So, what comes to your mind when you think about the Nissan Leaf? Practical, efficient family car, and anything else that’d make a motorsport fan fall fast asleep. Let’s face it, there’s nothing racy about a “Leaf.” But let’s not forget that the Nissan Leaf comes from the same family as the Nissan GT-R, a.k.a the Godzilla, a.k.a the Supercar Slayer. Well, as it turns out, a modified version of the Nissan Leaf exists, and that’s not all, it comes with the brutal power of a GT-R.
Sam from Seen Through Glass got the chance to test out this unbelievably rapid City EV on the track and share this review.
As the world moves more and more away from fossil fuels, electric vehicles are taking center stage, and the Nissan Leaf is part of that revolution. And while EVs started as reliable, efficient, tiny city cars, the market is demanding faster, smarter, and tech-inspired versions.
Taking a Tesla to a racetrack is common, but a Nissan Leaf is more suitable for hassling parking spots at your local convenience store. As surprising as it is to find out Shell is part of Nissan e.dam’s Formula E team, a highly modified track-focused Nissan Leaf race car exists.
This is no ordinary Nissan Leaf, if anything, it looks like a cross between a 350Z and a GT-R. It’s a Nissan leaf Nismo RC prototype, and Sam got the chance to test it on a track with Jann Mardenborough.
The Nissan Leaf Nismo RC comes with two motors from the production road car. It’s all-wheel-drive and has 322 hp. Everything on the Leaf RC is bespoke. It’s fitted with carbon panels, racing brakes front, and rear, and weighs 1,220 kg, which is quite light for an EV. The Nissan Leaf Nismo RC can do the 0-60 mph (97 kph) in 3.4 seconds, which is insane.
On the track, the Leaf Nismo RC is raw. Unlike most EVs, it’s extremely loud in the cabin, which is unusual. It’s a proper thoroughbred race car with instant torque.
Unfortunately, the Leaf Nismo RC is not going into production. It’s a testbed for different sorts of elements for production EVs. Let’s hope the data they pick out from the Leaf racer develops the next line of EV GT-Rs.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News