2015 Nissan LMP1 - Something Completely Different

[cosworth151]

And now for something completely different.....

Nissan rolled out its new Le Mans Prototype 1 car in a Super Bowl TV advert. It's one of the most radical LMP cars in recent history.

The car is the work of Ben Bowlby, the designer of the Delta Wing. It is front engine, front wheel drive. The car is powered by a V6 turbo hybrid set up. I think this will be the first front engine LMP1 at Le Mans since Don Panoz's Mario Andretti driven entry of 2000.

The only driver announced so far is Mark Gene.

Front engine, front wheel drive turbo V6 - it will be interesting to see if doing everything wrong can work out right. In any case, the wide assortment of equipment in the current LMP1 certainly proves that F1 is no longer the pinnacle of racing engineering.

[lkjohnson1950]

I love Harry Chapin and generally hate when my favorite songs are used in commercials. Nissan seems to have used this one very appropriately however. I doubt this car will be competitive, but we'll see.

[John S]

Te He, it seems to be facing the wrong way. 

We'll see how it goes though.    Can't say I've ever been struck by the Delta Wing, except with uncontrollable giggling.   

[F1fanaticBD]

The wide assortment of equipment in the current LMP1 certainly proves that F1 is no longer the pinnacle of racing engineering.

I would like to say it in a different manner, F1 is no longer the pinnacle where various brilliant people with various different ideas, designs come and race with each other. Rather it has slowly become an expensive, fast (it is fortunately), artificially spiced (double point) racing series.