Chris Forsberg has a healthy habit of unveiling the latest machines in hotel halls Sima. The three-time Formula Drift champion has a long-standing and strong relationship with Nissan, and his excellent custom builds reflect that, including everything from vintage sports cars to modern trucks. This year, Forsberg instituted this custom Nissan PatrolIt has tremendous power under the hood.
The Patrol has been Nissan’s off-road adventure platform for decades, having fans across Australia, the Middle East and anywhere there’s wide-open playgrounds beyond the pavement. In the United States, we finally got a taste of real patrol—We just call it the Armada. However, those older generations are still brilliant, brilliant beasts. Forsberg’s build starts with a fourth-generation Patrol chassis, pairs it with an engine from a fifth-generation example, and then goes off the rails appropriately from there.
Forsberg’s Racing Patrol derives its power from a TB48 inline-six engine. It’s a big 4.8-liter mill that typically produces close to 250 horsepower. Here, Forsberg beefed it up and tuned it to produce 1,000 horsepower. This jump comes thanks to a Garrett G42-1200 turbocharger – which Garrett rates at up to 1,200 horsepower and a maximum turbo speed of 118,000 rpm. A Link Fury ECU handles engine management, a Hypertune intake manifold feeds air, and an ACT dual-plate clutch works overtime to send power through the manual gearbox to the ground.
If you’re cruising with that much gravity, proper seating is important. The Recaro Sportster buckets should keep Chris in check.
Photo by: Nissan
A curb appeal was also requested. Credit is given to the color design, lighting upgrades, and wheel and tire package. The black bumpers flow into a black grille, a sharp contrast to the red, white and blue Mobil 1. Up front, a quartet of NISMO off-road and spotlights combine with Holley RetroBright headlights – exactly what you want when you’re planning on driving fast at night.
The wheels are custom 17-inch Nismo rollers wrapped in 35-inch Yokohama Geolanders tires. Nismo describes the suspension as an “off-road-inspired” custom setup. They mention remote reservoirs but don’t offer much. I’d love to get a better look underneath.
Photo by: Nissan
Regardless, the stance is excellent, the power is amazing, and the build looks great. I think leadership is a bear and a camel. I’ve ridden and driven some of Chris’s previous builds—like his Gold Leader Datsun 280Z and his La Flamma Blanca Infiniti M56 drift sedan—and each was great for different reasons. However, this Racing Patrol toy has become my favorite of the bunch.
An old SUV with 1,000 horsepower? It sounds dangerous and stupid…I love it.
