The face of the Le Mans 24 Hour race is set to change with the launch of Nissan's new experimental racer.
The Nissan DeltaWing Image: Nissan UK |
The DeltaWing looks more like a candidate for a world landspeed record blast than 24 hours of gruelling track racing at one of the world's most famous road circuits. Yet Nissan is confident that the British-designed car will more than hold its own against the top endurance racers.
The stunning black DeltaWing is powered by a race-tuned version of the Japanese automaker's 1.6 litre Direct Injection Gasoline - Turbocharged (DIG-T) engine which produces around 300bhp but is expected to set lap times comfortably within the range of cars which engines twice the size.
The car is also backed by some illustrious names including US motorsport businessman, Don Panoz, and racing legend Dan Gurney whose All-American Racers company has built the car. The racer has all the attributes of a landspeed record car with very narrow, Michelin-shod, front wheels sitting under a long fuselage - the driver sitting towards the rear of the car just ahead of the engine.
The race organisers were so impressed with the DeltaWing's design, they offered the team a chance to take part in the race from the famous 'Garage 56' which is specially reserved for experimental cars. The car will race as number 0 as it will not be eligible for an official race classification, but there will be little doubt that the 'traditional' race teams will be keeping a very close eye on what could become the new face of endurance racing.