Nissan Super Bowl ad unveils a 1,250-hp revolutionary race car

Auto racing has showed a steady decline in viewership over the last decade, and the common consensus among race fans blames a lack of groundbreaking technology. Innovation has always been a key draw for events like the Indianapolis 500, but in recent years, series have clamped down on high tech to minimize costs.

That's what makes Nissan's new 1,250 hp, front-wheel-drive hybrid Le Mans prototype revealed yesterday during the Super Bowl such a revelation. Meet the GT-R LM Nismo, perhaps the most interesting-slash-insane race car of our generation.

Adopting a front-engined, front-wheel-drive layout when every modern race series uses just the opposite seems like a giant misstep — but there's a method in Nissan's madness. The common issue race teams face is getting weight over the front axle, due to the heavy powertrain sitting behind the driver. To combat this, teams use small aerodynamic devices like winglets at the front of the car, but seldom is it enough to offset the rear mass. Nissan's concept, created by Ben Bowlby, the inventor of the radical DeltaWing, solves the issue of getting weight over the front axle, allowing far more aerodynamic options to mitigate the lack of weight at the rear.

The GT-R LM Nismo pushes  the driver's cabin radically back, Batmobile-style. This keeps at least some weight over the rear axle while creating space for the engine and hybrid parts. But the shape masks some trick innovation in aerodynamics, the battle between creating downforce that pulls the car to the track for better traction without triggering drag that can slow it down.