Nismo world for Nissan at Chicago Auto Show
CHICAGO -- It is Nismo fever heating up the Nissan stand at the auto show in chilly Chicago starting Thursday with the press preview.
The halo vehicle of Nismo -- the motorsports and performance arm of Nissan -- is the new GT-R LM Nismo race car, in its first public display after making a cameo (along with a cameo by the coming redesigned Maxima) in Nissan's Super Bowl commercial Feb. 1.
The racer will be the headline attraction of the Nismo world of cars on the Nissan stand that also will include such production street vehicles as the 600-horsepower Nissan GT-R Nismo, the 370Z Nismo, Juke Nismo and Juke Nismo RS.
Also on display will be two concept vehicles, the Sentra Nismo and a new Nismo street concept that Nissan is rolling out Thursday at the show.
The GTR LM Nismo race car was created by engineers in Japan, the U.S. and Europe who put the 3-liter twin-turbo V6 engine in the front of the front-wheel-drive car that also has hybrid power to improve acceleration.
The racer will compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race in France June 13-14.
"LM P1 cars are the most extreme sports cars in racing today so, for Nissan and Nismo, the opportunity to innovate at the highest level could not be missed," said Darren Cox, global head of the Nismo brand, marketing and sales.
"Taking on the best in the world and competing to win is a daunting task for Nissan. The competition is well-established and the racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship is ultra-close, but this is a challenge that Nissan has accepted and the Nissan NISMO team will fight like it has never fought before."
