Nissan GT-R LM Nismo unveiled: Front-engine, FWD vehicle to take on Le Mans

Unlike other contenders in the top-level LMP1 category, the Nissan GT-R LM Nismo features a front mid-mounted petrol engine driving the front wheels via five-speed sequential transmission.

The GT-R LM Nismo's 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged direct-injection V6 is said to generate 410kW of power. The electric motor that forms the centrepiece of the car's kinetic energy recovery system has a claimed output of 559kW. Maximum system output is said to be around 932kW.

Thanks to its unusual layout and weight distribution, the GT-R LM Nismo features wider tyres at the front than at the rear.

Last year, the Audi R18, which finished in first and second spots, featured an all-wheel drive diesel-hybrid drivetrain with a 4.0-litre turbo V6 situated behind the driver's compartment. The third place finisher, Toyota's TS040 supercapacitor all-wheel drive hybrid followed a similar layout, albeit with a 3.7-litre petrol V8 located behind the driver.

Wearing a carbon composite body and a polycarbonate windscreen, the GT-R LM Nismo will tip the scales at 880 kilograms — the FIA-mandated weight for the LMP1 racing class.

The car will also feature a drive-by-wire throttle and brake-by-wire system, with the latter allowing the driver to fiddle with brake bias whilst on the track. Traction control can also adjusted by the driver.

At the 2012 Le Mans race Nissan sponsored the narrower-at-the-front DeltaWing entry. For the 2014 race the company followed up with its own in-house take on that concept with the ZEOD RC.

Both of these cars raced as part of Le Mans' "Garage 56" initiative, which reserves a starting place for experimental entries.

The Nissan GT-R LM Nismo will participate in the FIA's World Endurance Championship (WEC), which includes the Le Mans 24 Hour that takes place in the middle of June. The WEC begins on April 12 at Silverstone and includes events at Spa-Francorchamps, the Nurburgring and Fuji Speedway.