Nissan will reveal six exciting new concept vehicles – plus the public debut of the all-new Z GT4 racing car – at the 2022 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nov. 1-4. Nissan’s diverse SEMA lineup includes electric, street/track performance and off-road-focused vehicles that will inspire owners to customize their own vehicles for next-level excitement.
Nissan’s Thrill Street exhibit in the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall, booth #52141, will showcase the seven different vehicles, and two “parts walls” featuring off-road and street-focused NISMO accessory parts for owners to personalize their own vehicles. Keep reading for more on each of the SEMA show debuts.
Getting creative with EVs
As Nissan continues to pursue accessible electric mobility for all, the company, in partnership with Tommy Pike Customs of Greenville, S.C., is bringing two EV concepts to SEMA, providing inspiration as to how car enthusiasm can thrive in a future of electric vehicles.
Nissan Sunny LEAF project
Two different eras of Nissan vehicles collide at the 2022 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show with the reveal of a 1987 Sunny Truck that has been converted to LEAF all-electric power by South Carolina-based Tommy Pike Customs (TPC).
The 1987 Nissan Sunny, owned by TPC owner Tommy Pike, features the electric drive motor and 40-kWh lithium-ion battery pack from a Nissan LEAF. Rated at 147 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque, the LEAF motor has around twice the power and more than three times the torque of the gasoline four-cylinder engine originally equipped in the Sunny.
“I bought the Sunny Truck because I thought it was such a cool piece of Nissan history and heritage – especially when I saw it was a right-hand-drive model,” said Tommy Pike. “Taking the unexpected step of converting the Sunny to electric power while wrapping it with the Brock Racing Enterprises livery felt like the perfect way to pay homage to Nissan’s heritage and modern innovation.”
The complete list of modifications to the LEAF-powered Sunny includes:
- Nissan LEAF electric motor conversion with factory-original 56A manual transmission
- Custom CNC-machined motor-to-transmission bellhousing adapter
- “Hakosuka” Skyline widebody kit
- Aluminum battery box
- Custom driveshaft
- LED lighting conversion
- Heavy-duty rear leaf springs and suspension
- Nissan 240SX S13 front suspension conversion, including front coilovers, disc brakes and lower control arms
- Tommy Pike / Peter Brock collaboration custom Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) “46” livery
- Custom user interface display designed by Clemson University ICAR
- TPC custom-designed and handcrafted interior with Laedana material by Tesca
- 17-inch Rotiform wheels
- 205/45/17 Toyo Extensa tires
Nissan Ariya Surfwagon concept
Designed to stoke dreams and inspire EV owners to personalize their vehicles to fit their lifestyles, the Nissan Ariya Surfwagon concept reimagines the 2023 Ariya, the company’s first all-electric crossover, as a California-style surf “woodie” wagon.
Created by South Carolina-based Tommy Pike Customs on behalf of Nissan, the Ariya Surfwagon immediately draws the eye with a custom vinyl wrap featuring wood paneling and chrome trim evoking beach cruisers of decades past. The Surfwagon features “smoothie” 20-inch wheels with polished stainless-steel center caps, white-wall tires, a custom roof rack holding two 7-foot surfboards and a custom lowered suspension.
The Surfwagon is intended to provoke conversation and imagination about what vehicle customization looks like in a future of electric vehicles, as owners seek to modify their EVs to suit their hobbies and preferred activities. The Surfwagon retains all the utility and functionality of a standard 2023 Ariya, yet with a look and purpose that is decidedly unique.
NISMO Off-Road Frontier V8 concept
The NISMO Off Road Frontier V8 concept takes the midsize truck to a new level of performance, ready for Baja-style desert running. In addition to stirring truck enthusiasts’ imagination about personalizing their own Frontier, the concept shows off a range of new NISMO Off Road accessory parts that will be available from Nissan dealerships soon, as well as some prototype NISMO Off Road parts that may be available in the future.
Built by Forsberg Racing, the Nissan Frontier concept1 features the 5.6-liter V8 engine sourced from a TITAN full-size pickup truck, equipped with a custom NISMO Off Road cold air intake and cat-back exhaust system. The truck also has a wide-track suspension created with lower control arms, front spindles, wheel hubs and rear axle from a TITAN. The suspension also features custom upper control arms and NISMO/Bilstein coilover shocks and custom rear leaf spring pack with NISMO/Bilstein external reservoir shocks for increased ride height and payload capacity.
To help accommodate the new, wider suspension, the Frontier concept received a custom wide body kit with carbon fiber front fenders, hood and bedsides, plus a prototype NISMO Off Road front bumper that improves the truck’s approach angle and tire clearance.
