Prince R380
Encyclopedia
The Prince R380 was a racing car built in 1965 by Prince Motor Company
to compete in the Japanese Grand Prix
. Following the merger of Prince Motor Company
and Nissan Motors
in 1966, the R380 was modified into the Nissan R380-II (also known as R380 Mk.II).
, hoping to prove the performance potential of the car's new G-7 Straight-6. Although the cars performed well, they were defeated by a privately entered Porsche 904
GTS, leaving the Skylines to take second through sixth positions.
Realizing the superiority of the mid-engine layout used on the Porsche 904
, Prince decided that a custom-built sports car would be needed to win the Japanese Grand Prix
. The car was built from scratch, with an all new chassis being developed to house the engine in the middle. Aerodynamic bodywork was also used, with exposed buttresses over the rear engine cover.
For an engine, Prince would use the same G engine
that the Skyline
s had used, but adapted it specifically for racing. The new unit, known as GR-8, would be a 1996 cc Straight-6 that produced 200 hp. A Hewland
5-speed racing gearbox would be used in the transmission.
When Nissan took over the project, the bodywork of the R380 was completely redesigned. The rear buttresses were replaced with a flowing cockpit and engine cover, while the vents and ductwork of the car was further refined. Nissan was able to increase power in the GR8 engine to 220 hp.
in 1965, the R380 would be used by Prince to test high speed aerodynamics. This led to the car being used to break five E-class land speed records in late 1965.
For the 1966 Japanese Grand Prix
at Fuji Speedway
, Prince would enter four R380s, while a trio of newer Porsche 906
s would also be entered. In the end, the R380s would take the overall victory, with Yoshikazu Sunako's R380 ahead of Hideo Oishi's second place R380.
Following the rebuilding of the R380s by Nissan, four cars were once again entered in the Japanese Grand Prix. However, the 906s would be able to overcome the previous year's loss, leaving the R380-IIs to settle for second, third, fourth, and sixth. The margin of victory was nearly two minutes. Nissan would later use an R380-II to set new land speed records, breaking seven records in October of that year.
Following Nissan's development of the newer R381
in 1968, the R380s were sold to privateers. Three were once again entered in the Japanese Grand Prix, where they took third, fourth, and fifth places. Two factory entered R380s went on to finish first and second in the 1969 Chevron Paradise 6 Hour
race at the Surfers Paradise International Raceway
in Australia
. 1969 saw one R380 taking second place in the 1000km of Fuji race, and yet another second place in 1970 at a 200 miles (321.9 km) event at Fuji.
In 2005, Nismo
would restore an R380-II and use it for exhibition events, running alongside other cars in the R380 series.
Prince Motor Company
Prince Motor Company was a Japanese automobile manufacturer from 1952 until its merger with Nissan in 1966. Prince began as the Tachikawa Aircraft Company, a producer of the famous Japanese Zero fighter planes used in WWII...
to compete in the Japanese Grand Prix
Japanese Grand Prix
The is a race in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. Traditionally one of the last, if not the last race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix has been the venue for many title-deciding races, with 13 World Champions being crowned over the 27 World Championship Japanese...
. Following the merger of Prince Motor Company
Prince Motor Company
Prince Motor Company was a Japanese automobile manufacturer from 1952 until its merger with Nissan in 1966. Prince began as the Tachikawa Aircraft Company, a producer of the famous Japanese Zero fighter planes used in WWII...
and Nissan Motors
Nissan Motors
, usually shortened to Nissan , is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn ....
in 1966, the R380 was modified into the Nissan R380-II (also known as R380 Mk.II).
Development
In 1964, Prince had entered their new S54 Skyline GTs in the second Japanese Grand PrixJapanese Grand Prix
The is a race in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. Traditionally one of the last, if not the last race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix has been the venue for many title-deciding races, with 13 World Champions being crowned over the 27 World Championship Japanese...
, hoping to prove the performance potential of the car's new G-7 Straight-6. Although the cars performed well, they were defeated by a privately entered Porsche 904
Porsche 904
The Porsche 904 is an automobile which was produced by Porsche in Germany in 1964 and 1965. It was officially called Porsche Carrera GTS due to the same naming rights problem that required renaming the Porsche 901 to Porsche 911.- History :...
GTS, leaving the Skylines to take second through sixth positions.
Realizing the superiority of the mid-engine layout used on the Porsche 904
Porsche 904
The Porsche 904 is an automobile which was produced by Porsche in Germany in 1964 and 1965. It was officially called Porsche Carrera GTS due to the same naming rights problem that required renaming the Porsche 901 to Porsche 911.- History :...
