Nissan DeltaWing honoured for innovation and capability

The magazine awarded 100 winners over 12 categories for significant advancement in their respective fields.

Looking more like a stealth fighter than a Le Mans racing car, the Nissan DeltaWing represents one of the most groundbreaking innovations in motor sport of its time.

Featuring half the weight, half the power and half the drag of a Le Mans Prototype sports car (LMP1), Nissan DeltaWing consumes around half the fuel of typical Le Mans cars.

The Nissan DeltaWing’s unusual specifications include four-inch-wide front tyres, 1.6-litre engine and 567kg weight allow the car to reach racing speeds of 320km/h. That’s a huge departure from the 447kW (600HP) needed by the standard Le Mans racers to achieve the same performance.

“One of the key elements to the success of the Deltawing is its highly-advanced and hugely-efficient Nissan 1.6 engine”, says Daren Cox, Nissan’s Global Motorsport Director.

“The Nissan DeltaWing was designed and built with the initial aim of completing the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans using just half the fuel and half the tyres of contemporary sports prototypes”, he added.

In the recent and gruelling 1000-mile (1609km) Petit Le Mans race in the US the Deltawing scored its first race finish and placing fifth outright, despite starting from the back of the 42-car grid.

The Nissan DeltaWing will be on display at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show from November 30 to December 9.