Nissan NPT-90
| Nissan | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| NPT-90/91 | |
| Production period: | 1990-1992 |
| Class : | race car |
| Body versions : | Coupe |
| Engines: |
Petrol engines : 2.5-3.0 liters |
| Length: | 4801 mm |
| Width: | 2007 mm |
| Height: | 1016 mm |
| Wheelbase : | 2731 mm |
| Empty weight : | |
| Previous model | Nissan GTP ZX Turbo |
| successor | Nissan 93GTP |
The Nissan NPT-90 was a racing car developed for Nissan in 1990 by Nissan Performance Technology Inc. (NPTI) - formerly known as Electramotive Engineering . It replaced the particularly successful GTP ZX-Turbo , which had won the IMSA GT Championship in 1989. The NPT-90 won this competition in 1990 and 1991 before being withdrawn by Nissan in late 1992.
The car was officially called NPT-90, but still drove with the inscription “GTP ZX-Turbo” from the previous year’s vehicle. Nissan wanted to continue using this name to market their production vehicle 300ZX .
development
After five years of further development and improvement of the GTP ZX-Turbo, Nissan realized that the increasing competition from Toyota and Jaguar made the use of a new car necessary if one wanted to defend the championship. NPTI, Nissan's US motorsport department, was therefore supposed to design a completely new car and dispense with the chassis based on the Lola , as used in the GTP ZX-Turbo. The new car should show a rounder and narrower cockpit instead of the angular appearance of the predecessor. The large air inlets at the front of the vehicle should be replaced by smaller ones, while the large vertical snorkels of the turbocharger should be placed on the sides of the vehicle.
Nissan continued to use the VG30 engine, a 3.0 liter V6 turbo that had previously powered the GTP ZX turbo. The engine more power has been procured, including through the use of a four-valve - cylinder head instead of the previously used two-valve head. Ultimately, in 1992 Nissan decided to reduce the displacement of the VG engine to 2.5 liters for the NPT-91 model in order to be able to equip it with two turbochargers and thus to be more competitive with the Toyota racing cars.
The NPT-90 was further developed over time and in the middle of the 1991 season the result was called NPT-91 . From 1992 there were other versions, which were then designated as NPT-91A to NPT-91D .
Racing history
1990
Because the chassis of the NPT-90 was not ready at the beginning of the 1990 season, NPTI continued to use the older GTP ZX-Turbo. The first new chassis was only ready in the middle of the season and was used for the first time in Topeka , where the car took eighth place and a GTP ZX-Turbo came second. The only NPT-90 with engine problems retired from the Lime Rock Park race , but soon after won the race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course . When the second victory of this car was celebrated in Watkins Glen and the second vehicle was also completed, the GTP ZX-Turbo was completely replaced by the NPT-90.
In the remainder of the season, the NPT-90 was only able to secure one more victory in the Road America race, but the good positions of both cars and the success of the GTP ZX-Turbo enabled Nissan to win the constructors' championship for the second year in a row . Geoff Brabham secured the third driver championship in a row.
1991
At the beginning of the 1991 racing season, as in the past, Nissan did not participate in the 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race because the NPT-90 was more of a vehicle for fast sprints. Unlike in previous years, Nissan brought some R90CK from Europe to the USA in order to collect points for the championship with them. The NPT-90, however, were used in the Sebring 12-hour race , in which they took first two places for Nissan. For shorter races outperformed Jaguar Nissan and drove three wins in a row before the revised NPT-91 in Topeka and Lime Rock came back into play. After that, Jaguar won again, but Toyota and the private racing team Intrepid also won.
Although sometimes even three NPT-91 were used in a race, they could not win any more this season. As in the previous year, Nissan managed to win the third constructors' championship in a row thanks to good placements. Geoff Brabham reached the fourth drivers' championship in a row, leaving stable colleague Chip Robinson only five points behind.
1992
Again the Daytona 24 Hours were skipped, but the team was helped by the victory of the Japanese Nissan R91CK . The triumphal procession was continued by the NPT-91's victorious debut in Miami. However, Nissan failed to secure its third consecutive victory at Sebring, as the NPT-91 was beaten by a Toyota by five laps. The season continued in this style as the NPT-91 suffered serious accidents and many mechanical problems preventing them from finishing the races.
Even when the C-Spec NPT-91 with two turbochargers joined the team in the middle of the season, NPTI continued to struggle. In addition, there were financial problems, so that ultimately only one NPT-91 could be reported. This car could not achieve any more victories, which is why Nissan took second place in the constructors' championship by a large margin behind Toyota this year. Geoff Brabham was just third in the drivers' championship.
1993
After the 1992 season, Nissan made plans for a successor to the NPT-90 series. One began to adapt the P35 , which had already been shelved, to the IMSA-GTP rules. Then the IMSA announced, however, to want to abolish the GTP series in 1994, which led Nissan to discontinue the project now known as 93GTP or NPT-93 . Instead, the 240SX and 300ZX models focused on the near-series IMSA classes.
Giampiero Moretti from the Momo team was not discouraged by the withdrawal of the factory, bought an original NPT-90 and used it for the entire 1993 season. The car achieved some good placings, for example second place in the 12-hour race of Sebring and a third place in Mid-Ohio. Momo's commitment secured third place for Nissan in the constructors 'championship and Gianpiero Moretti came third in the drivers' championship. With the abolition of the GTP class, the NPT-90 was finally withdrawn from active racing.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Philstott - website: Nissan NPT-90. From: www.philstott.co.uk , accessed July 23, 2010 .