, it was one of the most outdated trucks on the market, and people who wanted a Frontier frequently went for a used model rather than buying a new one.

To gain some much-needed publicity and remind everyone of the truck’s off-road potential, the Japanese manufacturer decided to build an outrageous concept for that year’s SEMA show.

The aim was to promote the Desert Runner package which, in all honesty, was nothing really special. It added a raised suspension with Bilstein shock absorbers, skid plates, and all-terrain tires to the otherwise-plebian rear-wheel-drive model.

The project was handed down to Maryland-based MA Motorsports, a team of automotive tuners that made a name for themselves for their amazing custom builds. With help from Nissan’s motorsport division, they took a stock 4WD Frontier, stripped it to its bare chassis, and began converting it into a Baja racer worthy of the Desert Runner nameplate.

The first order of business was reinforcing the chassis. It received custom engine and bed cages fabricated in-house by MA, along with King Racing triple-bypass shock absorbers, BTF long-travel front kit, race-spec front coilovers, and Giant Motorsports Link Killer leaf springs on the rear.

Next up was the engine witch in stock form was the antiquated 4.0-liter V6 that made just 261 hp. The folks at MA thought about extensively modifying it to gain more ponies but in the end, Nissan provided them with a brand-new 5.6-liter V8 taken from the larger Titan.

With 390 hp on tap, this powerplant was far better but still not outrageous enough for the project, so the tuning wizards took it apart and worked their magic on it. The naturally aspirated engine received a Garrett GTX3584RS turbocharger as well as a custom intercooler, turbo header, and exhaust system. Furthermore, to cope with the extra power, the stock cams, valves, and pistons were swapped with Jim Wolf Technology variants.

After putting the unit back together, fitting it on the chassis, and linking it to a six-speed manual gearbox through a Jim Wolf Technology clutch and flywheel, the monster was put to the test on a dyno where it was clocked at 600 hp and 700 lb-ft (516 Nm) of torque.

The chassis and engine modifications were enough to blow people’s minds, but the truck also needed to look the part. It was equipped with Fiberwerx front fenders and rear bedsides to accommodate the huge BFGoodrich Baja all-terrain tires that wrapped around Fifteen52 TurboMac HD wheels. MA constructed bespoke skid plates and tubular bumpers with the one on the rear designed to house a spare.

For the finishing touches, the team covered the body panels in a Battleship Gray vinyl wrap, added a Trackspec hood vent to improve engine cooling, and made the machine look even cooler by fitting it with a black grille from a Midnight Edition Frontier.

The motorsport-derived modifications continued inside where a MoTeC display was installed behind a quick-release Sparco steering wheel. The stock seats were replaced with race-spec buckets from the same Italian manufacturer and between them, a hydraulic handbrake with a billet handle hinted at the nature of this incredible built. The air conditioning system was taken out to make room for the engine and its controls were replaced by a simple switch panel. The infotainment display was also thrown out and, in its place, a Turbosmart boost gauge was mounted.

As you would expect, the truck made waves at SEMA and the subsequent Los Angeles Auto Show where it was put on display again six weeks later. Unfortunately, it didn’t inspire a revamp of the Desert Runner model which continued on the same boring path.

If Nissan would have commissioned MA Motorsports to build this beast a couple of years earlier and transferred some of its goodies to a factory-built variant, we could have witnessed the birth of a new breed of mid-size performance trucks. Such a machine could have also pushed Ford to build a more aggressive Ranger Raptor and make it available for North American customers.

Although that never happened, this breathtaking rig remains one of the most outrageous concepts that Nissan has ever sanctioned and one of the coolest D40 builds we ever saw.

You can watch it in its natural habitat in the video below posted on YouTube by The Wheel Network.