<< Prev Page 2 of 3 Next >> Clothed in an elegant, March developed bodywork, the new cars were officially badged 'Nissan R86V'. The first example debuted in a local race at Suzuka but did not even make it to the start due to a fire in practice. It was sent to Le Mans alongside an earlier Nissan/March 85G. The high profile entry was up against it from the start due to struggles within the Japanese and British members of team. A 16th place finish for the earlier car was but a small consolation for all the efforts. Once back in Japan the R86V that raced at Le Mans was joined by the other three cars in the Fuji 1000 km race, which counted for the World Championship. Two survived and finished a lowly 10th and 11th.
Undeterred by the poor showing in 1986 Nismo ventured on and developed a brand new V8 engine for 1987. It was designed from the ground up as a racing engine with an eye on getting both better performance figures and fuel mileage. Like the outgoing V6, the 'VEJ30' engine displaced 3 litres. Twin IHI turbos were fitted to provide the necessary boost. Nissan now had an exclusive deal with March and took delivery of three 87G chassis, which featured small improvements over the 1986 cars. With the new engine installed the new machines were dubbed 'Nissan R87E'.
With Le Mans once again the sole objective, Nissan opted not to run their new cars in any of the World Championship rounds held ahead of the race. A single entry in the Fuji 500 km was again the only preparation event for the team. The R87E failed to finish due to an engine failure. Two of the new cars and a single, privately entered R86V were shipped to Le Mans. Once again the Japanese manufacturer failed to impress with the new cars running well behind the leaders when both engines expired. The R86V also retired from the race early. Back in Japan, the three cars were raced several more times with a sixth for the R87E and a commendable fourth for the old R86V as the best results. << Prev Page 2 of 3 Next >>
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Clothed in an elegant, March developed bodywork, the new cars were officially badged 'Nissan R86V'. The first example debuted in a local race at Suzuka but did not even make it to the start due to a fire in practice. It was sent to Le Mans alongside an earlier Nissan/March 85G. The high profile entry was up against it from the start due to struggles within the Japanese and British members of team. A 16th place finish for the earlier car was but a small consolation for all the efforts. Once back in Japan the R86V that raced at Le Mans was joined by the other three cars in the Fuji 1000 km race, which counted for the World Championship. Two survived and finished a lowly 10th and 11th.