NISMO, Nissan's racing arm, has worked its magic on the LEAF electric car to come up with the LEAF NISMO RC. The RC (Racing Competition) makes its debut at the New York Auto Show this week.
The LEAF NISMO RC uses the same all-electric powertrain as the standard road-going LEAF, but the race model is a two-door version without the road car's interior comforts. It uses a three-piece body with front and rear sections that can be removed quickly for access to the motor and suspension during races.
NISMO has also made its racing LEAF with a 99mm longer wheelbase, while it's 170mm wider to accommodate racing slick tyres. Ground clearance is just 61mm and overall weight has been reduced to 940kg to tip the scales at 40 per cent less than a standard LEAF production car.
For the racer, NISMO has ditched the standard suspension in favour of double wishbones all round. There's also adjustable brake balance front-to-rear and 18-inch alloy wheels with Bridgestone racing tyres.
Early testing of the NISMO LEAF RC has shown it will cover 0-100km/h in 6.8 seconds and has a top speed of 150km/h. In racing conditions, NISMO says the RC can run for 20 minutes.
As yet, the LEAF RC has not been entered into any racing series, but NISMO will use the car for demonstration runs at various motorsport events throughout 2011.