There are certain automotive styles and trends that unquestionably harken back to specific eras or points in time. Reaching its peak of popularity in the 1930s and ‘40s, Woodie Wagons very much fall into this category, with these timber-clad vehicles exuding an unmistakable sense of style and class. And for it’s latest one-off SEMA build, Nissan has opted to harness this aesthetic, giving its latest EV model the Woodie Wagon treatment to produce what’s been christened the Ariya Surfwagon Concept.
Based on a 2023 Ariya, the Surfwagon Concept sees the fully-electric donor adorned in a custom vinyl wrap that sports faux wood paneling and chrome trim. Even the EV’s charging port now hides beneath the faux wood wrap. Furthering the concept car’s retro appearance are a set of 20” disc-style “smoothie” wheels with polished stainless-steel center caps and old-school white wall tires.
Commissioned by Nissan and built by South Carolina-based shop Tommy Pike Customs, the all-electric crossover SUV model also draws inspiration from vintage California-style surf wagons, and as such sports a roof rack that now accommodates a pair of 7’ surfboards that have been painted to match the project’s wheels and tires. All in all, TPC has done a terrific job of radically altering the stock Ariya’s appearance through only a handful of purely cosmetic modifications, with the completed project managing to put a decidedly old-school spin on the brand-new crossover EV.
The 2023 Nissan Ariya Surfwagon Concept made its official public debut today at the ongoing Specialty Equipment Market Association Show in Las Vegas, where the one-off Woodie Wagon will remain on display until the event’s conclusion this Friday.
