The Nissan R89C '89 is a race car produced by Nissan in 1989 to participate on World Sports Prototype Car Championship and All-Japan Sports Prototype Championship, as well the 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Replacing the original March built series of prototypes that Nissan had used, the R89C was part of Nissan's increased involvement in the project. Developed in conjunction with the Lola firm, the R89C featured a Kevlar and carbon-fibre based monocoque chassis (named T89/10 by Lola). Nissan's new twin-turbo VRH35 3.5L V8 DOHC engine was mounted and boost up to 950BHP.
First appearing in Gran Turismo 4, it later returned in Gran Turismo PSP, Gran Turismo 5, and Gran Turismo 6.
The car appears to be the #23, driven by Masahiro Hasemi, Kazuyoshi Hoshino, and Toshio Suzuki, who has participated in the 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car, however, failed to finish the race.
Description[]
"Developed with Lola, the R89C was a Group C race car that battled in top-tier sports prototype competition and endurance racing."
Although Nissan had been entering Group C races since 1983, it didn't produce positive results until 1989, when the company completely overhauled its framework. A new twin-turbocharged 3.5 liter V8 was built (VRH35), and a new chassis was developed by Lola. The result was the R89C.
What made the R89C special was that its engine and transmission were directly linked to the monocoque, a common practice in a Formula car, but not usually seen in a 900 kg endurance race car. Nissan sent the car to Europe for the WSPC (World Sports Prototype Car Championship) and also entered the JSPC (Japan Sports Prototype Car Championship). The VRH35, combining both power and fuel economy, had an official output of 900 PS, but when the boost was raised for qualifying, it was said to have pumped out as much as 1200 PS.
The R89C was quick, and kept place with Group C powerhouses. Porsche and Mercedes Benz. But because Nissan joined the series in mid-season, the race team struggled with set up, and, the best finish the R89C attained in both the JSPC and the WSPC was 3rd place. Three cars took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year, and although they ran at the top of the pack in the first part of the race, all three cars retired without finishing. But the car came back with a fury the following year, dominating the JSPC.
Acquisition[]
| Game | Purchase location | Credits | Other methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Turismo 4 | --- | --- | Complete the Driving Missions 30-34[1] |
| Gran Turismo PSP | Nissan Dealership | 3,000,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 5 | Used Car Dealership (Lv. 23+) | 984,471 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 6 | Nissan Dealership | 1,750,000 | --- |
Trivia[]
- The Nissan R89C strongly resembles the Jaguar XJR-9 '88, even though both cars were developed by different companies and appeared in less a year, which could make a difference between these two (the XJR-9 having been developed by TWR and the R89C having been developed by Lola Cars).
- While the XJR-9 has since been given fully-modeled detail along with its functioning interior, the R89C has yet to make its return.
- In GTPSP, GT5 and GT6, the engine sound is slightly redone from its first appearance in GT4. This redone sound is shared with the Nissan R92CP '92 and the Toyota 7 '70.
Pictures[]
Video[]
Notes[]
- ↑ It is only awarded once and is not for sale at the Nissan Legendary Car Dealership. So, if the player has sold the car from his garage, the only way to re-obtain the car is to trade cars with a memory card that has it on its game data.