135-477: GT Academy (also known as Nissan PlayStation GT Academy and NISMO PlayStation GT Academy as part of the Nissan partnership) is a television programme that was produced by Grand Central Entertainment and funded by Nissan and Sony Interactive Entertainment from 2008 to 2016. GT Academy provided skilled Gran Turismo players an opportunity to earn a real-life professional racing career with Nissan. GT Academy
270-613: A Royal Air Force bomber station, RAF Silverstone , which was operational between 1943 and 1946. The station was the base for the No. 17 Operational Training Unit. The airfield's three runways, in classic WWII triangle format , lie within the outline of the present track. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border and is accessed from the nearby A43 . The Northamptonshire towns of Towcester (5 miles (8.0 km)) and Brackley (7 miles (11 km)) and
405-597: A film named after the game Gran Turismo , released in 2023. From 2010 to 2016, the Nissan PlayStation GT Academy program saw twenty-one additional winners, many of whom had success on track including Championship wins, Podiums and international races, such as the 2015 Bathurst 12 Hours in Australia. GT Academy continued in 2010, expanding to 17 countries, including New Zealand and Australia . A GT Academy-oriented DLC for Gran Turismo 5
540-580: A $ 421 million loss in the last quarter due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the scandal concerning Ghosn. According to a spokesperson of Nissan North America, the company had suffered from a strategy of "volume at any cost", which has been attributed by analysts to Ghosn. In January 2023, Renault said it intended to transfer almost 30% of its controlling stake in Nissan to a French trust (pending approval by both companies), reducing its shares with voting rights to
675-527: A 17% cut earlier this year. Nissan also said that they would slash 9,000 jobs and cut global production capacity by a fifth. Nissan shares fell 6% on November 8, 2024 after it announced 9,000 job cuts and slashed profit forecasts due to weak sales in China and the U.S. In 1982, Nissan's first final assembly robots were installed in the Murayama plant, where the then-new March/Micra was assembled. In 1984,
810-730: A 25 percent tax on commercial vans imported to the United States. Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation USA was established in 1980. Nissan, Toyota Motor Corp. , and Honda Motor Co. began establishing manufacturing plants in the US in the early-1980s. Nissan's initial assembly plant Smyrna assembly plant broke ground in 1980 and at first only built trucks such as the Datsun 720 and the Nissan Hardbody Truck , but has since expanded to produce several car and SUV lines, including
945-571: A Formula Libre race which put the Grand Prix into perspective; Farina drove the Thinwall Special to victory at a higher speed than the actual GP, setting the first lap record at over 100 mph (160 km/h), at 100.16 mph (161.19 km/h). The 1954 Grand Prix season was the new 2.5-litre Formula One and had attracted interest from some major players. Lancia had joined the fray with their D50 , and Daimler-Benz were back;
1080-640: A Lotus. Once the most prestigious race of the motorcycle calendar, the Isle of Man TT had been increasingly boycotted by the top riders, and finally succumbed to pressure and was dropped, being replaced by the British Motorcycle Grand Prix . 1977 marked the beginning of this era, and Silverstone was the chosen venue. It took place on 14 August, with Pat Hennen riding a Suzuki RG500 to victory from Steve Baker (Yamaha). The International Trophy attracted World Championship contenders for
1215-463: A biometric harness and the JukeRide which measured biometric and telemetry data respectively. For 2015, there were three GT Academy competitions based on region. These were: GT Academy has turned video gamers to racing drivers over a period of months, and NISMO Athletes have competed at international car racing competitions since 2009. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans , Lucas Ordoñez finished second in
1350-700: A dramatic revitalization of both its Nissan and Infiniti model line-ups. Ghosn has been recognized in Japan for the company's turnaround in the midst of an ailing Japanese economy . Ghosn and the Nissan turnaround were featured in Japanese manga and popular culture. His achievements in revitalizing Nissan were noted by the Japanese government, which awarded him the Japan Medal with Blue Ribbon in 2004. In February 2017, Ghosn announced he would step down as CEO of Nissan on 1 April 2017, while remaining chairman of
1485-582: A joint Drivers' Championship Pro Cup winner. GT Academy Winners have also competed in the Dubai 24 Hours , FIA GT Series , FIA World Endurance Championship , British GT Championship , FIA Formula 3 European Championships , British Formula Three Championship , TRS Single-Seater Series, IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge , SCCA Solo National Championship and the United SportsCar Championship . In 2012, Lucas Ordoñez competed at
SECTION 10
#17327809016251620-406: A lease on the airfield and set out a more formal racing circuit. Their first two races were held on the runways themselves, with long straights separated by tight hairpin corners, the track demarcated by hay bales. However, for the 1949 International Trophy meeting, it was decided to switch to the perimeter track. This arrangement was used for the 1950 and 1951 Grands Prix. In 1952 the start line
1755-583: A legal agreement with Austin, for Nissan to assemble 2,000 Austins from imported partially assembled sets and sell them in Japan under the Austin trademark. The agreement called for Nissan to make all Austin parts locally within three years, a goal Nissan met. Nissan produced and marketed Austins for seven years. The agreement also gave Nissan the rights to use Austin patents, which Nissan used in developing its own engines for its Datsun line of cars. In 1953, British-built Austins were assembled and sold, but by 1955,
1890-478: A major redesign between the 1990 and 1991 races, transforming the ultra-fast track (where, in its last years, fourth or fifth gear, depending on the transmission of the car, was used for every corner except the Bridge chicane which was usually taken in second gear) into a more technical track. The reshaped track's first Formula One race was won by Nigel Mansell in front of his home crowd. On his victory lap back to
2025-707: A manufacturing facility in Chennai , catering to the Indian market as well as a base for exports of small cars to Europe. Nissan sold nearly 520,000 new vehicles in China in 2009 in a joint venture with Dongfeng Motor . To meet increased production targets, Dongfeng-Nissan expanded its production base in Guangzhou , which would become Nissan's largest factory around the globe in terms of production capacity. Nissan also has moved and expanded its Nissan Americas Inc. headquarters, moving from Los Angeles to Franklin, Tennessee in
2160-553: A minority 15% and, in doing so, making Nissan shares in Renault to gain voting rights. The shareholding and voting ratio of both companies is set to be fixed in the future. The agreement also included Nissan investing in Ampere (a proposed Renault subsidiary for electric cars) and projects in various markets. In February 2023, both companies approved the going-ahead for the shareholding changes. Final details and regulatory clearances for
2295-715: A notable first and last – the first and only appearance of the American Scarab and the last appearance of the Vanwall, in the hands of Surtees. The race was wet and Moss demonstrated his supreme prowess in Rob Walker's Cooper by lapping all but Brabham twice. In 1962, the second year of the Formula, the International Trophy was run for the 1.5 litre cars. This was the classic occasion when Hill in
2430-602: A number of other neighbouring venues to accommodate numerous types of challenges. On the track, these included pit stop challenge, gymkhana, dogfight, stock car racing, traffic challenge, and more, with competitors driving in buggies, single seaters, and Caterham cars, as well as actual Nissan cars such as the 370Z, Juke, GT-R, Leaf, and Pulsar. Off-track challenges typically involved an assault course, triathlon, laser challenge, written tests, interviews and more. GT Academy Winners were invited to take part in Nissan's Driver Development Programme. Headquartered at Silverstone Circuit, UK,
