Nissan R390 GT1

Nissan R390 GT1

Category	GT1
Constructor	Nissan Motorsports Ltd.
Designer(s)	Tony Southgate Ian Callum
Predecessor	Nissan R383
Successor	Nissan R391
Technical specifications
Chassis	Carbon-fibre monocoque chassis
Suspension (front)	double wishbone pushrod system
Suspension (rear)	double wishbone pushrod system
Engine	Nissan VRH35L 3.5 L 90° V8 twin-turbo mid, longitudinally mounted
Transmission	Xtrac 6-speed Sequential manual
Weight	1,029 kilograms (2,269 lb)
Tyres	Bridgestone
Competition history
Notable entrants	Nismo Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Notable drivers	Kazuyoshi Hoshino Masahiko Kageyama Aguri Suzuki Satoshi Motoyama Takuya Kurosawa Masami Kageyama Martin Brundle Michael Krumm Jörg Müller Jan Lammers Wayne Taylor Eric van de Poele Riccardo Patrese Andrea Montermini Érik Comas Franck Lagorce John Nielsen
Debut	1997 24 Hours of Le Mans
Races Wins Poles F.Laps 2 0 0 0

Nissan R390 GT1
A 1998 Nissan R390 GT1 Road Car.
Overview
Manufacturer	Nissan
Production	1998
Designer	Tony Southgate Ian Callum
Body and chassis
Class	Grand tourer (S)
Body style	2-door berlinetta
Layout	Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Related	McLaren F1 LM Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR AMG Porsche 911 GT1 Straßenversion Toyota TS020 GT-One
Powertrain
Engine	3.5 L (214 cu in) VRH35L twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission	6-speed sequential manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,720 mm (107 in)
Length	4,719 mm (185.8 in)
Width	1,999 mm (78.7 in)
Height	1,140 mm (45 in)
Curb weight	1,098 kg (2,421 lb)

The Nissan R390 GT1 was a mid-engined super car built in Atsugi, Japan. It was designed primarily to gain a suitable racing entry in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1997 and 1998. It was built to race under the grand tourer style rules, requiring a homologated road version to be built. Therefore, the R390 was built originally as road car, then a racing version of the car was developed after. Only one R390 road car was ever built and is stored at Nissan's Zama facility. The road car was claimed to be capable of 220 mph, which surpassed the Jaguar XJ220 and RUF CTR2, but was superseded by the McLaren F1's 230+ mph claim and the Dauer 962 Le Mans's independently measured 251.4 mph. However, this claim has never been proven.

After returning to sports car racing in 1995, Nismo (Nissan Motorsport) had some measure of success with their Skyline GT-R LMs which had competed in the GT1 class. However, these cars were quickly outpaced by the influx of new manufacturers who were using loopholes in the GT regulations to build racing cars that bore little resemblance to their GT1 class competitors. This led to such machines as the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR and Porsche 911 GT1, as well as the development of the McLaren F1 GTR. Nismo's Skyline GT-Rs therefore needed to be replaced with more purpose built machinery.

Turning to Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR), Nismo began developing a prototype of the R390 GT1, named to follow in the tradition started in the 1960s with Nissan's R380. The first decision for Nismo and TWR was the choice of engine. The previous Skyline GT-R LMs had used the trusted RB26DETT Inline-6 motor, but the design was old for a racing car, employing an iron block which added weight, and had a high center of gravity. Nismo instead chose to resurrect an engine from the Nissan R89C, a racing car from the Group C era. Its engine, the VRH35Z, was a 3.5L V8 which used an aluminium block, as well as having a lower center of gravity and a better ability to be used as a stressed member over the RB26. Thus the engine was upgraded and designated VRH35L, and would produce approximately 641 hp (478 kW) at 6800 rpm. For road going versions, the engine was detuned to 550 HP.