Nissan and its motorsport division NISMO have taken us by surprise yesterday evening, unveiling their new 400 horsepower three-cylinder engine that will power their ZEOD RC racecar at the 24 Hours of Le Mans later this year.
The engine is a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder pumping out 400 horsepower, but what’s truly impressive is that the unit weighs just 40 kilograms, making it quite possible to be carried by the average human; it also develops 380 Nm of torque, a number we usually see on V8 engines.
In the ZEOD RC, which will occupy Garage 56 at the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours, the engine will be part of an advanced plug-in hybrid system where the driver can switch between electric power and gasoline power. Both the electric and gasoline powerplants are mated to a five-speed transmission.
