Nissan is no stranger to fun one-off builds. His latest, developed for this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas, is a heavily modified Frontier pickup designed for drifting. The one-off truck comes complete with a custom suspension, a supercharged engine and a set of nice retro Recaro seats.
The truck, called Frontier Tarmac, was built in collaboration between Nissan and Forsberg Racing, led by drifting legend Chris Forsberg. The pickup was first designed in 2021 by the Nissan Motorsports team and is based on a Frontier PRO-X. The transformation took six months.
The Frontier Tarmac retains its 3.8-liter V-6, but Nissan has added a water-cooled supercharger and a prototype Nismo-branded carbon fiber cold air intake and catback exhaust. The result is an additional 130 horsepower and 119 pound-feet of torque, for new final totals of 440 horsepower and 400 pound-feet.
Photo by: Nissan
Photo by: Nissan
Nissan isn’t saying anything about the transmission, and judging by the photos, it looks like the standard shifter for the nine-speed automatic will be retained. Power is delivered to the rear wheels only, while Nismo brake calipers with custom mounts provide stopping power. In the back you’ll find two sets of brake calipers, one for normal braking, and another linked to the giant one-off hydraulic handbrake, for drifting.
“Twenty years ago, having a performance truck was definitely cool. But today, you rarely see lowered performance trucks,” Forsberg said in a statement. “I haven’t built a lowered truck since 2003. I just thought it would be fun, it was different.”
Photo by: Nissan
Photo by: Nissan
Other interior changes include a carbon fiber-wrapped steering wheel and two front Recaro seats covered in a custom retro upholstery pattern. The suspension is a modified version of Nismo’s street suspension offered for the Frontier. It comes with adjustable coilovers at the front, a flip kit at the rear to lower the ride height and a c-notch in the frame to lower it even further.
“It’s fair to call this truck ‘slamd,’” Forsberg added. “It’s very low.”
The Frontier Tarmac concept will make its debut at Nissan’s SEMA booth in Las Vegas starting tomorrow, November 2. You can see it alongside a host of other custom vehicles that Nissan is showcasing at the show.
