Nissan revealed today the racing version of the DeltaWing concept, which was unveiled for the first time last summer. Nissan's DeltaWing racecar will run at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours, but it will not compete in any class, since it's not classified yet. As menacing as it looks, the Nissan DeltaWing is powered by a rather small, 1.6-litre DIG-T 4-cylinder engine equipped with direct petrol injection and a turbocharging. Nissan, together with their partners in "crime" (Dan Gurney and Don Panoz, concept designer Ben Bowlby and Michelin) hope that the DeltaWing will spawn a new racing form in the future.
Even though as we said, the DeltaWing has a small engine, it's also half the weight of a regular racecar and is twice as aerodynamic.
This means that it can do a lot more with less power and torque. Nissan expects the DeltaWing to develop around 300 hp. This will be enough to put the DeltaWing somewhere between the LMP1 and LMP2 classes.
Since some of you may wonder, the Nissan was able to fit two front wheels under the narrow nose. The engine is located at the rear, concentrating most of the car's weight on this particular axle.
The Nissan DeltaWing will be driven in its first race by Marino Franchitti and FIA GT1 World Champion Michael Krumm. The DeltaWing will also be present at Sebring, Florida, at 12.30pm local time on Thursday, March 15, 2012.
Nissan DeltaWing video:
