Nicholas Scherr, the builder known online as Nismo Nick, unveiled two rebodied Nissan Pathfinders at the 2026 SEMA Show, and the street-oriented one is rated at 501 wheel horsepower from a supercharged V6. Called the Trackfinder, it sends that power through a six-speed manual taken from an Xterra. The pair celebrate 40 years of the Pathfinder nameplate.
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Both trucks start life as older R51-generation Pathfinders and end up wearing the front end of a 2027 Nissan Frontier. The second build, the Trailfinder, swaps in a factory V8 and goes in the opposite direction from its twin: taller, softer and aimed at dirt rather than pavement. Neither is a Nissan factory product, though a dealership helped with both.
Trackfinder’s supercharged VQ40 and six-speed manual
Autoblog’s report on the Pathfinder twins says the Trackfinder uses a supercharged VQ40 V6 with 501 wheel hp, mated to a six-speed manual from an older Xterra. Carscoops, in its look at both builds, supplies the hardware list: a 4.0-liter V6 with a Z1 Off-Road supercharger, carbon fiber intake piping, a heat-shielded airbox and an UpRev tune, with a Centerforce clutch and flywheel behind it. Carscoops quotes the same 501 horsepower figure but without the wheel-horsepower qualifier, so Autoblog’s wheel rating is the more specific of the two.
The rest of the Trackfinder is dressed to match the drivetrain. It sits low on custom coilovers, with forged 20-inch black wheels hiding large Z1 big brakes, a carbon fiber hood with a scoop, a rear spoiler and a functional quad exhaust. Earlier teaser coverage from Carscoops noted that LOJ Conversions was lowering the ride height and revising the suspension, and that a manual gearbox was part of the plan from the start, although output figures had not been shared at that point.
The distinction between wheel and crank figures matters for a build like this. A wheel-horsepower rating is measured at the driven wheels on a dynamometer after drivetrain losses, so it normally reads lower than the same engine’s output at the flywheel. Autoblog’s 501 wheel hp therefore describes a V6 that stock-rated far below that mark, and the claim leans on the supercharger kit and tune rather than on any manufacturer rating. No dyno sheet or testing session has been published for either truck, and the builder has not been quoted explaining the figure.
Trailfinder’s VK56 V8, Titan suspension and 35-inch tires
The Trailfinder keeps a factory VK56 V8, the 5.6-liter engine, and adds a Z1 Off-Road intake and snorkel. Underneath it carries a heavy-duty Titan suspension swap, a Z1 big brake kit and 35-inch Hankook mud tires on 17-inch steel wheels. Hammerhead Armor steel bumpers, rock sliders, a front winch, a swing-out spare carrier and a roof rack with a tent complete the exterior. Inside, a red Frontier-sourced dashboard and red leather seats with tartan inserts continue the throwback theme, and Carscoops calls the whole truck a love letter to body-on-frame V8 SUVs.
Autoblog does not state the Trailfinder’s transmission. Its meta description says each build has a manual, but the article itself confirms one only for the Trackfinder, so the six-speed manual belongs to the track truck alone.
Frontier front clips, Ruby Slate paint and who built them
Both trucks share the same bodywork recipe. The front clip, core support and front doors come from a 2027 Frontier and are grafted onto the older SUV frames, and the team trimmed the A-pillars and split the rear doors in half to blend the two body lines. Both wear Ruby Slate Pearl paint, which Autoblog says was originally offered on the 2021 Nissan Maxima anniversary edition. Carscoops adds that the builds used Frontier D41 parts, including the grille, headlights and dashboard.
Scherr, who is credited as Nismo Nick, did the work with support from Pinnacle Nissan in Scottsdale, Arizona, according to Carscoops, which found no statement from Nissan corporate. Neither report carries a direct quote from him, and the Instagram handle credited for the photos is nismonickofficial. Nissan’s own factory SEMA lineup is separate: Motor1’s rundown of Nissan’s three show concepts lists a Frontier RONIN, a Pathfinder XE-V6 and an Armada Jungle Patrol, and does not mention either Nismo Nick build.
The anniversary framing points at a retro push inside Nissan too. The Pathfinder XE-V6 nods to the original 1987 model, which turns 40 in 2027, and Nissan’s U.S. news page lists a 2027 Pathfinder Special Edition under future vehicles, expected in November 2026. Motor1 suggests Nissan could offer its XE-V6 look as a 2027 special trim.
Carscoops’ earlier teaser story from March said Scherr had not confirmed powertrain details for the off-road truck, whose livery then read “SE-V8.” The final Trailfinder shows that suggestion was right: the V8 is the factory VK56. What remains unreported is any price, any plan to repeat the build for customers, and any dyno sheet beyond the single 501-horsepower figure.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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