In Trust We Trust: The 2,000HP SUV
Attraction To The Uncommon

As always, the halls of the Makuhari Messe were full to the brim for Tokyo Auto Salon this year, encapsulating a simply amazing selection of cars.

But the one car that stood out as the most memorable to me isn’t even technically a car. So what gives? Well, it’s pretty simple. Drop a pair of massive turbochargers into the engine bay of anything and people will take notice. This is exactly what Trust did with its recently acquired Y61 Nissan Patrol.

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This is an all-new demo machine that Trust will be developing over the course of the year, and its official debut at TAS earlier in the month was an announcement of sorts that the famous Japanese tuner has some cool things on the go. I mean, when was the last time you saw a company like this build a car for the sheer fun of it?

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And Trust isn’t playing around here, starting by sourcing the Patrol in Dubai and shipping it back to Japan. Nissan still builds these older Patrols, but only sells them in Middle Eastern markets where people love everything about them – from the shape to their natural off-roading abilities, and of course the driveline which is made up of the RB26’s bigger brother, the TB48DE. But we’ll get to that in a second.

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First there’s the sheer bullish stance the GReddy wide-body kit manages to achieve, and the graphics applied for the show really couldn’t have been more on point.

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It all started a few months back when Kei Miura of TRA Kyoto came up to Trust’s HQ near Narita Airport to 3D-scan the Y61’s exterior. The goal was to sculpt wider, more angular fender extensions than the Patrol’s factory items, and then top it all off with a front bumper able to accept a huge air-to-air intercooler.

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The flares allow the Patrol to clear the massive wheel and tire combo, something which despite being as Japanese as could possibly be, was actually inspired by what guys in Dubai do with their Y61s.

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That means a set of Volk Racing TE37 Ultra Large PCDs, a 20-inch version of the legendary design from RAYS made especially for large 6-lug hub applications. The wheels measure 20×9.5-inch at all four corners and are shod in Toyo’s new Open Country all-weather tire in 305/55R20.

It’s actually quite funny seeing TE37s this massive on an off-road truck; it’s a popular wheel in this scene, but they’re usually run in 16/17-inch sizes.

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With the goals Trust has for this project there was no way the brakes were going to be overlooked. For the business end, Endless has supplied a pair of its Racing6 6-pot calipers with massive 2-piece slotted discs.

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The rear widening starts about halfway across the door with the two-piece flares blistering outwards a good 15mm on each side.

The truck sits on GReddy Comfort Springs for now, but a proper coilover package will be developed later in the year to take full advantage of the monstrous performance and the sheer weight of the Patrol. Balancing the braking at the back are Endless 4-pot calipers and a custom made rotor that incorporates the bell to clear the stock drum e-brake.

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Normally you’d find the spare wheel mounted on the right side back door, but GReddy deleted it and covered over the recess which I think helps give the boxy Patrol a more performance oriented stance.

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I just can’t get over how purposeful the whole aesthetic ensemble comes together; one glance at the truck and you know it means business. Or at least it will in a few months…

The RB26’s Bigger, Older & Angrier Brother
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That’s because the big TB48DE straight-six that sits in the center of the engine bay is still very much stock. It may have a pair of the biggest turbos Trust makes strapped to its side, but for the most part the 4.8-liter engine is as standard as the day it came off the production line. There was no way it could have all been finished by TAS, and Trust wants to really take its time on this project and get it right.

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So for now, Trust has concentrated on the hot side of the motor, fabricating the necessary two-piece exhaust manifolds to support the top-mounted T88-38GK turbos and dual TiAL external wastegates employed for efficient boost control.

Out of the box the TB has a massive 102mm stroke and a 99.5mm bore. That makes it oriented towards developing a fat and always present torque curve that – in stock form – peaks at 310lb-ft at 3,600rpm.

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Max power comes in 1,200rpm after that with 250hp, so the stock engine doesn’t develop the most impressive set of numbers. But within it lies massive potential.

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As you read this, the engine has likely been removed and is awaiting strip down ahead of a full billet and possibly stroked bottom end courtesy of Manley. It’ll also be on the receiving end of a valvetrain upgrade and a pair of hot camshafts to make full use of the forced induction the two snails are ready to provide.

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The stock plenum has been already replaced with a proper surge tank with billet runners, but one of the things that still needs to be added to this is a massive mechanical throttle body. Currently, the engine functions with an R35 electric throttle body.

