The name on the back panel, just under the massive adjustable rear wing, says Nissan Leaf. Its power source is a lithium-ion battery, just like that in the world's first mass-market electric car. And, despite its lack of rear doors, back seat, boot, sound system, satnav, carpets and other amenities, there is a discernable family resemblance.
But that's where the similarities between the production Leaf and the Nismo RC Leaf end. As indicated by the "RC" - for Racing Competition - this new battery car, which will make its world debut on Wednesday (April 20) at the 2011 New York motor show, is purpose-built to bring new meaning to the term "Racing Green".
Having already launched the Leaf in the United States, Europe and Japan, Nissan is now looking at the racing world as a way to draw attention to the potential of electric cars.
Nissan America chairman Carlos Tavares said before the show: "Combining the talents of Nismo, Nissan's motorsport group, and engineers from some of the company's Super GT and GT1 race teams, the RC Leaf will serve as a rolling laboratory for the accelerated development of electric vehicle and aerodynamic systems - and as a platform for the development of new, "green" motorsport series."
This is a serious racing machine, with full carbon-fibre monocoque bodywork. The three-piece body has removable front and rear sections, fixed windows, LED headlights and tail lights and a driver-adjustable rear wing.
The race car's wheelbase is 100mm shorter than that of the street Leaf is although the race car is 20mm longer and 170mm wider. The most dramatic difference, however, is height, with the Nismo Leaf 350mm lower than the production car, partly due to reduced ground clearance (down from 160mm to just 60). And, at 949kg, the race car is 40 percent lighter than the production version.
Its architecture is also markedly different, with all the heavy components - battery pack, electric motor and inverter - mid-mounted and driving the rear wheels rather than the production leaf's front-wheel drive layout. The Nismo RC has double-wishbone suspension front and rear with driver-adjustable brake balance and runs on 18", six-spoke rims shod with P225/40 Bridgestone racing rubber.
Like the production Leaf, the Nismo RC has a lithium-ion battery composed of 48 modules and an 80kW AC synchronous motor that generates 280Nm. It can be charged up to 80 percent of full capacity in 30 minutes using the quick charging port located inside the rear cow.
It can accelerate from 0-100km in 6.85sec and has a top speed of 150km/h and the Nismo boffins say it should have a range of about 20min under racing conditions - enough for an exciting if uncannily silent 10-lap sprint race on a Grand Prix circuit.
Tavares said: "There's a perception that electric vehicles fall on the dull side of the automotive enthusiasm scale - which is certainly not the case with the Nissan Leaf Nismo RC."