The Nissan GT-R LM Nismo has to be one of the oddest cars out there. Let’s face it – a front engine configuration, front-wheel drive, plus its weird overall design – the car really didn’t fit in well amongst the other racers.->ke148 Back in June when the GT-R LM->ke1592 debuted at Le Mans,->ke1591 technical difficulties led to it running without its hybrid system. Back on October 1st, Nissan said it was working on the associated problems and that the GT-R LM would be ready for the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2016. Those plans have changed, and it’s likely we’ll never see the car in this form again.

Official word has come down from the powers that be, and the GT-R LM Nismo project has officially been canned. Surely this wasn’t an easy decision, but Nissan->ke62 has released a statement saying, “The teams worked diligently to bring the vehicles up to the desired performance levels. However, the company concluded that the program would not be able to reach its ambitions and decided to focus on developing its longer term racing->ke447 strategies.”

It's unfortunate the project has been completely cancelled, though Nissan has confirmed it will “focus on developing its longer term racing strategies.” This gives hope that Nissan will return someday with a prototype that will live up to the hype the company spreads. Until then, we’ll have to sit back and enjoy the FIA World Endurance Championship without the GT-R LM Nismo.

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Why it matters

You’ve got to give the prototypes designer, Ben Bowlby, credit for being so adventurous and thinking outside of the traditional design box. But, his design was rather obscure and definitely well outside of the norm. The cancellation of the GT-R LM Nismo project is certainly salt in an open wound after having so many difficulties with the car, but that is the price you pay for trying new tactics and design strategies. I think the biggest problem, however, wasn’t the oddball design characteristics. I think it was more the fault of rushing to get the car out there. Surely, if the design team had taken its time, all of the problems with the car would have been solved before the car made its racing debut.

Nissan GT-R LM Nismo

Read our full review on the Nissan GT-R LM Nismo here.