HISTORY // FORGOTTEN FOES: THE NISSAN R382

Built by Nissan in 1969 to compete in the Canadian-American Championship (Group 7), the R382 made its racing debut at the Japanese Grand Prix that same year. Powered by Nissan's first V12 engine, the R382 replaced the R381 which although having shown potential in terms of aerodynamics and reliability, was unable to utilize the newly developed 600hp 6.0-liter V12 and instead was powered by a 5.5-liter V8 sourced from Chevrolet... [read more]

The body work on the R382 was built entirely from scratch and had little in common with the R381 which it replaced. Rear wings had been banned by the FIA, so the R382 utilized a wing like structure incorporated into the body work of the car, which formed the rear fenders. Instead of allowing air to pass through the rear wing, Nissan mounted a radiator in the free space, giving the GRX-3 V12 some much needed fresh air.

Facing stiff competition at the 1969 Japanese Grand Prix, as Porsche arrived with one of their 917K's, a car which Jo Siffert and David Piper would drive, as well as entries from Toyota and the newly developed Isuzu R7-Chevrolet, Nissan new they hand their hands full.



However, with three R382's on the grid, Nissan was able to collect the top two positions after nearly 320 miles of racing. Motoharu Kurosawa and Yoshikazu Sunaku would share the winning car which finished more than a lap ahead of the third place Toyota 7. In the video above, watch as M.Kurosawa laps the Tsukuba Circuit in the Nissan R382.

Photo: Nissan
Video: Touge TV
Editorial: Justin W. Coffey