Nissan Unveils Retro Group C Livery for 24H Le Mans

Photo: Nissan

Nissan has unveiled a retro livery for one of its debuting GT-R LM NIMSOs that will compete in next month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The No. 21 car of Tsugio Matsuda, Lucas Ordonez and Mark Shulzhitskiy will feature a blue-and-white livery, paying homage to the Nissan R90CK Group C car that claimed pole at Le Mans 25 years ago.

“Our racing heritage is hugely important to us,” said Darren Cox, Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, NISMO.

“Our 1998 car hangs on the wall at NISMO HQ in Yokohama as a reminder of our Le Mans podium and the blue liveries of the Group C and IMSA era of the 80’s and 90’s are a firm favorite with the fans.

“So much so that when we first started talking about the possibility of a third car livery specifically for our LMP1 debut at Le Mans this year, this was the one that fans across our social media channels called for.

“It’s a great way to celebrate our past achievements at such a key moment in our current motor racing history.”

The No.24 Nissan R90CK will also appear at Le Mans in a special parade to mark the anniversary of the pole lap, in the hands of the man who took it to the top of the tables 25 years ago, Mark Blundell.

“That lap of Le Mans is certainly a very fond memory for me,” Blundell said. “It was one of those moments where time stood still and everything went perfectly.

“You remember those moments as they don’t happen all that often! It’s great to see Nissan celebrating that time with the retro livery on the No. 21 Nissan GT-R LM NISMO. I can’t wait to see it on track at Le Mans.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John