Nissan’s new LMP1 race car created quite a buzz when it was first introduced, and it just shattered the status quo when its specs were announced. The Nissan GT-R LM Nismo, to give its full name, is powered by a V6 engine located in the front, driving the front wheels. That doesn’t sound peculiar until you realize it is going up against monstrous hybrid LMP1 cars with four-wheel-drive and engine in the middle.
So to help us get to grips with all the amazing stuff that’s going on with the Nissan GT-R LM Nismo, the Le Mans team’s chief engineer Zack Eakin brought the car to Jay Leno’s Garage for an up close and personal look. One gets the idea Nissan went radical with the LM Nismo just so they can grab some media attention. Logically, the car stands no chance of winning – not in the face of cars like the Audi R18 and Porsche 919.
Nissan GT-R LM Nismo Specs:
Configuration
Front-engine. Front-wheel-drive
Engine
Nissan VRX 30A NISMO: 3.0-liter, 60 degree V6, direct injection gasoline twin-turbo
Transmission
5-speed + reverse sequential gearbox with pneumatic paddle shift system. Epicyclic final drive reduction with hydraulic limited slip differential
Tilton 3-plate carbon clutch assembly
Chassis
FIA Homologated weight: 870 kg. Right-hand driving position
68-liter capacity FT3 fuel tank featuring electric lift and feed pumps. Mechanical flywheel ERS housed ahead and beneath driver’s feet inside the survival cell.
Bodywork
Carbon-composite body panels. Polycarbonate windscreen with hard coating?CFD and full scale wind tunnel developed ultra high efficiency bodywork geometry, adjustable rear wing.
Suspension
Ohlins multi-adjustable front dampers and Penske multi-adjustable rear dampers, hydraulic rear anti-roll bar system.
Brakes
6-piston front and 4-piston rear calipers. Driver-adjustable brake bias.
Wheels
BBS center-lock, magnesium forged 18”x13” front and 16”x9” rear
Tyres
Michelin 31/71-18 front, 20/71-16 rear radials
Electrical
Cosworth engine control unit featuring: Engine control, gearbox control;?Driver adjustable traction control, Anti-lag system control, lift-and-coast fuel conservation, Drive-by-wire throttle control and ERS deployment strategy control
Interior
NISMO 5-point harness?Lifeline lightweight extinguisher system
Data / display system
Cosworth Electronics with NISMO steering wheel mounted LCD
