The math is very simple. Half the power, half the weight and half the drag ensures that you travel twice the distance and do so at a very quick pace too using just half the number of tires. Now isn’t that the basic idea behind efficiency? And to prove that its not just a concept to decorate the lobby of a museum but a serious question on the principles of modern racecars, Nissan has entered it into the world’s toughest 24-hours endurance race- The 24 hours of Le Mans . The four-cylinder 1.6 liter turbo engine develops a modest (by racing standards) 300bhp – though engineers say it is capable of plenty more – but Nissan predicts the DeltaWing will get around Le Mans somewhere between LMP1 and LMP2 class pace: the team is aiming for a lap time in the 3m 45s region.
To reduce drag and optimize weight bias, the engine is mounted behind the driver and power is sent to the rear wheels. More intriguingly, with both the engine and driver mounted far back in the carbon fiber chassis, the ultra-thin front tires don’t have to move much to elicit a change in direction.
The DeltaWing weighs in at a svelte 1,300 pounds with a full tank of fuel and driver on board – about half what a comparable LMP1 car weighs. Couple that low tonnage with its slippery shape, good for a claimed 50 percent reduction in aerodynamic drag, and suddenly the DeltaWing is competitive.
Just as important as its aero advantage and reduced weight is the boost in fuel economy, which Nissan estimates will be about double that of an LMP1 car. Over the course of a 24-hour race, that means fewer pitstops to refuel and – with its lightened load – a reduced need for tire changes and brake swaps. That equates to more laps over less time, and that’s what wins LeMans.
Except, it can’t win.
The DeltaWing is running in a class of one, taking the “Garage 56″ spot at LeMans and wearing a “0″ on its sides, both of which indicate that it’s a noncompetitive, exhibition racer; a rolling proof of concept that gets to play with the big boys and put on a show for the ACO, the organizing body of the race.
But that doesn’t mean the DeltaWing’s participation isn’t relevant.
“As motor racing rulebooks have become tighter over time, racing cars look more and more similar and the technology used has had less and less relevance to road car development,” says Executive VP at Nissan Andy Palmer. “Nissan DeltaWing aims to change that.” And change that they will, beginning with its first public exhibition at Sebring International Raceway this Thursday and followed by taking the exclusive 56th slot at the 24 Hours of LeMans this June.