Nissan has just declared itself ready to take on the world's best sports car manufacturers after revealing a glimpse of its Le Mans challenger - the GT-R LM NISMO - during the commercial break for Super Bowl XLIX.
In a bold move, the Japanese carmaker has interpreted the sport's technical regulations in an innovative way, producing a front-engined, front wheel drive car that is powered by a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 gasoline engine and a kinetic energy recovery system.
The new car will contest the LM P1 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the highest category in world sports car racing. Starting at Silverstone, UK on April 12, the series travels around the world to Spa in Belgium, onto the Le Mans 24 Hours and Germany's Nürburgring, before going global with races in the U.S., Japan, China and the Middle East.
The FIA World Endurance Championship is the ultimate proving ground for automotive companies as technological gains on the track can carry through to road cars. Racing car engineers are facing the same challenges as road car engineers as the spotlight falls on energy efficiency. With more technical freedom than Formula 1, the LM P1 engineers have ample opportunity to innovate.
The intensive test program for the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO that began in Arizona last year continues in the United States. Nissan's full LM P1 driver lineup will be revealed soon.