With a power goal of 2,000hp the TB48 will need an adequate supply of fuel so Trust is looking for something in the 2,000cc/min+ range to make it all work.

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With most of the piping, plumbing and exhaust side taken care of already, the engine rebuild is the biggest hurdle. The Trust guys really want to learn as they go along so will be taking their time, doing things properly, and gaining knowledge through it all.

The goal is to have the car ready to be shipped to Dubai later in the year, and then have it attack some dunes. The factory 5-speed will also require a full rebuild with a strong gear set as 2,000hp and tractor-like torque levels will shatter anything but the best components.

2.5bar Of Fury
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It’s so refreshing to see an established company like Trust go out and build crazy shit like this just for the fun of it.

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Ever since visiting Dubai a year ago I’ve developed quite a curiosity for the whole high-power Patrol scene.

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Inside it’s like stepping into a Safari from 13 years ago as nothing has been changed from that 2005 kouki model of the Y61.

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The car may still be built in Japan but the plaque on the driver’s side door jam identifies it as a Middle Eastern market product.

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That long stroke means the TB48 revs to just over 5,000rpm, and something I recall seeing – or rather hearing – in Dubai is how everyone loves to hit the rev limiter during gear changes, or even just for fun while sitting in traffic. Soon enough this thing will definitely rev a little more, and that red RPM needle is going to move so fast the driver will need to be super-quick with their gear shifts.

Here’s a quick look at the manual 5-speed shifter and the selector for the high/low gear ranges.

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It’s all so plain and minimalistic inside, and that’s because it comes equipped with the very bare minimum from factory. I think it would be cool to rip this out and replace it with a digital display married to the ECU.

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Trust has already started thinking ahead and lined up five of its GReddy Sirius gauges where the passenger’s sun visor once was. Notice the turbo gauge reads to 2.5bar (36.75psi)!

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The factory cloth front seats have been replaced by Bride Stream Cruz recliners with arm rests for the driver’s side. How fitting.

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As soon as this beast is completed, the Trust guys have promised to call me so I can experience what 2,000hp feels like in a 2.5-ton truck.

Now that you’ve seen it in detail and heard what’s in store for it all, I hope you can understand why it was my favorite vehicle from Tokyo Auto Salon 2018.

Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: speedhunters_dino
dino@speedhunters.com

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42 comments

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1
Not_A_Racing_Driver

You guys should come visit Finland. American Car Show to be exact.

Author2
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Why they have Patrols there?

3
Not_A_Racing_Driver

You should check el puercosis YouTube clip from the last year. And you sure have finnish followers who can help you out surviving the stupid finnish language :D

4

No, but a lot of cool cars. I remember you guys visiting FInland in 2015. I hope to see you here again :)

5

The Patrol's are the greatest SUV's ever made. Why can't Nissan be smart enough to bring this to the US market? Instead we get that horrendous looking Infinity POS that arguably makes the Pontiak Aztec look good. Come on Nissan!! get with it and stop driving US customers to other brands!

6

I thought u guys in the states already have that big ass Nissan Armada. Probably Nissan's biggest SUV I think.

7
Chris Kreschollek

All of Nissan/Infinity truck/suv offerings are hideous in the U.S.

8

We do but it's essentially the same monstrosity as the infinity. The Patrol is so much better looking and would likely sell like hot cakes here.

9

Actually the Armada and Patrol are basically the same. Just a little twist on its look and certain trim.

10

They might be similar but the design of the Patrol has always been leaps and bounds better than the US counterparts. Just about everyone I talk to feels that Nissan has lost their way here in the states over the last 10-15 years. The R35 certainly helped but everything else is so bland here. Even Toyota gets it and has actually made a bland car like the Camry look spectacular. Nissan needs to catch up IMO.

Author11
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Armada, Patrol & Infiniti QX56/QX80 are all based on the same chassis/basic body shape. The older Y60/Y61 Patrol/Safari are the ones people still love as they were actually built for proper off roading. I think somewhere along the lines someone at Nissan decided people didn't need a capable vehicle to take on adventures and so went all soft. At least a new Land Cruiser is still a ridiculously amazing off road vehicle as I was brutally shown during my Dubai adventure last year http://www.speedhunters.com/2017/12/sun-sand-and-suvs-dune-huntin-in-dubai/

12

I just wanna know why people always wanna convert from drive by wire to mechanical throttles. I thought they would be more beneficial over mech throttles.

