Outdoors/Adventure

Nissan gears pickup for titanic Alaska adventure

Two veterans of the Wounded Warrior Project are touring Southcentral Alaska in a modified Nissan truck airlifted to Anchorage this week on a C-130.

Nissan calls the Alaska adventure "Project Titan," with two Army veterans putting the V-8 crewcab to the "ultimate test" on and off the road for the next two weeks. The truck is the vehicle of choice for a series on YouTube.

The company solicited votes this summer from its Facebook fans for 10 modifications to beef up the truck, everything from an "ARB Deluxe Bull Bar" to replace the front bumper to leather seats, a roof rack, Bulldog LED lights, a superior sound system, a stronger suspension and a military-inspired camo covering for a look called "Recon Titan."

The other themes rejected by the Facebook electorate were were "Arctic Titan" and "Alpha Titan."

Everything about the venture is recounted with the overheated language of TV truck ads. The tires are not just the all-terrain sort; they are "Nitto Trail Grapplers" with an "aggressive tread" capable of conquering rugged terrain. There is a Nismo cold-air intake, a Borla cat-back exhaust designed to be heard from a great distance, a satellite phone, two 300-watt subwoofers and other niceties.

In one of a series of videos about accessorizing the Titan PRO-4X in Nashville, a company official said the idea was to make the half-ton pickup capable of handling the "baddest terrain on the planet." It's all part of a titanic effort to "take it to Alaska and beat the heck out of it,' said Brent Hagan, senior planner of Project Titan.

"The robust Titan serves as a great starting point for an adventure of this magnitude," Fred Diaz, Nissan U.S. sales and marketing operations senior vice president, said in a press release. "With the help of Nissan's Facebook fan base, Project Titan is fully equipped for the Alaskan Frontier."

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David Guzman of Texas and Kevin McMahon of Connecticut, both wounded U.S. Army veterans, are the drivers, dubbed "pilots" by Nissan. Both were injured in Iraq and are alumni of the Wounded Warrior Project.

A Nissan film crew is accompanying them to the sights in Southcentral Alaska, preparing a series of YouTube videos that are to appear this fall. The journey is also being chronicled on Facebook by Nissan.

For the occasions when Guzman and McMahon care to camp out, they are pulling a Manley off-road trailer packed with extra gear, Nissan said.

"The two will trek over mountains and through valleys in the ultimate Titan, braving the muddy, rocky terrain and encountering an occasional wild animal. With the brisk onset of fall invading the Last Frontier, it's likely the WWP Alumni can expect some of the first snowflakes of the season.

Nissan said the modified vehicle won't be available for purchase and "modifying a vehicle could affect its safety, performance and durability."

Dermot Cole

Former ADN columnist Dermot Cole is a longtime reporter, editor and author.

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