The One-Off Beautiful Nissan R390 Will Never Drive On Road

The Nissan That Exists Lives At Company Headquarters

In 1998/97, Nissan prepped for the Le Mans 24 with a car that they named the “diamond in the rough” and further described as “finished polished product.” We are talking of a car that records claim a price tag of $1 million when it launched.

Sadly though the car was never put up for sale remaining exhibited at Nissan’s global headquarters in Japan.

Rules for participation in the Le Mans required that both a road-legal version and a sporting version be produced. For the Nissan R390, both vehicles were just similar counterparts.

The body length ran 185.8 inches (4.7 meters) and a width of 78.7 inches. It relied on the massive 3.5-liter V8 engine to move around, an engine that was produced in collaboration with the acclaimed parts firm Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR).

The two-seater, Nissan R390 GT1 road car tilted the scale at 2,420 lbs. It was able to do just four seconds into the 60 mph mark.

Some observers claim that Nissan dropped the idea of ever selling the R390 because it would have been a tough task. However, from a design and engineering perspective, it presented a particular piece of work that caught the eye of a curious enthusiast.

The 550-horsepower was sent to the rear wheels by an Xtrac six-speed sequential transmission. The vehicle’s footwear was 18-inch front and 19-inch rear wheels that gave it a proper ground clearance for easy handling.