Nissan will unleash the GT-R and go head-to-head with Audi, Porsche and Toyota at Le Mans in 2015. The Japanese manufacturer will also contest the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship with a full factory effort of two LM P1 cars. Nissan’s LM P1 car will be called the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO, carrying on a sporting bloodline that stretches back 30 years and recognizes the company’s flagship road car, the Nissan GT-R.
Nissan’s LM P1 program was launched in the heart of Europe’s fastest-growing area of digital innovation in East London, close to Nissan’s new global digital hub. ACO President, Pierre Fillon joined Nissan’s Chief Planning Office & Executive Vice-President, Andy Palmer; NISMO President Shoichi Miyatani and NISMO Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, Darren Cox, for the announcement at the Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane, London.
As innovators in sports marketing, Nissan deliberately took a non-traditional approach to F1 with its prestige Infiniti brand through its association with Red Bull Racing. Outside motorsport, Nissan is an official partner of the UEFA Champion’s League with a new four-year deal. Fittingly, the Champion’s League final is this weekend and fans can expect to see a new approach to Nissan’s sports marketing initiatives within the ‘beautiful game’. Nissan is also proud to be the Official Automotive Partner of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
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Nissan has steadily increased its participation in motorsport in recent times through innovative programs, such as Nissan PlayStation GT Academy and the ACO’s Garage 56 initiative. The Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 now races all over the world, not least in Europe where it is driven by the NISMO Athletes, the winners of GT Academy. Nissan’s LM P2 engine is the standout P2 power plant in recent years and the company’s commitment to the ACO’s Garage 56 initiative demonstrates its love of a technical challenge. What Nissan learns on the track is fed through to its road cars to deliver technical innovation across the product range.
The new Nissan GT-R LM NISMO gives Nissan the opportunity to return to Le Mans where the company has some unfinished business. “We have chosen to take the GT-R name to Le Mans as the GT-R symbolizes the ultimate in Nissan’s performance. It is a true aspirational brand; a car our fans, our customers love to drive, and love to own. We have been using GT-R in motorsport for many years now, in Super GT and GT3. For us LM P1 is the ultimate test. We have unfinished business at Le Mans and now we have our chance to target victory with the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO,” says Andy Palmer.
Source : CarDekho
