Nissan jumps into the LMP1 deep-end, joining Audi, Porsche and Toyota in 2015.
After occupying the experimental single entry garage 55 for the last few years, it seems Nissan has finally grown tired of not having any direct competition at Le Mans. Today it was made official that Nissan will be returning to top-flight racing at Le Mans and in the World Endurance Championship in 2015 with an all-new LMP1 car called the Nissan GT-R LM Nismo.
Nissan will be the fourth LMP1 factory team participating in the WEC and Le Mans, joining Audi, Porsche and Toyota. Not much is known about the car at this point but Nissan seems keen to establish a tangible link between it and the GT-R road car (watch the slightly weird video below to see what we’re talking about). LMP1 regulations also require all factory entrants to utilize a hybrid drivetrain, so that’s a certainty.
"LM P1 is not just an arms race,” said Nissan's Chief Planning Officer and Executive Vice President Andy Palmer in a recent press release. “All our rivals in the class have taken different technical approaches, and we will be doing the same. We want to win in a very different way to that of our rivals. We won't be turning up in a vehicle, which is a basically another hybrid that looks like another Porsche, Audi or Toyota – they all look the same to me. Our intention is to do something that is a little bit different."
We’re guessing we’ll get our first full look at the car next month at Le Mans.