Chris Forsberg Dishes On His Favorite Nissan of All Time

That man was Chris Forsberg, a legend in the Nissan world. Having raced professionally with the brand for 22 years, he’s one of the most credible authorities on Nissan performance on the planet. Best known for his dominance in drifting, Forsberg has recently expanded into off-road racing with a Nissan Frontier and is building a Nismo Z for wheel-to-wheel road racing.

Given his deep history, AutoGuide.com's James Reeves hit him with the toughest question of the day: "Best Nissan ever made is...?"

"Ooh, that's a tough one," Forsberg replied, before landing on a definitive answer. "R34 GTR."

But for a true enthusiast, it's never that simple. Forsberg immediately admitted he's constantly torn between two icons.

"I go back and forth between 32 and 34," he explained. "The 34 just really screams that like late '90s, you know, JDM feel, which I love. You know, it's got like the cool dash and everything."

His heart, however, clearly has a soft spot for the predecessor. "The 32 is more of like you got a tape deck. You know, it's a little more raw, which I do love."

That love for the "90s angular rad look" of the R32 GTR is the entire reason for the vehicle he brought to SEMA—a vehicle that, at first glance, couldn't be more different: a 1990 Nissan Patrol.

"This is a 1990 Y60 Nissan Patrol," Forsberg said. "It's right-hand drive. We imported it from Japan, and I was daily driving it."

There was just one problem. Its original TD42 non-turbo diesel engine made it the "slowest vehicle I owned." So, in true Forsberg fashion, he fixed it.

He and his team sourced a TB48 4.8L gasoline engine from a later Y61 Patrol—a complicated six-month logistical feat involving contacts in Lebanon and Dubai. They then added a billet intake and a massive G42-1200 single turbo.

The result? "This thing is doing 800 wheel horsepower... about 1,000 at the crank," Forsberg said with a grin. "It's way more to get yourself in trouble than you need."

The 1,000-horsepower, flame-spitting '90s brick was, and still is, driven on the street. And in the ultimate display of a racer's mindset, Forsberg is already planning the next step: "We do want to open it up and crack the, thousand horsepower to the ground number. I don't really know why, but why do we do anything?"

While the R34 GTR may officially be his favorite Nissan, his 1,000-horsepower Patrol might just be the most "Chris Forsberg" Nissan ever built.