If you’ve been paying, like, any attention at all, you know the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO is one weird racer.
-It’s a front-engine, front-wheel-drive car competing against a field full of mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive racers in the Le Mans Prototype class—the segment that Audi has nearly completely dominated since it began racing at Le Mans in 2006.
-But Nissan didn’t make all these unconventional choices at random. The car may be highly irregular, but it’s designed to take advantage of what the team thinks are highly beneficial parts of the Le Mans rulebook.
-That means focusing a majority of the car’s weight and aerodynamic downforce on the front axle. And running a crazy hybrid-energy-storage system built around a flywheel that spins in a vacuum faster than the speed of sound.
-We’re not the only ones jazzed on the GT-R’s out-of-the-box design. Just look how excited Jay Leno got when it wheeled into his palatial garage.
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- Full Specs Revealed for Crazysauce Nissan GT-R LM NISMO Le Mans Racer
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- 2016 Nissan Maxima First Drive Review
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- 2015 Nissan GT-R Full Coverage: Tests, Reviews, Specs, Photos, and More
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No, Leno didn’t get to drive it—the example he’s standing next to is an engineless mock-up. But he did chat with chief engineer Zack Eakin about the many unusual aspects of this wicked race car. And we get to ride along with Jann Mardenborough, the GT Academy Season 3 winner who will drive for Nissan at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
-Just wait ’til you hear this thing scream.
- -This story originally appeared on roadandtrack.com.
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from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/1G68Ulu
via Agya
