Nissan Frontier Concepts Pay Tribute to Rugged Hardbody Heritage

Nissan is rolling out three Frontier concept pickup trucks for the 2022 Chicago auto show today.The Project Hardbody concept, which pays homage to the late-1980s Nissan Hardbody, sports a set of wheels inspired by the Desert Runner pickup of similar vintage.The Project 72X recalls the Datsun 720 pickup with white wheels and 1970s-inspired body side graphics; the Project Adventure is the more modern of the three and is aimed at overlanding enthusiasts.

Vintage-pickup-truck fans will immediately recognize the influence for two of the three Nissan Frontier concepts at this year’s Chicago auto show. The red Project Hardbody concept and gray Project 72X concept are both inspired by pickup-truck models that helped the Japanese brand establish itself in North America in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Project Hardbody truck draws inspiration from the Nissan pickup of the late 1980s and is probably most recognizable of the concepts. Its wheel design is custom and clearly inspired by the Desert Runner model of the old Hardbody pickup. Nissan also has outfitted the concept with a unique gloss-black grille surround, special 4×4 graphics, and a bed-mounted full-size spare tire.

Eagle-eyed readers will recognize the Project 72X’s inspiration as the Datsun 720 pickup from the late 1970s. This simpler concept features gray exterior paint with vintage-style custom side graphics. The Project 72X’s wheels are actually repurposed spare wheels from the regular 2022 Frontier pickup truck, just painted white.

If old-school pickup truck looks aren’t your thing, Nissan also is showing the Project Adventure concept, which is based on the PRO-4X trim of the 2022 Frontier and wears knobbier off-road tires, a custom carbon-fiber snorkel, and a host of camping accessories that are intended to showcase the Frontier’s overlanding capabilities.

Besides the custom body wrap and the snorkel, the Project Adventure wears upgrades that are currently available either through aftermarket suppliers or through the Nissan accessory catalog. All three of the concepts here feature a lifted suspension, with the 72X getting 2.5-inches of lift, the Hardbody raised by 3 inches, and the Adventure by 5 inches compared with the standard Frontier.

It’s unlikely that any of these three concepts will make it to series production as a special edition or limited trim level of the new Frontier. But given that the majority of modifications can be done aftermarket, consider these concepts as inspiration for your own special build.

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