the Nissan Frontier Diesel Runner Powered by Cummins is not your typical Mars rover-like concept vehicle, it is a project truck created to “test the waters”, so to speaker, to see how consumers will react to the next-generation Frontier. built on Nissan’s storied of building trucks, beginning with the introduction of the 1959 Datsun pickup truck to the U.S., the project truck dispensed with high capacity engine block in favor of a 2.8-liter inline-four turbo diesel unit from Cummins, developing a good 200 ponies and over 350 lb-ft (474 Nm) of torque, while bumping up fuel economy by 35 percent over the current V6-powered two-wheel drive Frontier. the power and torque are put to good use at the rear wheels via a ZF 8HP70 8-speed automatic gearbox.
the rest of this Nissan Frontier Diesel Runner Powered by Cummins borrows much of the key components from a production 2014 Desert Runner, including the body, wiring harnesses, radiator and the likes. however, the showcar is spruced up to showcase the Nissan-Cummins collaboration with a custom paint treatment of high-gloss “Arrest Me Red” color inspired by Cummins’ engine red and raw “Matte Silver” color, accented with carbon fiber, and carbon fiber film elements across components like the chin spoiler, mesh grille, roof rack, aerodynamic full-bed tonneau cover and tailgate spoiler, and the hood. the showcar offers truck enthusiasts a peek at what’s under the hood with a partially transparent acrylic hood, showing off the muscle that drives the vehicle adorned with a Cummins branded engine cover in red and carbon fiber.
the project car rides on 16-inch wheels, borrowed from Frontier PRO-4X, treated to a special two-tone paint with the same “Arrest Me Red” on satin black for the rear wheels and Silver on satin black for the front rolling stocks, while brake calipers with contrasting hues peek out from behind – red front and silver at the rear. silver, red and carbon fiber treatment continues into the inside of the truck with carbon-trimmed seats and panels, grey accent stitching, black-on-black “Tracks” embroidery, carbon film-wrapped instrument panel, red-tinted gauges, diesel-specific three-gauge pod, embroidered floor mats. theme-colored shifter knob and steering wheel. think we have said enough and we shall let the images, which you can find after the the break, do the talking from here on.