2565-517: A partnership between Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors of Japan, with Renault of France. As of November 2023 , Renault holds a 15% voting stake in Nissan, while Nissan holds the same stake in Renault. Since October 2016 Nissan holds a 34% controlling stake in Mitsubishi Motors. In 2017, Nissan was the sixth largest automaker in the world, after Toyota , Volkswagen Group , Hyundai Motor Group , General Motors and Ford . In 2014, Nissan
2700-619: A rare victory for Hersham and Walton Motors when Lance Macklin had a win. The same situation continued into 1953 with the World Championship being run for Formula Two cars. The race was a straight fight between the Maserati and Ferrari teams, with victory going to Ascari at 92.9 mph (149.5 km/h) aboard a Ferrari Tipo 500, from the Maserati A6GCM of Fangio and another Tipo 500 of Farina. The racecard included
2835-518: A rejuvenated phrase with the coming of Group C ; the BRDC and l'Automobile Club de l'Ouest instituted a joint Silverstone/Le Mans Challenge Trophy. The trophy eventually went to Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell in a Porsche 956 , but at Silverstone they could not make maximum use of the fuel allowance and victory went to the Lancia LC1 of Riccardo Patrese and Michele Alboreto . The winning car completed
SECTION 20
#17327809016252970-641: A total of 48 Nissan Miss Fairlady pageants (26 in Ginza, 8 in Sapporo, 7 in Nagoya, 7 in Fukuoka). In April 2013, 6 more Miss Fairlady candidates were added to Ginza showroom, for a total of 27 48th Ginza Nissan Miss Fairlady pageants. In the 1950s Nissan decided to expand into worldwide markets. Nissan management realized, that their Datsun small car line would fulfill an unmet need in markets such as Australia and
3105-434: A video of Ghosn alleging this 2018-19 Nissan scandal is itself evidence of value destruction and Nissan corporate mismanagement. In September 2019, Saikawa resigned as CEO, following allegations of improper payments received by him. Yasuhiro Yamauchi was appointed as acting CEO. In October 2019, the company announced it had appointed Makoto Uchida as its next CEO. The appointment would be made "effective" by 1 January 2020 at
3240-542: Is not concerned solely to Formula One however, and 1976 saw one of the closest finishes in endurance racing during the Silverstone Six-Hour race, which was a round of the World Championship for Makes. The series was almost a German benefit that season as the main contenders were the Porsche 935s and BMW 3-litre CSLs (common known as the 'Batmobiles'). Porsche had had the upper hand in the opening rounds of
3375-568: The 1948 British Grand Prix . The 1950 British Grand Prix at Silverstone was the first race in the newly created World Championship of Drivers . The race rotated between Silverstone, Aintree and Brands Hatch from 1955 to 1986, but settled permanently at the Silverstone track in 1987. The circuit also hosts the British round of the MotoGP series. The Silverstone circuit is on the site of
3510-721: The 2015 Dubai 24 Hour race, four new GT Academy winners finished second in the GT3 Pro-Am class and fifth overall out of 95 cars, just months after winning their respective GT Academy competitions. The round in Malaysia was planned in 2015, together with new countries such as Japan and Indonesia . Developed for television by Executive Producers Andrew Hill and Rabin Mukerjea, the contest comprised different phases. Players began with virtual racing on Polyphony Digital 's Gran Turismo games and progressed to National Finals before
3645-667: The Austin A50 – completely built by Nissan and featuring a new 1489 cc engine — was on the market in Japan. Nissan produced 20,855 Austins from 1953 to 1959. Nissan leveraged the Austin patents to further develop its own modern engine designs beyond what Austin's A- and B-family designs offered. The apex of the Austin-derived engines was the new design A series engine in 1966. In 1967, Nissan introduced its new highly advanced four-cylinder overhead cam (OHC) Nissan L engine , which while similar to Mercedes-Benz OHC designs
3780-644: The Bathurst 12 Hour at the famous Mount Panorama Circuit in Australia . Driving a Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 for the NISMO Athlete Global Team in the Class AA, they completed 269 laps to claim the overall race win. Mardenborough's achievements since winning GT Academy saw him named as one of the 50 most marketable athletes in the world by Sports Pro Media in 2015. In 2016, Wolfgang Reip