Author13
Dino Dalle Carbonare

It's a bit of a debate, I'd say mechanical was the way to go till a few years back but now I'd go electric as it opens up a lot of possibilities provided you have a decent ECU to play with

14
Googly Eye Huracan

as dumb as it may sound, writings in arabic are just "trust" and "Gready" spelled as you hear them, but i'm really curious to know what if they translated them..

would be fun xd

Author15
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Oh that's funny, it's sort of like how Rough World became Rauh Welt haha

16

Throw some slicks, strip the interior, and put a roll cage in this Patrol then take it to the Qatar Mile. It'll dominate the modified SUV class with all the power it has.

Author17
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Quatar mile? Tell me more my friend!

18

The Qatar Mile is an event held on an airstrip in Qatar. Sadly, I don't know when QRC holds the event, but here's a link of QRC's calendar that shows you what events they will be holding. There isn't much to do know, but there will be some nice events later on. Link: http://qrc.qa/calendar/

Author19
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Awesome, thank you!

20

[WATCH THIS SPACE]

.. so i shall.. this'll be fucking nuts.. also really dig the graphics package they put on it.. very over the top.. but with a goal of 2000 HP i feel like it's warrented..

Author21
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Yeah I thought it all worked very well, but still, I'd love to see it in bare white

22

2000 horse power = 200 camel power ! lol

Author23
Dino Dalle Carbonare

haha what conversion tool did you use?

24

Something Nissan and Nat Geo Abu Dhabi were trying to make to develop their new SUVs. I think you can find it on youtube but you need translation/subtitles since it's in arabic. Basically it's same logic when they converted Watts to HP since the horses where the reference.
Here is a link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmEJx8nTHhQ

25

cool concept car... but all this talk about "2000HP" .... they haven't even started development on the engine yet??!? remember kids.. under hype, over deliver :)

Author26
Dino Dalle Carbonare

That's what they are shooting for and it's been done on a TB48 before. Stroke it to 5.15L, head work, valves & springs, cams and plenty of boost and you should get there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU_oAu4sqC4

27
JBfromSiliconValley

Now I know what ski vehicle I want.

28

Too bad they don't sell the two door version new anymore, and used ones don't depreciate and are usually overused. thankfully toyota's landcruiser is still sold new as a two door so it could be a cool daily.

29

They still sell 2-door patrol brand new here in the middle east!

Author30
Dino Dalle Carbonare

I took a 2-door Patrol for a spin in Dubai at the RWB build. Guy that showed up with one was kind enough to throw me the keys once he saw how enthusiastic I was about them :)

31

Well at least they have corrected the Arabic lettering. I was confused when I saw the one at TAS2018. I finally figured it out that its just 'GReddy' written in Arabic.

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32

Since it's still on papers and nothing is official (hope to see the final product soon), the Patrol GT (which embarrassed Richard Hammond driving the Porsches) still the record holder and it's also in UAE.
Now i have 2 excuses to visit that relatively neighbor country.

33

I'm pretty sure thats a hypertune intake manifold. And why do they use gardening hose off the valve cover, looks so cheap and horrible. Has trust made any development with turbo technology or do they still run the same wheel designs from 20 years ago?

34

Those are 20 inch rims!? Heavens, they look 17 inch max with those huge wheel arches!

I do like the way they painted this car. And that the bodykit does not ruin it's lines, but fits rather nicely

35

Is this not the Patrol that was in Grand Tour when Hammond raced a local when they were in the Middle East?

Season one, I think?

36

And also it was a 2-door Patrol

37

Yes, it's what I think so.
Hammond said that the Patrol made more than 1800HP. I don't think there is so much Patrol with this configuration.
The exterior style (stickers...) was different, in the Grand Tour, the car was "stock style". But I think it just serve the purpose of the TV-show. And nevertheless, it's just stickers, easily removable.

38

If I am not mistaken, that one have a full R35 GT-R powertrain and interior

39

Even the Greddy and Trust decals are in Arabic.. Nice!!

40

So it's technically a Pandem kit?

41

It's like a Subaru Forester got angry and Hulked out.

42

Btw who is the owner of this beast.

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