Nissan’s Le Mans Livery Is Inspired by a 1990 Record-Breaker

Nissan has big plans for its crazy unconventional Le Mans prototype—a hybrid, mostly front-wheel-drive endurance racer that’s about as out-of-the-box as it gets. But the Nissan team hasn’t lost sight of its past, revealing a livery for the No. 21 Le Mans racer that commemorates the 25th anniversary of one of the most astonishing pole-position laps ever turned at Le Mans.

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The retro red-white-and-blue livery takes its inspiration from the Nissan R90CK driven by Mark Blundell at Le Mans in 1990, at the height of the Group C era. Blundell drove the V-8, twin-turbo, 1100-hp monster to a blistering 3:27.020 qualifying lap, putting more than six seconds between him and his nearest competitor and earning the 24-year old the distinction of being the youngest driver to nab pole position at the 24-hour endurance race.

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Blundell described that lap as one of pure reflex. “[T]hings were coming at me everywhere I looked. For about 50 percent of the lap I felt like I was on the verge of a massive accident.” See for yourself with this in-car footage of that pole position performance:

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In addition to the throwback livery on the GT-R LM NISMO, Nissan will bring the actual R90CK racer that Blundell drove back to the Circuit de la Sarthe. Blundell will have the chance to drive the storied racer in a parade lap around the circuit—though he probably won’t hit the 227-mph mark as he did 25 years ago.

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As for the current-day GT-R LM NISMO lineup, the retro-liveried No. 21 will be the third vehicle in Nissan’s team at the Circuit de la Sarthe, driven by current Super GT Champion Tsugio Matsuda, and GT Academy winners Lucas Ordóńez and Mark Shulzhitskiy. The three-car team begins practice this Sunday, in preparation for the big race on June 13-14.

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from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/1JcrQjj