NISSAN SHOWED OFF A TRIO OF INTERESTING CONCEPTS AT SEMA 2K23 - SA NEEDS A SENTRA AGAIN!
What is SEMA? Well, it’s the annual SEMA (Specialty Equipment Marketing Association) Show is seen as the world’s premier automotive and aftermarket industry trade show, the trade-only event allows automotive speciality equipment manufacturers to display their new wares alongside new model and concept car debuts from automotive manufacturers. In many cases, the cars on display are collaborations between manufacturers and aftermarket component manufacturers, but the cars that attract the real attention are those from performance component manufacturers who create special one-off builds to help highlight their products as well as their car-building skills. It’s also where you’ll find the completed projects from some of the world’s biggest and most popular automotive YouTube stars, and that’s the kind of thing that SXdrv loves. The 2023 instalment of the show takes place over four days, the 31st of October to the 3rd of November, and it pulls in over 160,000 attendees, over 70,000 buyer companies, over 3,300 media reps from around the world and features 2,400 exhibitors that represent over 140 countries. The show is set over 1.2 million net square feet of exhibit space and has an additional 1 million square feet of features and attractions scattered throughout the expansive Las Vegas Convention Center. If there’s ever a show to add to your automotive bucket list, it’s SEMA.
Here in SA, Nissan fans get quite a raw deal. If someone has a thing for the brand and would like to drive a new Nissan, they better be wanting a bakkie or SUV, because there are no other new options. Used is another story, there are 370Zs, GT-Rs and if you’re ok with older, there’s loads more choice. In the US, Nissan fans are fully catered for in just about any segment, and the company even does builds for SEMA. This year the company had three cool cars for display; Project Rugged Rogue, Forsberg’s Frontier Off-Road Race Truck and the Sentra DET Concept. Remember Sentras? The last we had were the N/A VVL beasts, so sad. Project Rugged Rogue is a crossover SUV that features prototype NISMO Off Road components, the list of which includes a custom NISMO Off Road 3-inch suspension lift kit, prototype 18-inch NISMO Off Road wheels, a custom NISMO Off Road dual-exit center exhaust, custom carbon fibre fender flares and rear spoiler, prototype NISMO Off Road roof rack with NISMO Off Road 6-inch round driving lights, prototype NISMO Off Road front bumper guard with NISMO Off Road 6-inch round driving lights, custom NISMO Off Road rock rails, bonnet-mounted NISMO Off Road 4-inch round driving lights, a roof-mounted kayak and mountain bike racks and a topographical map wrap.
Then there’s Chris Forsberg Frontier Off-Road Race Truck. Forsberg Racing developed truck. This one features a host of NISMO Off Road parts to make the thing more suited to conquering the NORRA 500 off-road race. Chris Forsberg and Yokohama teammate, Leticia Bufoni used the Frontier in the year’s race in the stock production class and clinched a 1st place category win. It’s an amazing-looking thing, we’;d copy this exact look to a street version. “Racing the Forsberg Frontier Off-Road Race Truck at the NORRA 500 was an exhilarating experience,” said Forsberg. “Nissan and the Forsberg Racing team have created a true beast of a machine.” Then there’s one of the Nissan’s Sentra DET Concept that reminds us of what we’re missing out on. It’s inspired by the Sentra Cup spec-racing series in Canada, and it looks like a fun sedan. The DET name references some of the most popular Nissan performance engines of the past, it stands for Dual overhead cam-Electronic Fuel Injection-Turbo. This display car features a built turbocharged MR20DD 2.0-litre engine coupled to a 6-speed manual transmission, and the combo sings thanks to a prototype stainless-steel NISMO B18 performance exhaust. The concept is fitted with a prototype NISMO coilover suspension system featuring twin-tube shocks and linear-rate springs - all fine-tuned with the input of GT4 professional racer Bryan Heitkotter. The Sentra rolls on black 18-inch NISMO LM-RS6 wheels that wear Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD09 tyres, which look great with the race-inspired wrap. Inside it’s pretty plain but cool with fitment of a set of Recaro Sportster CS front seats and a NISMO GT shift knob.
Take a look at the YouTube video from the crew at DPCcars that outlines a few more details and upgrades carried out on the Nissan Sentra to create the Sentra DET Concept which is the favourite of the bunch for us here at SXdrv. We used to have cool Nissans in SA, so this one makes us a lil nostalgic for the days we could buy new Nissan Sentras and Sabres here in SA: Nissan Turbocharged Sentra Concept Will Be at the 2023 SEMA | DPCcars
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