Engine Automotive

The Nissan Leaf Nismo RC is three.9-inches shorter, 0.8-inches longer, 6.7-inches wider and a staggering thirteen.8-inches not up to the garden-variety 2011 Nissan Leaf. At 2.4-inches, its ground clearance is simply high enough to leave out a brand new York-sized cockroach. And in case you are wondering, "RC" does not signify "remote control" -- a minimum of not during this application.

Nissan designed this track-attacking EV with "Racing Competition" talents, very similar to it did with the recent R35 GT-R RC Underneath the Leaf RC's carbon fiber body resides a monocoque set within a custom chassis designed by Nismo, Nissan's in-house performance division, in conjunction with Nissan's world style Center. For ideal weight distribution, Leaf RC's eighty kW AC synchronous motor, lithium ion batteries, and inverter are mounted mid-ship.

Forged aluminum 18-inch wheels wrapped in Bridgestone slicks attach to front and rear control-arm suspension. Rear-wheel drive replaces the assembly Leaf's front-wheel drive layout. there's even an adjustable rear wing for optimum aerodynamic setup on a range of tracks. Weighing simply 2068 pounds, the RC is 40-percent lighter than the road-going Leaf.

The power train remains a similar, however, manufacturing 102 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque. Nissan says the Leaf RC will hit sixty mph in half-dozen.85 seconds and a high speed of ninety three mph. Of course, going full bore has its limits: in racing things, the RC lasts a most of twenty minutes.