Flashback Friday: History of the Nissan Titan

By Product Expert | Posted in Nissan Titan on Friday, March 11th, 2016 at 6:57 pm

The comparison above doesn’t even seem real. The 1983 Nissan pickup, the first ever to be built in the United States practically looks like a toy compared to the all-new Titan XD. After more than 55 years in the US, let’s flashback to all of the milestones the Titan pickup has achieved as it settles into its new generation.

When you think of Nissan, you don’t typically think of it as a truck brand. You probably think of the sporty Z (which we covered a few weeks ago) but surprisingly enough, it actually got its start with pickup trucks. This Flashback Friday, the history of the Nissan Titan dates back to when Nissan was still Datsun and when its first assembly plant was built in Smyrna, Tennessee.

One of the very first Nissan pickup trucks to come to market was the 1960 Datsun 1200 which was powered by a 1L engine that mustered up 37-horsepower. By engine size and capability alone you can see just how far Nissan trucks have advanced. The Titan XD is powered by a Cummins 5.0L V8 Turbo diesel engine that fires up 310 horsepower that is met by 555 lb.ft. of torque.

The building blocks of Nissan’s pickup truck also included the Patrol, which was strong, sturdy, off-road capable, and had unmatched durability compared to anything else in its segment–even Jeep. These guys featured an inline six, a big step up from the 1L engine found in the original Datsun 1200.

The Nissan Titan’s roots branch off in a variety of ways, and one particular root leads to the CORR Off Road Racing Nissan Frontier as well as the Nissan Bonneville Race Truck. To this day, Nissan is still involved in rally racing.

Some of the concept cars that Nissan has been producing lately look extremely futuristic, something you might hope to drive in a sci-fi movie. A look here shows up the 1990 Nissan Gobi Concept. Always learning, trying, pushing boundaries, and of course innovating.

There also is the 1990 Nissan Hardbody–the truck that nobody could break. There trucks were the definition of durable, able to last well beyond a 100,000 miles without a single problem. This isn’t something that can be said for a large number of vehicles seen on today’s roads. All of the trucks in this blog can be seen on display at the Lane Motor Museum. You also can see them in the video below and listen to Nissan dig a little deeper into the Titan’s history.

Whether you’re heading to the worksite or traveling to the campsite for a weekend getaway, the 2016 Nissan Titan XD can do more than just take you there. These trucks feature incredible interior technology and unyielding capability.

More from Glendale Nissan

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