1990 Nissan NPT-90

status

Unsold

Auction End Date

10/16/2020

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All Exterior Interior Engine Documentation

At a Glance

Seller
canepamotorsport
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Vehicle Make/Model
Nissan NPT-90
Chassis No.
90-01

Exterior
Blue & Red
Interior
Aluminum with Cloth seats
Engine
3-Liter Twin-Turbocharged V6

Transaxle
5-Speed Manual Hewland Transaxle
Suspension
Fully-Adjustable Independent Suspension
Brakes
4-wheel disc

1990 Nissan NPT-90

Throughout the 1980s Don Devendorf and the team at Electramotive established an unrivalled reputation in the preparation of racing and road-going Nissans. It was perhaps no surprise then when Nissan decided that it was time to move up into the GTP category that they employ Devendorf and his team to run the project. Devendorf joined forces with Wes Moss and Yoshi Suzuka to create the GTP-ZX Turbo using a Lola chassis. This precursor to the NPT-90, went through countless upgrades and enhancements from 1984 to 1990, as real-world racing revealed design inspiration among the engineers and mechanics alike. By the end of the 1988 season Geoff Brabham was the GTP driver champion and would continue to win with Nissan GTP cars for another 3 years.

After winning the IMSA Championship in 1989 with their GTP-ZX Turbo, Nissan began the quest to make the next generation of Nissan GTP car. Due to the nature of racing economics, Electramotive was running on limited funds and needed to secure financing in order to continue development. In a deal with Nissan Japan, Electramotive turned into Nissan Performance Technology Incorporated, NPTI, alleviating many race funding woes. In 1990 the team moved to a brand-new facility in Vista, CA, complete with a full engine room, wind tunnel, composite shop, and an on-site engineering and fabrication facility.

The constant development and determined grit of all the team members yielded one of the fasted GTP cars ever created, the NPT-90. Developed by NPTI the cars continued to race under the GTP ZX-Turbo name, an attempt by Nissan to use their success to continue to market their 300ZX road cars. Renowned racing designer Trevor Harris was the chief designer and trackside engineer of the dominating NPT-90 GTP car for Geoff Brabham for four years.

The NPT-90, chassis 90-01, was the first of six NPT-90 chassis to be built making its debut in the Topeka 300km Camel Grand Prix at Heartland Park driven by Bob Earl and Derek Daly. In its first season 90-01 secured three race wins at Mid-Ohio, Sears Point and Road America with Geoff Brabham behind the wheel. Brabham would go on to win the GTP Driver’s Championship driving both a GTP-ZX Turbo and the NPT-90 and Nissan would win the 1990 Manufacturer’s Championship.

Continuing its success into 1991, chassis 90-01 secured four top five finishes including two second place finishes at Watkins Glen and Road America, as well as a third-place finish at Mid-Ohio. Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson finished in first and second in the Driver’s Championship both driving for NPTI and another Manufacturer’s Championship for Nissan.

Chassis 90-01 was slated for retirement at the conclusion of the 1991 season, but with two of its sister cars being crashed in the first half of the 1992 season, 90-01 was brought out of retirement to continue its racing career with Nissan. After receiving all of the up-to-date mechanical upgrades and 1992 spec bodywork and with Geoff Brabham again behind the wheel, this NPT-90 raced to 5 podium finishes, contributing to another Nissan Manufacturer’s championship. The car’s final race would be on October 11th, 1992 at the 2 Hour Del Mar GTP race, taking 2nd place. In total, Chassis 90-01 would be raced to three victories and 15 podium finishes in its 22-race career.

The Nissan GTP platform proved its superiority and reliability to that of its competitors. With mind boggling power, high downforce, an excellent handling dynamic and its reliability, the NPT-90 package was a perfect storm in the form of a GTP race car. This car, having never been wrecked is in very original condition 1992 race configuration. It is currently in the most up-to-date version of the NPT-90 program specifications.

Nissan dominated IMSA racing through the 1980’s into the early 1990’s, with the NPT-90 being the final iteration of the Japanese manufacturer’s GTP cars. Twin turbo-charged delivery paired with high downforce body design make the Nissan NPT-90 one of the most powerful and fastest racing cars ever built. For sale now, chassis 90-01 is a chance to own an iconic figure of motorsports history.

Exterior

With cars evolving each year, this NPT-90 wears the latest body work as it was raced in 1992, with updated aerodynamic capability, a sleek front clip and higher downforce rear body work. The NPT-90 is finished in its iconic red white and blue Nissan livery. The paint and body show few signs of track use throughout with most notable blemishes appearing on the front clip, as seen in photos. The rest of the bodywork simply shows signs of wear at the quick mount and latch points.

Interior

Having never been damaged, the original tub is still in excellent structural condition and original to as it was built in 1990, being one of three NPT-90 chassis to not have crash damage during its career.

Engine and Drivetrain

The 3-liter twin-turbo V6 is a further developed version of the engine that ran in the 300ZX Turbo and delivering power through a Hewland 5-speed transaxle. Chassis 90-01 has been stored for nearly 7 years, meaning a mechanical inspection will be necessary before recommissioning the car for track use.

Racing History

1990

May 6th- Topeka 300 Kilometers - Bob Earl/Derek Daly - 8th
May 28th - Lime Rock 150 Laps - Derek Daly - 24th (DNF)
June 3rd - Mid-Ohio 500 Kilometers - Geoff Brabham/Derek Daly - 1st
July 15th - Sears Point 300 Kilometers - Geoff Brabham - 1st
July 29th - Portland 300 Kilometers - Geoff Brabham - 15th
August 19th - Road America 500 Kilometers - Geoff Brabham - 1st
September 2nd - San Antonio 2 Hours - Geoff Brabham - 3rd

1991

March 3rd - 2 Hour West Palm Beach - Geoff Brabham - 3rd
June 2nd - Mid-Ohio 300 Kilometers - Geoff Brabham - 5th
June 16th - 2 Hour New Orleans - Geoff Brabham - 2nd
June 30th - 300 Kilometer Laguna Seca - Geoff Brabham - 2nd
July 28th - 300 Kilometer Portland - Geoff Brabham - 2nd
August 25th - Road America 300 Kilometers - Chip Robinson - 2nd
October 13th - 2 Hour Del Mar - Geoff Brabham - 3rd

1992

May 25th - 2 Hour Lime Rock - Geoff Brabham/Chip Robinson - 2nd
May 31st - Mid-Ohio 2 Hours - Geoff Brabham - 3rd
June 14th - 1 Hour 45 Minutes New Orleans - Geoff Brabham - 2nd
June 28th - IMSA GTP Watkins Glen - Geoff Brabham - 17th (DNF)
July 19th - Laguna Seca 2 Hours - Geoff Brabham - 19th (DNF)
July 26th - Portland 2 Hours - Geoff Brabham - 6th
October 4th - 2 Hour Phoenix - Geoff Brabham - 3rd
October 11th - 2 Hour Del Mar - Geoff Brabham - 2nd

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