The Nissan Frontier is going racing. The automaker has teamed up with Forsberg Racing to campaign a mildly modified version of the pickup in the NORRA 500 race that begins on October 20 in Mexico.
The 2023 Frontier Pro-4X features an assortment of official Nismo Off Road parts. The most significant upgrade is the lift kit and high-performance suspension, adding 1.5- and 1.0-inches front and rear, which you can buy and add to your own Frontier. But it’s basically the same truck you can buy today.
Gallery: Forsberg Frontier Off-Road Race Truck Concept
Seventeen-inch Axis beadlock wheels sit at all four corners wrapped in Yokohama Geolandar M/T G003 tires. The truck has Nismo Off Road lighting upgrades, a roof rack, and rock sliders. A Forsberg Racing-designed graphics package completes the list of upgrades.
The standard Frontier Pro-4X sets itself apart from the rest of the lineup with functional skid plates and Lava Red badge accents. It offers a low-range four-wheel drive mode with a locking differential and Bilstein shocks, giving it a slightly taller ride height than a non-Pro-4X pickup.
Nissan significantly redesigned the Frontier for the 2022 model year. It debuted with fresh styling, new technology, and improved safety. It also arrived with a 3.8-liter V6 engine that the company originally introduced in 2020 for the previous-generation truck. It makes 310 horsepower and 281 pound-feet of torque and pairs with Nissan’s nine-speed automatic.
The NORRA 500, a 500-mile desert race, kicks off in Ensenada, Mexico, with competitors racing to San Felipe and back. It ends on October 21 on the beach. Forsberg Racing will be competing in the Stock vehicle class.
Formula Drift champion Chris Forsberg will race the truck in the event. Nissan and Forsberg Racing have teamed up before. The two collaborated on the V8-powered Frontier, a Nissan Z drift car, and the 2,000-horsepower Altima.
Once the truck finishes the race, Nissan will display it in its as-raced condition at this year’s SEMA Show in Las Vegas, which begins on October 31. Chris will be there providing autographs, interviews, and photos. The automaker says it’ll have several other concept vehicles at the show and will release more details about them later.