Additional components include:
- NISMO Off Road Axis 18 x 9 inch wheels with 295/70/18 mud-terrain tires
- Prototype NISMO Off Road rock rails
- NISMO Off Road roof rack
- Prototype NISMO Off Road in-bed spare wheel-and-tire carriers
- NISMO Off Road LED lighting
- Warn winch
Frontier Street Truck project
Nissan trucks have always inspired owners to personalize and customize their vehicles, and the latest Frontier midsize pickup is no exception. Content creator and automotive influencer Christina Roki created a lowered, street truck-style project1 for the 2022 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show.
Roki’s build is based on a 2022 Frontier King Cab S and takes the truck in a bold direction with a custom wide body kit from Performance Lab Detroit, along with a lowered suspension and other modifications, all recalling the look of the “mini truckin’” style of the past.
Find more on Roki’s Frontier project and her other automotive builds by following her on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
The truck’s full list of modifications includes:
- Performance Lab Detroit custom wide body
- Custom lowered suspension
- Terra Strada Design custom livery
- Black Rhino Kaizen wheels, 20 x 9.5 inches
- Bridgestone Potenza Sport tires, size 275/45R20
- MagnaFlow Street Series cat-back exhaust
- Tyger T3 bed cover
- Aerowerkz smoked headlights
- MC Whips tinted windows
- Custom Alcantara upholstery
- Custom graphic wrap designed by Bigtime Graphicss
NISMO Accessorized Z
The Nissan Z has long inspired fans and owners to modify the legendary sports car to their own personal tastes, and for the 2022 SEMA Show, the NISMO team created a 2023 Nissan Z to showcase a new range of performance-oriented NISMO accessory parts, which will be available for purchase through Nissan dealerships starting in early 2023.
The Z’s parts list begins with a NISMO coilover suspension kit with a twin-tube design featuring a linear race spring system, rebound damping adjustability and ride height adjustment. The suspension was developed with input from racing driver Bryan Heitkotter, who was crowned champion in the 2011 Nissan GT Academy competition and subsequently began a successful career racing for Nissan, and now Chris Forsberg Racing.
Additional suspension components include a NISMO adjustable stabilizer bar kit, prototype NISMO strut tower bar and NISMO suspension components including rear midlinks, rear lower camber links, rear traction arms, endlinks, front upper arms and front outer tie rod ends.
For increased stopping power, the car features a NISMO big brake kit that includes track-ready brake pads, larger vented front and rear rotors, 6-piston front/4-piston rear calipers and stainless-steel brake lines. Rolling stock is provided by new NISMO LM-RS1 wheels, 19 x 9.5 inches front and 19 x 10.5 inches rear. These wheels are lightweight, forged, and available in black, anthracite and bronze semi-gloss finishes to complement any vehicle color, and have been tested to rigorous NISMO standards. They are equipped with Bridgestone RE71RS tires, sized 255/40/19 front and 285/35/19 rear.
Enhancements to the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 includes a fully dyno-tested, CAD-designed NISMO cold air intake which uses a bell-mouth design to increase airflow. CARB approval is currently pending. For reduced charge air temperatures and to maintain performance on hot days and track events, a NISMO performance heat exchanger has been added – which features 148-percent greater volume than the factory piece.
A stainless steel NISMO track exhaust with a 2.25-inch outer pipe diameter reduces backpressure, while power is transmitted through a NISMO street twin-disc clutch and flywheel kit, designed to handle up to 800 horsepower and 750 lb-ft of torque while retaining a factory-like pedal feel and effort.
Visual enhancements on the car include NISMO carbon fiber exterior mirror covers, a NISMO fuel filler cover, NISMO kick plates, a NISMO GT titanium shift knob, a prototype NISMO carbon fiber steering wheel trim kit and, under the hood, a NISMO carbon fiber engine cover, NISMO coolant expansion tank a NISMO oil filler cap.
2023 Formula Drift Z
Three-time Formula Drift champion Chris Forsberg’s latest drift car, a 2023 Nissan Z modified to produce an incredible 1,300 horsepower, will appear at Nissan’s booth at the 2022 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show.
The Forsberg Racing team has an established connection with Nissan. The team used a 370Z for drift competition in the past, and worked with Nissan and NISMO to build its newest drift car this spring. The Forsberg Racing team equipped the Nissan Z with an extensively modified VR38DETT twin-turbocharged V6 engine – as found in the Nissan GT-R – re-tuned to make 1,300 horsepower and with exhausts exiting through the car’s hood. In addition, the team made significant chassis and bodywork modifications to prepare the car for Formula Drift, including adding required safety equipment.
The car made its competition debut at the Formula Drift Streets of Long Beach course in April, and Forsberg is currently 6th in the 2022 Formula Drift standings. Forsberg will be in attendance at the Nissan booth at SEMA to sign autographs and take selfies with fans.
Finally, Nissan’s SEMA booth will host the public debut of the Nissan Z GT4, a purpose-built racing car that will hit circuits in 2023 to continue to defend the Z’s long heritage of motorsports successes. The Nissan Z GT4 – and further information about Nissan’s 2023 racing season plans – will be revealed at a special event taking place at the Nissan booth during SEMA.
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