Nissan's DeltaWing racer gets Le Mans go-ahead
A new experimental racer from Nissan, called the DeltaWing, will be entered in the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours.
A highly advanced endurance racing car project, known as DeltaWing, has been given permission to race at the Le Mans 24 Hour race. Expected to lap the circuit as fast as the current LMP2 cars, using a 300bhp DIG-T (Direct Injection Gasoline – Turbocharged) engine.
Although the car won't be classified in the race, and will wear the number '0', DeltaWing is pioneering new lightweight and efficient technologies - backed by British designer Ben Bowlby and American motorsport entrepreneur Don Panoz.
The driver sits a long way back in the car, almost over the rear axle, looking forward down a long, narrow almost aircraft-like fuselage. The front twin tyres have been specially developed by tyre partner Michelin.
With a rear-mounted engine, the car has a strong rearward weight bias, making it highly manoeuvrable, while its low weight and slippery shape make it far more efficient. Convinced by the project's prospects, the ACO has offered 'Garage 56' - reserved specially for experimental prototypes like the DeltaWing.
