This is an ex-works 1989 Nissan Patrol “Repsol” 4×4, it was prepared by the Nissan Spain Team to compete in events like the Paris-Dakar Rally, Baja 1000, Rallye des Pharaons, etc.
It’s currently being offered for sale out of Spain, it includes a 275 bhp engine, a reinforced chassis, uprated suspension, and lightweight composite body panels. The current asking price is £25,000 – which works out to approximately $30,600 USD.
Fast Facts – Ex-Works Nissan Patrol Repsol
- The Nissan Patrol has a long and storied history in the world of rally raid racing, the Paris-Dakar in particular, a race it first entered as a works team in 1987 – winning the diesel class on its first attempt.
- The Patrol had surprised many by winning the diesel class in Tunis Rally, Baja Aragón, and Raid Pharaons a year earlier in 1986. These races were supposed to be shakedown tests and no one actually expected they would win all three.
- Some privateers had been preparing and racing Patrols off-road in the years prior including Andre Dessoude, who established Team Dessoude out of his Nissan dealership in Spain and raced in the Dakar in 1982.
- The vehicle you see here the ex-works Nissan Patrol from 1989, it was professionally prepared for rally raid competition, and it’s now being offered for sale as a restoration project.
The Nissan Patrol
The first Nissan Patrol (4W60) was built in 1951, it was essentially a Japanese copy of the Willys Jeep (as was the first Toyota Land Cruiser), and it would remain in production until 1960.
Above Video: This short film gives a brief look back at the 1989 Paris-Dakar Rally, including footage of the cars and motorcycles that were competing.
The second generation Nissan Patrol was where the model line really found its feet and began to establish its own unique identity. Exports began to Australia followed by Canada, the United States, and many other world markets.
Known as the 60 Series, the second generation Patrol was offered in three wheelbase lengths, short, long, and super long, but there was only one engine choice – the tough 4.0 liter gasoline inline-six known as the “P engine” for “Patrol.”
It would be the 60 Series Patrols that really established the reputation that the model still enjoys today. The third generation Patrol arrived in 1980 offering significant upgrades in size, engine and body options, styling, and comfort.
Nissan are now producing the sixth generation Patrol, it’s a key competitor in many world markets for the Toyota Land Cruiser, and current special edition versions include the Patrol Desert Edition and the Patrol Nismo.
It’s clear that this Patrol will require a restoration before any racing is attempted, however with the newly formed Dakar Classic class it would make a highly competitive package.
The Ex-Works Nissan Patrol Repsol Shown Here
The Patrol you see here was built by the Nissan Spain Team for their international rally raid campaign, including the Paris-Dakar Rally, Baja 1000, Rallye des Pharaons, and more.
Spain and the Nissan Patrol have a long history together, the Japanese automaker opened a factory to build Patrols in Spain in the early 1980s, with the first one rolling off the production line in 1983.
This Patrol is equipped with a motorsport prepared 4.2 liter straight-six that is said to be good for 275 bhp when it’s running. The vehicle also has a special reinforced chassis, coil spring front suspension, KYB adjustable dampers with remote reservoirs, and lightweight composite body panels.
It’s now being offered for sale as a restoration project, given the rising popularity of classic four-wheel drives and the new Dakar Classic class that allows eligible vintage racers to compete in the modern Dakar, this Patrol could make an excellent project for the right person.
If you’d like to read more about it or enquire about making an offer you can visit the listing here on Car & Classic.
*Editor’s Note: Many of this images used in this article are lower-resolution that we would normally use on Silodrome. We made an exception here due to the special nature of this vehicle.
**Editor’s Note: The below images are not of the specific Patrol featured here, they’re images of very similar vehicles for reference.
Images courtesy of Car & Classic
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
