Nissan has announced its withdrawal from the Deltawing racecar project less than a year after introducing it at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2012. At that event it had a particularly bad start after retiring in the 75th lap following an accident in which the DeltaWing ran into a concrete barrier at the Porsche Curves after being knocked off the circuit by Kazuki Nakajima’s Toyota TS030 Hybrid.
What’s the future for the Nissan Deltawing? According to Speedtv.com, Don Panoz the ALMS founder and DeltaWing Racing Cars Principal Don Panoz are said to be ditching the 1.6-liter RML-designed Nissan engine that propelled the car in 2012 in favour of a new powerplant based on the 2.0-liter Mazda MZR engine found in the Van Diemen Elan USF2000 chassis and currently rated at 345hp and 350 lf-ft. of torque.
Nissan Motorsport boss Darren Cox showed gratitude by saying;
Nissan wishes Dr Don Panoz and all the other partners involved in the DeltaWing all the best for the future, the company is committed to developing innovative and exciting cars both on the track and on the road.
