1994 Nissan Atlas 4X4

Description

Never available in the US from the factory, the Nissan Atlas line of pickups and light commercial vehicles are very often found working hard throughout Japan and Europe. From tow trucks to delivery vans to utility fleets and everything in between, trucks like these are what keep societies moving forward every day. This particular 1994 Nissan Atlas F23 4x4 is more than just some beat-up former laborer, in fact it looks to have barely broken a sweat. Starting life as a fire truck in Japan, it was decommissioned, a utility liftgate-style bed was swapped out back, and then it was fully sorted. Fresh bright red paint, a tidy quad-cab interior, and a workhorse 2.7L I4 Diesel engine matched up with a 5-speed gearbox top the list of highlights, but the fact this blue-collar beauty only has 17,213 kilometers on the clock might be its best attribute.

If you're familiar with the VW 'Doka' Transporter, then you're pretty much halfway there when it comes to understanding this Nissan. Just know that while the VW stays out all night signing awful Phish songs around the campfire, this Atlas is ready to get up for work at dawn. Point being, if you're ready to put this 4x4 truck to work, it's up for just about any task. Fortunately, this one appears to have never worked a day in its life, and has been expertly preserved and maintained since new. The bright red paint looks WAY too good to be original, the body panels are super-clean, and there's not a trace of rust or damage anywhere. Even the color, which such a nice shade of red, is just what you'd imagine slogging along a narrow Japanese street somewhere early in the morning, doing its job. Personally, I love the all-business look of this truck, with form following function and a minimum of frills. You could look at this little trucklet for hours and keep finding new details that were the result of some engineering solution rather than a stylist's pen, which is probably why these are so beloved. The utility bed is as functional as you'll ever find, with drop-down panels, a diamond plate floor and liftgate all covered in black spray-in bedliner that will protect it forever. Oversized mirrors, step bars, a roof rack, headache bars, and LED lighting are all part of the package, and the red-and-black color combination is flat-out gorgeous.

The cab is spacious and bright, more akin to a big van than, say, a modern extended cab pickup. The commanding seating position and upright steering wheel is tilted with a great view of the road, and with no hood, this truck is a snap to maneuver. The seats are firm in typical Japanese fashion, but that also means they're going to wear like iron and still manage to be all-day comfortable. Even the back seat is surprisingly spacious once you clamor back there easily thanks to the wide quad-cab design. Gauges are basic, and the speedometer reading in KPH is another reminder that this truck was never available in the US. Interesting options in the bare-bones cabin include cold A/C and hot heat, an upgraded Pioneer AM/FM/CD/AUX stereo, tilt/telescopic wheel, as well as power steering and power front disc brakes.

Power comes from Nissan' erstwhile 2.7L I4 diesel engine, which makes around a 100 horsepower and approximately 170 lb-ft of torque driving through a smooth-shifting 5-speed manual transmission. With an instantly recognizable sound and surprisingly good pull in the lower gears (which makes us think those torque numbers are probably a bit higher), the Atlas squirts through traffic easily and offers stable, trusty handling empty or loaded. This one is just as clean underneath as it is up top, and the utilitarian blacked-out alloys come wrapped in heavy-duty 215/60/15.5 Dunlop radials with plenty of tread left.

For import enthusiasts, this is a rare treat, and it's likely that it won't stick around long once it hits the internet. If you're interested, I urge you to call today!