2012 Nissan DeltaWing - First Onboard In Car Video
NISSAN BACKS GROUND-BREAKING DELTAWING PROJECT FOR LE MANS
Nissan DeltaWing experimental racecar to be powered by Nissan 1.6-litre DIG-T engine technology in this generation's most revolutionary and exciting motorsport project
Nissan leads efficiency charge as founding partner of project
Innovative new racing car to run at Le Mans with Nissan technology
Nissan DeltaWing will act as test bed for new road car technologies
Drive for efficiency will see car use half the fuel of its conventional counterparts, bringing Nissan "PureDrive" principles to the track
Initial backers include racing legends Dan Gurney and Don Panoz, concept designer Ben Bowlby and Michelin
Special invitation from ACO to occupy 'Garage 56'
Car to wear number '0' and run outside race classification
LONDON, United Kingdom (13 March 2012) - Nissan is aiming to change the face of endurance racing forever by becoming a founding partner in the most radical motorsport project of its time - Nissan DeltaWing.
A highly-advanced and hugely-efficient Nissan engine will power the remarkable DeltaWing car as it races in anger for the first time at the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours (16-17 June).
While Nissan DeltaWing will not be classified in the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours, the Company is looking to showcase the pioneering technology that will show one potential direction for the future of motorsport and will feed into the research and development of future technologies, that filter down to Nissan's road car product range.
A race-prepared 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, featuring direct petrol injection and a turbocharger, will power Nissan DeltaWing, which is half the weight and has half the aerodynamic drag of a conventional racer.
With innovation at its core, Nissan was a natural partner to be invited into the DeltaWing family by the existing group of core partners - US-domiciled British designer Ben Bowlby, American motorsport entrepreneur Don Panoz, the All-American Racers organization of former US Formula 1 driver Dan Gurney, Duncan Dayton's two-time championship-winning Highcroft Racing team and Michelin Tyres North America.
The engine, badged DIG-T (Direct Injection Gasoline - Turbocharged), is expected to produce around 300hp, sufficient to give Nissan DeltaWing lap times between LMP1 and LMP2 machines at Le Mans, despite having only half the power of those conventional prototypes. It features the same technology found in Nissan road cars, such as the range-topping Nissan Juke DIG-T.
"As motor racing rulebooks have become tighter over time, racing cars look more and more similar and the technology used has had less and less relevance to road car development. Nissan DeltaWing aims to change that and we were an obvious choice to become part of the project," said Andy Palmer, Executive Vice President, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
"But this is just the start of our involvement. Nissan DeltaWing embodies a vast number of highly-innovative ideas that we can learn from. At the same time, our engineering resources and commitment to fuel efficiency leadership via our PureDrive strategy will help develop DeltaWing into a testbed of innovation for Nissan".
"This announcement gives Nissan the opportunity to become part of a ground-breaking motorsport project and one which could shape the future of the sport," he added.
Nissan DeltaWing concept originator and designer, Briton Ben Bowlby, said: "Nissan has provided us with our first choice engine. It's a spectacular piece. We've got the engine of our dreams: it's the right weight, has the right power and it's phenomenally efficient."