The Nissan DeltaWing racecar
Nissan DeltaWing 'unlike any other racing car currently on the track'
Nissan DeltaWing is half the weight and uses half the fuel of its conventional counterparts
Will run at Le Mans powered by only a 1.6 litre engine
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 race-prepared 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, featuring direct petrol injection and a turbocharger, will power Nissan DeltaWing as it races in anger for the first time at the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours (16-17 June).
It weighs half that of a conventional racing car and will have half the aerodynamic drag meaning it will use half the fuel of its competitors.
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.
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.
"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 are delighted to have become part of the project," said Andy Palmer, Executive Vice President, Global Product Planning.
Nissan DeltaWing is unlike any other racing car currently on track. The driver sits well back in the car, almost over the rear axle and looks ahead down a long, narrow fuselage to narrow twin front tyres, specially created for the car by tyre partner Michelin. With a rear-mounted engine, the car has a strong rearward weight bias, which makes it highly manoeuvrable, while its light weight and shape make it far more efficient.
Its innovative design and forward-looking technology have encouraged the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), the organisers of the famous Le Mans 24 Hours, to invite the car to run in this year's race from 'Garage 56', the spot in the pitlane reserved for experimental cars. As it doesn't conform to any existing championship regulations, Nissan DeltaWing will not be eligible to challenge for silverware and will carry the race number '0'.
The first two Nissan DeltaWing drivers to be confirmed are British Sportscar racer, Marino Franchitti, and Nissan's reigning FIA GT1 World Champion, German Michael Krumm.