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| Nissan R89C | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Nissan |
| Production | 1989 |
| Designer | Eric Broadley(design concept) Andy Scriven Clive Lark Clive Cooper |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Group Crace car |
| Layout | MR layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 3.5LVRH35 DOHC twin-turbo V8 950 hp |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Nissan R88C |
| Successor | Nissan R90C |
TheNissan R89C was aGroup Csports prototype developed byLola Cars forNissan.
Replacing the originalMarch built series of prototypes that Nissan had used, the R89C was part of Nissan's increased involvement in the project. Developed in conjunction with theLola firm, the R89C featured a Kevlar and carbon-fibre basedmonocoque chassis (namedT89/10 internally at Lola). Nissan's new twin-turboVRH35 3.5L V8DOHC engine was mounted in a stressed installation for better chassis rigidity and produced up to 950bhp.
Four chassis were built by Lola, two being entered in the1989 World Sportscar Championship season by Nissan Motorsport Europe (chassis #01 and #04) and two in theAll Japan Sports Prototype Championship by Nissan Motorsport Japan (chassis #02 and #03).
In the1989 World Sportscar Championship season, Nissan struggled to solve not only reliability problems, but also to find pace from the new chassis and engine. As a result, the R89C was only able to score points in three races. Even though, it finished the season fifth in the team's championship. In theAll Japan Sports Prototype Championship, the R89C suffered the same fate, unable to compete with its developedPorsche andToyota opponents, leaving Nissan to finish the season third in the championship. Meanwhile, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, three R89Cs were entered into the race. However, all three failed to finish the race due to mechanical problems.
For 1990, the R89C was campaigned by Nissan for the first race of theWorld Sportscar Championship until it was replaced by both theR90CK and R90CP. 2 R89Cs would be passed on to privateer teams, withCourage Compétition managing to finish 22nd in the1990 24 Hours of Le Mans with an ex-factory R89C (chassis #01). Chassis #03 was modified by Team Le Mans to become known asR90V. It ran JSPC with a best result of sixth before being retired. It also ran at Le Mans in 1990 retiring at about 7.00 AM.
R89C chassis #02 and #04 were rebuilt by Nissan Performance Technology Inc. asR90CP for use by Nismo at Le Mans and in the All-Japan Sports-Prototype Championship in 1990.
