On April 17, Nissan divulged photos of a supped-up Nissan LEAF tuned for the race track. As automakers of all levels work toward claiming a stake in the electric car market, the new racing LEAF created by Nissan's Global Design Center in Japan and NISMO (Nissan's motorsport group) helps the Japanese automaker maintain their leadership position in the EV arena.
Officially dubbed the LEAF NISMO RC, the 2-door EV racing prototype easily sprints from 0-62 mph in just 6.85 seconds and offers a top speed of 93 mph. In addition, Nissan projects the retuned LEAF has a running time of around 20 minutes under racing conditions.
Compared to the standard Nissan LEAF, the Nissan LEAF NISMO RC sits 13.8 inches lower, leaving less than 2.5 inches for ground clearance. In addition, the LEAF NISMO RC has a 3.9-inch shorter wheel base and weighs approximately 40% less than the production vehicle.
After the New York Auto Show, the Nissan LEAF NISMO RC racer is expected to make a series of dedicated appearances at motorsports venues throughout 2011. The goal: to demonstrate its ground-breaking capabilities.
In addition to their many environmental initiatives and continuously growing lineup of environmentally friendly vehicles, Nissan indicates that it's also exploring zero-emission races in the future. Now that's one sporting event, we'd love to see.
Stay tuned to learn more about Nissan's cutting-edge environmental car designs and projects, coming soon. Jim Johnson Nissan, located at 2200 Scottsville Road Bowling Green, KY 42104 promised to keep you informed.
[INFO] http://www.freep.com/article/20110417/BUSINESS01/110417007/1014/business01