Nissan to compete in Rebelle Rally with retro-inspired 2022 Frontier

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Seeking to stake its claim in what’s billed as the longest off-road rally in the United States, Nissan has created a racing truck inspired by the old-school Hardbody pickup from the 1980s.

Team Wild Grace, with co-captains Sedona Blinson and Lyn Woodward, will wheel the machine through some 1,500 miles of demanding off-road desert terrain in this year’s version of the Rebelle Rally which is set to begin on October 7 at the Hoover Dam. The event features eight days of fierce competition, culminating on October 16 in California’s Imperial Sand Dunes (or Glamis, as the cool kids call it).

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“Nissan has been a staple of off-road endurance racing since the 1960s, and the Hardbody racers of the ’80s remain some of the most successful and recognizable trucks ever,” said Michael Soutter, vice president, Nissan Aftersales, Americas. The truck’s wrap will be instantly recognizable to anyone who played pixelated off-road games thirty years ago, or who at least caught our coverage of the Oblivion III car show  in September.

But the truck is more than assemblage of style and jazzy colours. Based on the new 2022 Frontier in Pro-4X trim, this racing truck has also said ‘yes’ to several items in the NISMO off-road parts catalog. A special NISMO off-road suspension kit adds a couple inches of lift and will help the drivers flex their driving chops over desert terrain in the American southwest, while NISMO wheels and performance exhaust add to the drama. Those off-road 4-inch lights apparently bear NISMO part numbers, as well.

Nissan says they are the only automaker to compete in an official capacity at the Rebelle Rally since the event began in 2016. Team Wild Grace wheeled their Nissan truck to a 4th-place finish last year and expect to improve on that result this time around.

The tough-as-nails race will be covered on several platforms including the Rebelle Rally website.