Nissans new Le Mans challenger GT-R LM NISMO revealed during Super Bowl
Nissan revealed its new Le Mans challenger, the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO during the commercial break for Super Bowl XLIX, though it was just a glimpse. The Nissan GT-R LM NISMO will be a front-engined, front wheel drive car powered by a V6 3-litre twin turbo petrol engine and a kinetic energy recovery system. The new car will participate in the LM P1 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the highest category in world sports car racing. The championship will kick off at Silverstone, UK on 12 April and travel around the world to Spa in Belgium, onto the Le Mans 24 Hours and Germany’s Nurburgring, before going global with races in the US, Japan, China and the Middle East.
“It gave us great pride to reveal the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO during the Superbowl,” said Roel de Vries, Global Head of Marketing and Brand Strategy at Nissan. “The combination of the Super Bowl and the Le Mans 24 Hours – two of the most watched sporting events in the world – presented us with a unique opportunity to showcase our most ambitious motorsport programme in recent times.
“The GT-R is our flagship road car,” he continued. “This, the ultimate GT-R, continues a sporting bloodline that goes back three decades with NISMO, the motorsport and performance arm of Nissan. Le Mans drives innovation so success on the track will lead to greater innovation in our road car range. We are the new kids at Le Mans; our opponents are the best in the world but we are ready.”
“This is innovation that excites,” said Shoichi Miyatani, President of NISMO. “Sustainability is at the top of our agenda and the technical regulations for Le Mans give us the freedom to pursue new ideas in this area. Our record at Le Mans is third place overall so we have unfinished business there. We want to win and we have the knowledge to do that – for our customers, our employees and our fans. The competition is exceptionally strong and we are excited by the challenge.”
“Our LM P1 programme makes the connection between NISMO on the road and NISMO on the track, showcasing our brand DNA to a global audience,” explained Darren Cox, Global Head of Brand, Marketing Sales, NISMO. “We are taking motorsport to the masses, telling tales of technical innovation but also human stories via all of the exciting communications channels that are open to us now. We will innovate off the track as well as on it so you can be assured that this is just the beginning of the story.”
Nissan also announced three multi-year partnerships that will feature prominently in its LM P1 programme. Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer is the Official Watch Partner and Official Timekeeping Partner while Motul is the Official Lubricants Partner and the LM P1 programme will use tyres supplied by Michelin.