Nissan is out to reinvent road racing, first with the DeltaWing and then the ZEOD RC. Now it’s taking the lessons learned from both cars and applying them to road. And here’s the kicker: Nissan is actually considering putting it into production.
This is the Nissan Bladeglider, and it’s a spitting image of its race-bound predecessors, with a triangular shape that’s both incredibly aerodynamic and super light thanks to a carbon fiber reinforced body shell.
The front end is just over 3 feet wide, with two skinny tires tucked into the pointed nose and controlled by a Knight Rider-esque steering wheel. There’s seating for three inside the open-air cabin, with the driver’s seat mounted in the middle — à la the McLaren F1 — and sliding laterally towards the Lambo-hinged doors for quick ingress and egress. Two passenger seats aft of the driver complete the ménage à trois, and help contribute to its road-hugging 30:70 front-to-rear weight distribution.
Nissan isn’t saying exactly what’s motivating the Bladeglider, only hinting that in-wheel electric motors will power the rear wheels, manipulating torque on the fly for maximum performance, with power provided by rear-mounted lithium-ion battery packs. The Bladeglider makes its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show this month, and according to Nissan it could “mature into a production car.” Breath held.
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