Nissan GT-R LM Nismo

Lore & Background

Chief designer Ben Bowlby was instructed not to design an 'Audi copy'. He placed the combustion engine in front of the cockpit, a layout previously used only by the Panoz LMP-1, but unlike the Panoz, the GT-R LM powered the front axle through a gearbox located in front of the engine. Bowlby believed a front-engine car could be faster with improved stability and efficiency, noting that rear-end designs of Le Mans Prototypes were limited in size and that front downforce could be generated more efficiently with less drag. The chassis was made from carbon fibre. The flywheel-based kinetic energy recovery system, developed by Torotrak, gained energy from front brake use and could discharge it to the front wheels or to a secondary driveshaft connected to a limited-slip differential at the rear, enabling all-wheel drive. The car's front tyres were 14 inches wide, the rears only 9 inches. Cooling for the engine, gearbox and flywheel systems was located in the nose, allowing airflow tunnels around the cockpit. The rear drivetrain used epicyclic gearboxes in each rear wheel hub instead of traditional halfshafts. The Xtrac five-speed sequential gearbox was hydraulically activated. The program was announced on 23 May 2014. Testing began six months later at the Nissan Technology Centre in Stanfield, Arizona, and continued at Circuit of the Americas, Palm Beach International Raceway, Michelin Laurens Proving Grounds, Sebring International Raceway, and NCM Motorsports Park. The car failed its first crash test due to front roll hoop damage and also failed a door anti-burst load test, requiring a redesign. The car made its racing debut at the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans with three entries, qualifying last in LMP1, over 20 seconds slower than pole position.

Reader's Guide

The Nissan GT-R LM Nismo program was retired from competition at the end of 2015 after only competing unsuccessfully at the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans. A second-generation car adapted to run an electrical hybrid system was designed for 2016 but never completed before the project ended. The car made its virtual debut in Gran Turismo 6 as downloadable content for the 2015 GT Academy competition. The car's significance lies in its radical departure from the rear mid-engine layout that dominated LMP1, attempting to exploit aerodynamic and efficiency advantages through a front-engine, front-wheel-drive configuration with a flywheel hybrid system. Despite its innovative design, the car struggled with reliability and performance, failing to achieve a competitive lap time at Le Mans. The program's brief and unsuccessful history has made it a notable example of a high-risk engineering approach in endurance racing.

Did You Know?

• The GT-R LM Nismo was Nissan's first prototype chassis since the R391 in 1999.
• The flywheel system could output approximately 750 hp, while the combustion engine output about 500 hp.
• The car's front tyres were 14 inches wide, while the rear tyres were only 9 inches wide.
• The engine had to be installed through the front windshield due to chassis redesign issues.