This is the one-off 1998 Nissan R390 GT1 Long Tail homolgation road car (78002). The R390 GT1 was designed to race under GT-style rules in the 1997 & 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans. With the help of a famous racing team and a tremendous name in motorsport racing at the time, TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing), Nissan’s performance and Motorsport division, NISMO (Nissan Motorsports International) began constructing a homolgated R390 road car after getting approval on the project some time in 1996. The design team for the R390 was led by British car designer Ian Callum. The mechanics and aerodynamics for the car were headed by Tony Southgate of TWR and Yutaka Hagiwara of Nismo. The first R390 GT1 road car was initially finished in the year 1997 with a red paint scheme & licensed as “P835 GUD”. At this time, the VIN was 78001 and the car featured a shorter rear-end design, different venting on the side panels, a different wing, and other dissimilarities. The chassis of the R390 was developed by TWR with the help of another TWR special known as the XJR-15. At some point in time, 78001 was stripped down, and the parts are said to have been used towards race efforts, and also as a means to produce this car here. In 1998, the R390 was reborn with long-tail bodywork, painted blue, relicensed as “R390 NIS”, and the VIN was then changed to 78002. Following the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans, multiple rule changes were made, leaving the R390 to be defunct. While this is the only existing R390 road car built in period, recently, ex-Nissan factory driver (@r390gt1) purchased a 1998 Nissan R390 GT1 race car from Nissan (780009) and subsequently had it restored and street-converted over a period of two years by @chiavenuto.andrea and @speed.official.it.
How many made? 1 factory-built road car left in existence. 5 race cars,1 street-converted race car.
Engine: 3.5 L (3,495 cc) TT VRH35L V8 - 550hp
Debut: June 1997, Le Mans Testing
Top Speed: around 220mph
0-60mph: around 3.9 second
Photo Credit: @aldairion, @lambolog
Research: @rarecarsonly