Nissan R89C

The Nissan R89C race car was developed by Nissan to participate in the Japan Sports Prototype Championship, though it also competed in the 1989 LeMans race.It had a mid-mounted engine producing up to 950 hp and covered rear wheels, as well as a red-white-blue paint scheme. However, a Le Mans racer did run without wheel spats. Developed in conjunction with the British Lola Motorsports firm, the Kevlar and carbon-fibre based monocoque chassis featured a 3.2 litre V8 DOHC engine (3496 cc, 195 cid) with twin turbochargers mounted directly into the chassis for better rigidity. The chassis was built to replace the previous March-sourced design. The unit was encased in a distinctive body styling similar to that of a rectangular prism but with heavily rounded lines deriving from many hours spent in the wind tunnel. There were massive intakes located below the canopy to allow air a smooth transition to the oil cooler and the essential turbo intercooler.

British drivers Julian Bailey and Mark Blundell raced the colourful and strangely patriotic no. 23 machine in the JSPC, while two other similar racers, sponsored by Yokogawa Hewlett-Packard and Nissan Motorsports joined the Calsonic-sponsored auto. All cars featured factory backing by Nissan Motorsports International. The two other racers were numbered 24 and 25, the former being sponsored by YHP. All three prototypes possessed rear-mounted wings set low to reduce drag coefficiency, another tip learned at the wind tunnel. The top speed was said to reach the 250-mile mark (400km/h+) on most Group C racers, and the R89C was no exception. However, all three cars retired before the 18-hour mark, finishing 22nd, 47th, and 52nd but they remained competitive and awe-inspiring until the end of its racing days.