Nissan R390 GT1

Subject:
Nissan
R390 GT1
Kit Used: Tamiya 1/24th Scale

Review & model by:
Tim Howell
Pictures: R. Forys

The Nissan R390 GT1 was a racing car built for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1997 and 1998. Designed by Ian Callum, who also designed the Aston Marton DB7, it was built to comply with the grand tour style rules, which required manufactures to build at least one street-legal or homologated version of the car. The concept behind the car was to push reliability and dynamic performance to the absolute limit, without compromising the drivability of a street car.

The front end sports headlamps from the 300ZX, and the distinct twin front grilles convey a Nissan family look. Inside are normal road car item such as full instrumentation and leather covered racing seats. The short-throw gear lever for the Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox and tiny racing steering wheel are reminders of the close connection between the road car and the vehicle which captured four of the top ten spots in the '98 Le Mans race.

[The suspension features coil springs at all four corners, and inboard shock absorbers.]

The heart of this supercar, is Nissans' VRH35L twin-turbocharged 3.5 liter double overhead camshaft V8 engine with electronic sequential port fuel injection which produced around 640hp at 6800 rpm. Underneath the all carbon fiber chassis is upper and lower A-arm suspension with coil springs at all four corners, inboard shock absorbers and front and rear anti-roll bars. Breaking is by way of huge 14 inch vented front and rear disc breaks with six piston calipers and ABS.

[The engine produced around 640hp at 6800 rpm, and the street legal road car is capable of a top speed of 220mph.]

At the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans the three R390 GT1s qualified 4th, 12th, and 21st. During the race the cars performed well, however around half way through the race, two of the cars suffered mechanical failure. The third finished the race 12th overall, and 5th in class, although many laps behind the leaders. In 1998, Nissan returned with four cars. They were slightly upgraded with more downforce generated by a longer tail and new rear wing. Although they didn't qualify that well, it was considered a big success having all four cars finish the race, placing 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 10th overall, beaten only by the Porsche 911 GT1.

[In 1998,all four cars finish the race, placing 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 10th overall.]

Following the 1998 Le Mans race, the rules changed and Nissan was forced to abandon the R390 program. A total of eight R390 GT1 race chassis were built over the two-year program. Beside that, only two road cars were ever built, and one is stored at Nissan's Zama warehouse. The street legal road car is capable of running 0-60mph in 3.3 seconds, and 0-100mph in just 6.8 seconds, with a top speed of 220mph.

The Kit: The Tamiya 1/24 scale kit is an excellent representation of the Nissan R390 GT1 racecar. It is molded in white, chrome, and clear plastic, with rubber tires, and two decal sheets (interior & exterior), a window mask and a small square of mesh. Fit of the kit is great with painting instructions called for during assembly. It's recommended to take your time, and enjoy the awesome sub-assemblies.

[The body was painted with Tamiya spray cans, and sealed with a clear coat.]

Paint for the body had to wait for some light sanding and smoothing of some slight mold lines, but it was no big deal. Then it was time to mask off the body for the red and black paint. I used Bright Red, (TS-3), Black, (TS-14), and Clear, (TS-13) Tamiya spray cans, and some flat and gloss regular acrylics. The windows were made easy with the masks supplied in the kit. At first, I must admit the decals were a bit overwhelming, but aren't so bad if you take your time. After decals, a clear coat was laid down to protect and finish the kit.

Overall, this is an excellent kit with great fit and very clear instructions. It was a very satisfying build, and the end result makes a great display.

[A total of eight R390 GT1 race chassis were built over the two-year program.]