, Prince decided that a custom-built sports car would be needed to win the Japanese Grand Prix
Japanese Grand Prix
The is a race in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. Traditionally one of the last, if not the last race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix has been the venue for many title-deciding races, with 13 World Champions being crowned over the 27 World Championship Japanese...
. The car was built from scratch, with an all new chassis being developed to house the engine in the middle. Aerodynamic bodywork was also used, with exposed buttresses over the rear engine cover.
For an engine, Prince would use the same G engine
Prince G engine
The Prince G-series engine was the company's only straight-4 and straight-6 which began production in 1955. A number of variations were made, with both OHV and OHC heads. The G series was used in the Skyline, the Laurel and the Gloria from the 1950s to the early 1970s.Note that, prior to its...
that the Skyline
Nissan Skyline
The first Skyline was introduced in April 1957, by the Prince Motor Company, and was marketed as a luxury car. It featured a 1.5 L GA-30 engine producing 44 kW @ 4400 rpm. It used a de Dion tube rear suspension and was capable of 140 km/h . The car weighed around 1300 kg...
s had used, but adapted it specifically for racing. The new unit, known as GR-8, would be a 1996 cc Straight-6 that produced 200 hp. A Hewland
Hewland
Founded by Mike Hewland in 1957, Hewland is a British engineering company specialising in racing-car gearboxes. Hewland was the first company to manufacture a bespoke racing-car gearbox....
5-speed racing gearbox would be used in the transmission.
Racing history
Due to the cancellation of the Japanese Grand PrixJapanese Grand Prix
The is a race in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. Traditionally one of the last, if not the last race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix has been the venue for many title-deciding races, with 13 World Champions being crowned over the 27 World Championship Japanese...
in 1965, the R380 would be used by Prince to test high speed aerodynamics. This led to the car being used to break five E-class land speed records in late 1965.
For the 1966 Japanese Grand Prix
Japanese Grand Prix
The is a race in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. Traditionally one of the last, if not the last race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix has been the venue for many title-deciding races, with 13 World Champions being crowned over the 27 World Championship Japanese...
at Fuji Speedway
Fuji Speedway
is a race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s and hosted the first Formula One race in Japan in 1976. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and national racing...
, Prince would enter four R380s, while a trio of newer Porsche 906
Porsche 906
The Porsche 906 or Carrera 6 was the last street-legal racing car from Porsche. It was announced in January 1966 and 50 examples were subsequently produced, thus meeting the homologation requirements of the FIA's new Group 4 Sports Car category to the letter...
s would also be entered. In the end, the R380s would take the overall victory, with Yoshikazu Sunako's R380 ahead of Hideo Oishi's second place R380.
Following the rebuilding of the R380s by Nissan, four cars were once again entered in the Japanese Grand Prix. However, the 906s would be able to overcome the previous year's loss, leaving the R380-IIs to settle for second, third, fourth, and sixth. The margin of victory was nearly two minutes. Nissan would later use an R380-II to set new land speed records, breaking seven records in October of that year.
Following Nissan's development of the newer R381
Nissan R381
The Nissan R381 was a racing car developed by Nissan Motors in 1968 for use in the Japanese Grand Prix. It was the successor to the Nissan R380-II, which had been originally developed by the Prince Motor Company-Development:...
in 1968, the R380s were sold to privateers. Three were once again entered in the Japanese Grand Prix, where they took third, fourth, and fifth places. Two factory entered R380s went on to finish first and second in the 1969 Chevron Paradise 6 Hour
1969 Chevron Paradise 6 Hour
The 1969 Chevron Paradise 6 Hour was an endurance race for Sports Cars and Touring Cars.The event was held at the Surfers Paradise circuit in Queensland, Australia on 2 November 1969.Entries were divided into the following classes:* Sports Racing over 2000cc...
race at the Surfers Paradise International Raceway
Surfers Paradise International Raceway
Surfers Paradise International Raceway was a motor racing complex at Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The circuit was designed and built by Keith Williams, a motor racing enthusiast. It was located opposite the Surfers Paradise Ski Gardens at Carrara...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. 1969 saw one R380 taking second place in the 1000km of Fuji race, and yet another second place in 1970 at a 200 miles (321.9 km) event at Fuji.
In 2005, Nismo
Nismo
Nismo is the motorsports and performance division of Nissan Motor Company. Formed in 1984 as a result of a merger of two motorsport departments, Nismo cars have participated in JSPC, Formula Nippon, JTCC, 24 Hours of Le Mans and 24 Hours of Daytona...
would restore an R380-II and use it for exhibition events, running alongside other cars in the R380 series.