After debuting at the Chicago Auto Show->ke225 earlier this year, the 2015 Nissan GT-R LM NISMO is getting ready for its racing->ke447 debut at 24 Hours of Le Mans->ke1591 this month. Nissan->ke62 will field three cars for the June 13th race, and while two of the cars will wear the red livery that the car debuted with, the No. 21 race car->ke148 will wear a special blue, white and red livery that celebrates Nissan’s 1990 Le Mans pole. To commemorate 25 years since it sat on the pole, the 1990 Nissan race car and its driver, Mark Blundell, will participate in a parade lap before this year’s race.

That year, the No. 24 Nissan R90CK started at the front of the pack with a lap time of 3:27.020; for comparison, Toyota->ke88 captured the pole at last year’s Le Mans with a time of 3:21.789. To show how far LMP1 cars have come, Nissan’s 1990 R90CK was powered by a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 producing around 1,100 horsepower, while the 2015 GT-R LM NISMO uses a front-drive-based 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 that along with a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) produces 1,250 horsepower. In addition to its lap time, the R90CK was also notable for setting a top speed of 227 mph along the Mulsanne Straight, following the addition of two chicanes to reduce speeds.

To show off the throwback livery and to prepare for the race (just two weeks away), Nissan has released a really cool time-lapse video->ke278 showing the Nissan team receiving its cars at the Circuit de la Sarthe (a pretty cool feat in itself) and subsequently building the trio of LMP1 racers. The Nissan GT-R LM NISMO will hit the track this weekend for the official Le Mans test day.

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Why it matters

Nissan has never won a 24 Hours of Le Mans race, but it is channeling the spirit of one of its most competitive race cars that gave the automaker its one and only pole at the most prestigious endurance race.

2015 Nissan GT-R LM Nismo

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