Silly question for the hardcore PF enthusiast

[Kyson]

So what do you think ever became of the Dunehawk concept vehicle?

I love concept cars, and though many are destroyed, a few get tucked away. The Dunehawk was incredible - I loved everything about it and it previewed the R51 very well.

Any word on when the new body style will arrive, having just come through this one's mid-life refresh?

Meaningless, but interesting Saturday trivia for sure.

[NVSteve]

Dunehawk? Don't remember that one. What about the Terranaut:

[Kyson]

Here are a couple of photos of the 2003 Dunehawk Concept:








It becomes more obvious where we got the inspiration for Storm Grey with Tan leather! Although the concept was actually more of a grey/green. Anyway - this is the genesis of the Pathfinders we drive today.

[SilverGhost]

It becomes more obvious where we got the inspiration for Storm Grey with Tan leather!

Since similar combinations, with slight variations, are pretty common, I would hardly consider the DuneHawk inspirational in that regard. But our R51's are very close to the original exterior design renditions, 'cept for the functional door handles that add visual clutter to production bodies.

Thanks for the heads-up, though. I hadn't heard of the DH prior to your post, but a quick web search led me to the design images you posted, as well as one photo of the actual mockup that appeared at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 2003. Personally, I like the rear bumper with integrated exhaust ports. But it would look way out of character on our PF's with the exposed trailer hitch.

[Kyson]

I was referring to my wife and I selecting grey/tan as a color combination based on having seen a similar combo on the DH and liking it there.

I also liked the integrated exhausts and rear bumper. Its interesting how the concept's waterfall portion of the dash design more closely resembles the shape of the 2008+ PF than the original 2005 -2007. They must work out the details of the first production vehicles as well as the midlife refreshes very early on. This would make sense as they could tool up once for all the various holes and cuts that need to be present in the vehicles body, firewall, dash reinforcements, etc. right from the start without incurring those costs mid life cycle.

[Fofiddy]

The Dunhawk was my primary influence to get the Storm Gray... that and my initial desire to get a Smoke Titan CC.
I've said it a million times but I would kill to have the LED headlamps forget the HID's they have been holding out on the US market for years.

[SilverGhost]

Storm/Tan was my preference as well. However, my tight-fisted nature compelled me to buy a new left-over '06 in '07, and I only wanted an LE. By the time I decided to pull the trigger, my Black/Tan was the only one left in the area. I still luvvit, but keeping it looking good is a serious challenge.

[NVSteve]

Storm/Tan was my preference as well. However, my tight-fisted nature compelled me to buy a new left-over '06 in '07, and I only wanted an LE. By the time I decided to pull the trigger, my Black/Tan was the only one left in the area. I still luvvit, but keeping it looking good is a serious challenge.

I was the opposite. If I'm going to cough up that much cash, it had better damned well be exactly what I want. When all was said & done, I had one built for less than what they wanted for the previous year's models. I had to wait 3 months for it, but it was worth it.

Heated mirrors would have been nice. So would the NAV system. But, I couldn't go with leather because I use mine to haul stuff, and the passenger seat won't fold flat if you get leather. I'm rebuilding our kitchen countertops right now, and I've had a couple of loads with 2' x 8' 3/4" plywood sheets, cement board and various other 8' lumber. The one accessory I find the most useful for the PF is my nice $11 tarp, which nicely protects the interior when hauling around cement, wood, etc.

[SHAWNATGERBROCK]

Dang ... Those are the wheels that were on the first pictures of the R51's .... then they came out with blaaa .... wish they were more like that !!!

[SilverGhost]

Dang ... Those are the wheels that were on the first pictures of the R51's .... then they came out with blaaa .... wish they were more like that !!!

They were almost identical to that on the LE, except for the protruding center cap. Check out the photo album in my SIG.

[Kyson]

Yes, the wheels are very similar to the LE wheels.
They are just wider and have the protrusion at the end of each spoke, but those small differences make all the difference.

I've been grappling with a wheel change for ours and still haven't seen anything I really like.

Notice what looks like an offroad or driving light concealed in the leading edges of the roof rack, visible in the top picture where the Dunehawk is facing forward.

[SilverGhost]

Notice what looks like an offroad or driving light concealed in the leading edges of the roof rack, visible in the top picture where the Dunehawk is facing forward.

Excellent snag! I hadn't noticed that before. It's a great design idea. Too bad no one (to my knowledge) has proposed or produced anything similar.

[blink32]

I've had a couple of loads with 2' x 8' 3/4" plywood sheets, cement board and various other 8' lumber. The one accessory I find the most useful for the PF is my nice $11 tarp, which nicely protects the interior when hauling around cement, wood, etc.

You don't use the roof racks? I'll admit, in stock form they are not as easy to secure stuff to as compared to when I toss my LoadWarrior basket up there, but I avoid putting junk inside at all costs.

[NVSteve]

You don't use the roof racks? I'll admit, in stock form they are not as easy to secure stuff to as compared to when I toss my LoadWarrior basket up there, but I avoid putting junk inside at all costs.

I do use the beefed up Thule rack, but never for anything really long & heavy. Ever worked with cement backerboard? It's basically a 1/2" sheet of, well, cement. A few sheets of that, a few sheets of plywood & a few other wood pieces-it was a very heavy haul. Of course it was snowing when I bought the stuff, so that would have ruled out the roof rack immediately. It's just so easy to fold the seats & lay out the tarp for stuff. Keeps the interior pristine.

[blink32]

Oh yea, i know it well. Which is why I switched to using hardi-backer board. All your circumstanced piled up I see why you used the insides. For large stuff in the 4x8 range I drag the Harbor Freight special trailer along. Everything else goes on the roof. Probably never more than 2-3 hundred lbs though but everything from 20ft pieces of steel tubing, 16ft pieces of trim (made a 17ft long 3" pvc tube for that stuff) to 12ft lumber.

I need to get my pickup running well so i dont have to mess with it at all.