THE NISSAN FRONTIER TARMAC CONCEPT IS LOW, FAST AND TRACK-READY. LOOKS BOSS, TOO.
Nissan Motorsports and racing legend Chris Forsberg have revived a beloved era in truck culture, after partnering with Nissan Design America to transform a Nissan Frontier PRO-X into a slammed, performance-driven, track-ready beast. The result is what you see here, the freaking awesome Nissan Frontier TARMAC Concept. "Twenty years ago, having a performance truck was definitely a cool thing. But today, very rarely do you see lowered, performance truck builds," Forsberg said. "I haven't built a lowered truck since 2003. It just seemed fun – it was different." Nissan Motorsports team members Kevin Lutz and Paul Boyer started dreaming up the project in 2021 and were eager to make it a reality. "The floor at SEMA used to be filled with low-slung, high-performance midsize trucks, so it's easy to imagine a return of that trend," said Lutz. "Owners of trucks like Frontier frequently love to customize their vehicles, so we're considering how we can best serve their needs beyond off-road parts. TARMAC is a true homage to muscle trucks of the past while boasting substantial performance upgrades to fit the modern era. "This bold, in-your-face concept truck was the perfect way to showcase some of our upcoming NISMO performance products for Frontier," said Boyer, who served as project manager of the TARMAC concept. Designed for track performance rather than the trail, the Nissan Frontier TARMAC has decent horsepower going to the rear wheels. A water-cooled supercharger was bolted onto the 3.8-litre V6, as well as a prototype carbon fibre NISMO cold air intake and performance cat-back exhaust. This boosted the truck's output to a healthy 324 kW with 542 Nm of torque. The NISMO brakes were installed using custom mounts and included two-piece floating and slotted discs for maximum stopping power. There are two calipers in the back – one of which is linked to a custom handbrake for drifting, as expected.
Under the hood of the Nissan Frontier Tarmac, the parts are very shiny. Modifications to Frontier's 3.8-litre V6 included a prototype carbon fibre NISMO air intake, which helps things reach that aforementioned 324 kW power rating. To achieve the ground-hugging stance, Nissan Motorsports developed a custom version of its prototype NISMO high-performance street suspension for Frontier featuring a fully adjustable coilover suspension in front, and a flip kit and C-notch in the rear. "It's fair to call this truck slammed," Forsberg said. "It's very low." The TARMAC concept employs carbon fibre throughout – from the massive fender flares to the barrels of the custom NISMO wheels which are some of the best-looking wheels we’ve seen in a while. The concept's appearance reflects its high performance: It features carbon fibre bodywork throughout, including the tailgate spoiler, tonneau cover and ultrawide fenders (making the body 4 inches wider than a stock Frontier PRO-X's). The carbon fibre contrasts the Afterburn Orange paint – a 2025 Frontier colour. To put TARMAC's power to the pavement, the team equipped it with massive 315R35 Yokohama Advan tyres. Inside, there's a unique, carbon fibre steering wheel and Recaro seats, which are covered in custom upholstery to complement the vibrant orange exterior. And thanks to the new manual handbrake, the stock foot-pedal parking brake has been removed. "We wanted the performance-centric feel to continue inside," Forsberg said. TARMAC's interior features unique Recaro seats, a custom handbrake and a carbon fibre steering wheel. It took six months to transform the Frontier PRO-X into the TARMAC. Forsberg's team collaborated with NDA's San Diego-based designers, who provided feedback on key modifications to the truck's stance and bodywork. Hiren Patel, senior manager of Exterior Design at NDA, advised Forsberg as he worked on the custom build. "Seeing the vehicle mid-build gives a great idea of its potential, but it's also impressive to see the amount of work and consideration that went into it," Patel said. "It was so fun to be included." Patel, who previously worked on the current-generation Frontier, applied his extensive experience with trucks and SUVs to help reimagine this Frontier as a track-ready concept. "Trucks are really personal to me. There is so much potential for modification and customization to a very wide palette of tastes and preferences," he said. "With TARMAC, it's cool to see Frontier imagined in a non-typical truck way." NDA designers Ray Devers and Hiren Patel met at Forsberg Racing with Jackson Orr during the early stages of the Frontier TARMAC build which was kicked off in Forsberg's garage in Costa Mesa, Calif. TARMAC is the latest showcase of Forsberg's passion for performance and his relationship with Nissan Motorsports. He hopes the concept will remind people of muscle trucks' fun practicality while introducing them to younger drivers. Forsberg recently collaborated with NISMO Off Road to create the Frontier Forsberg Edition, which is now available for all Frontier pickups from 2022 and up. "I want to bring back that nostalgia and show that a truck can have performance, too. You can have a fun, fast, track-ready truck and still throw stuff in the bed," Forsberg said.
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows off the Forsberg Nissan Frontiers which were what got Forsberg a foot in the door which eventually led to the creation of this awesome TARMAC Frontier to show off at SEMA 2025. It's pretty rad. We should have a limited edition Nissan created with a local rally celeb: My First Nissan Release!! The Nissan Frontier Forsberg Edition | Chris Forsberg
Be sure to check out our YouTube channel here for more exciting and exclusive SXdrv content! And don't forget to smash that subscribe button!