Want to drive the same Nissan Frontier that Chris Forsberg drove to win the NORRA 500 in Baja? You can soon, sort of. Nissan’s Nismo performance arm and Forsberg Racing have cooked up a kit for the pickup with many of the same Nismo Off-Road parts used on the race truck. The package goes on sale later this year.
For last fall’s NORRA 500 off-road race in Baja California, Chris Forsberg and Forsberg Racing built a special Frontier. The truck ran in the stock class, which meant that the modifications the team could make for performance were limited.
Frontier Drove From Shop to Race and Back
Nismo, Nissan’s racing arm, supplied most of the race truck’s go-fast enhancements. The list included a lift kit with new shocks, beadlock wheels, rock sliders, and lighting upgrades. And, of course, a sponsor graphics pack.
Forsberg drove the race-ready Frontier from his shop to the desert race. And then won his class. Officially called Class 7100, the NORRA class is meant for series-produced small pickups and SUVs. He was also the only one in the class, but did finish 21st overall out of 38 entries.
Our championship win at the NORRA 500 was a testament to the capabilities of the Nissan Frontier with NISMO Off Road parts and Yokohama Geolandar tires. We took a stock truck outfitted with NISMO Off Road parts and drove it from the shop in Southern California to the event, raced across the Baja desert for 500 miles, and drove it back home to the shop without an issue.
— Chris Forsberg
NISMO Lift, Tires, Accessories Make Up Limited-Edition Kit
The Forsberg Edition Nissan Frontier will come with a Nismo Off-Road lift kit like the race truck. The kit lifts the nose by 1.5 inches and the rear by 1.0 inches. It uses a spacer in the front and a lift block in the back, along with new hardware.
Nismo suspension parts include forged aluminum upper control arms that offer more suspension articulation. The truck also gets performance shocks developed with Bilstein. The Nismo shocks have digressive valving to handle rough roads, and the rear units have a remote reservoir.
The Forsberg Frontier will come with 265/70R17 Yokohama Geolandar X-AT tires on Axis beadlock wheels. It will also have a Nismo cat back exhaust.
Nissan Frontier Forsberg Edition
The Forsberg Edition is a dealer-installed accessory package, so it also comes with plenty of accessories. The truck gets Nismo rock sliders as well as a roof rack with built-in LED lighting.
The cosmetic upgrades include Forsberg Racing stickers on the doors, hood, and tailgate. There’s also a Limited Edition badge with a serial number that goes on the gear shift surround that features the driver’s signature.
It gets stickers, but the Forsberg Edition truck will be missing some key race features — like a roll cage, for a start. Plus it won’t have harnesses, racing seats, a radio, and a race navigation system. These are all key features if you want to compete and make it home safely.
It will also be missing his talent, along with the serious skills of co-driver Leticia Bufoni. You’re on your own for those particular racing features.
What sets this limited-edition truck apart from most special editions is that you don’t have to buy a specific new Frontier to get it. Nissan dealers can install the package on any new 2024 model-year pickup. They can also fit it to any used Frontier from model years 2022 and later.
Nissan says the Forsberg Edition package will come with an MSRP of $9,999. It will be available to buy starting this fall to let you live out your desert racer dreams.