Nissan’s Zeod RC Makes Mirror-less History at Le Mans

So far, no automaker thought to lessen the driver’s amount of work behind the wheel, but Nissan profited of its 56th garage entry position and ripped off the side mirrors of its Zeod RC prototype.

Don’t worry though, their Delta-Wing racer is equipped with something much better - a rearview camera which feeds a cockpit-mounted display, which actually provides a more comprehensive view than the classic mirrors.

In addition to the camera, the Zeod RC is equipped with a radar system that not only alerts the drivers about upcoming traffic, but provides further inshight on closing speed through large arrows on the screen.

The system is able to differentiate between cars that are closing fast or those that are staying at a similar distance behind or falling back. The arrows also change color depending on closing speed. It will also alert the driver whether a faster LM P1 car is passing on the left or right.

“These driver assist systems are just another aspect of future technology transfers that will improve the road cars of the future,” declared NISMO’s Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, Darren Cox. "The development of the battery technology will obviously assist the development of future versions of the Nissan LEAF and other hybrid models, but lessons learned from the driver assist systems will find their way into every Nissan model in the future.”

What happens if the system fails for no reason? Well, the car can return to the pits at any point in the race and the already incorporated mounting points will allow technicians to install classic mirrors in no time.

And if that wasn’t enough to set the Nissan Zeod RC apart, the electric prototype is already set to break new ground by becoming the first car at Le Mans to complete an entire 8.5 mile (13.6 km) lap of the Circuit de la Sarthe on nothing but electric power.