3915-1049: The Button Plan , with a version of the Nissan Pintara being sold as the Ford Corsair and a version of the Ford Falcon as the Nissan Ute . A variant of the Nissan Patrol was sold as the Ford Maverick during the 1988–94 model years. In North America, Nissan partnered with Ford from 1993 to 2002 to market the Ohio-built Mercury Villager and the Nissan Quest . The two minivans were virtually identical aside from cosmetic differences. In 2002, Nissan and Ford announced
4050-672: The Kwaishinsha (Kaishinsha) Motor Car Works ( 快進社自働車工場 , Kwaishinsha jidōsha kōjō , A Good Company Automobile Manufacturer ) on 1 July 1911 in Azabu-Hiroo district of Tokyo. In 1914, the company produced its first car, called the DAT . The new car's model name was an acronym of the company's investors' surnames : It was renamed to Kaishinsha Motorcar Co., Ltd. in 1918, and again to DAT Jidosha & Co., Ltd. (DAT Motorcar Co.) in 1925. DAT Motors built trucks in addition to
4185-756: The NASCAR Xfinity Series . Hammann made further road course starts in the Xfinity Series in 2017 and 2019. A fictionalized account of the GT Academy driving academy and gamer-driver Mardenborough was made into the 2023 dramatic biopic film Gran Turismo . Nissan Nissan Motor Corporation ( 日産 自動車 株式会社 , Nissan Jidōsha kabushiki gaisha ) is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa , Japan. The company sells its vehicles under
GT Academy - Misplaced Pages Continue
4320-577: The Nissan and Infiniti brands, and formerly the Datsun brand, with in-house performance tuning products (including cars) under the Nismo and Autech brands. The company traces back to the beginnings of the 20th century, with the Nissan zaibatsu , now called Nissan Group . Since 1999, Nissan has been part of the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance (Mitsubishi joining in 2016),
4455-843: The Nissan Altima , the Nissan Maxima , as well as the Rogue, Pathfinder, Infiniti QX60, and the Nissan Leaf all-electric car . The addition of mass-market automobiles was in response to the 1981 Voluntary Export Restraints imposed by the US Government. An engine plant in Decherd, Tennessee followed. Most recently a second assembly plant was established in Canton, Mississippi . By the early-1980s, Nissan Datsun had long been
4590-906: The Petit Le Mans in the Nissan DeltaWing race car, and in 2014 began racing in the Super GT Series, class GT300, with NDDP Racing. In the same year, Jann Mardenborough began racing in the GP3 Series with Arden International, and at Motorland Aragon raced for the first time in a Formula Renault 3.5 test. In September 2014, Nissan announced that former US GT Academy Winners and finalists would be considered for Nissan's new LM P1 Le Mans 24 Hours and FIA World Endurance Championship Team. On 8 February 2015, GT Academy graduates Wolfgang Reip (2012) and Florian Strauss (2013) teamed with Super GT driver Katsumasa Chiyo to compete in
4725-606: The Prince Motor Company , bringing more upmarket cars, including the Skyline and Gloria , into its selection. The Prince name was eventually abandoned, and successive Skylines and Glorias bore the Nissan name. "Prince" was used at the Japanese Nissan dealership " Nissan Prince Shop " until 1999, when "Nissan Red Stage" replaced it. Nissan Red Stage itself has been replaced as of 2007. The Skyline lives on as
4860-528: The Renault RS10 with Jean-Pierre Jarier third in the Tyrrell 009. The winners average speed was 138.80 mph (223.38 km/h). The 1979 British Motorcycle Grand Prix was again held at Silverstone and would be one of the closest races in the history of Motorcycle Grand Prix racing. The 1978 winner Kenny Roberts and the pair of works Suzuki riders, Barry Sheene and Wil Hartog broke away from
4995-681: The Vanwall took over, going on to win. With the Lancias broken by the Brit, the rest of the podium was taken by the Connaughts of Archie Scott Brown and Desmond Titterington . For 1958 drastic rule changes were introduced into Formula One, Fangio had retired and Maserati had withdrawn due to financial difficulties. Throughout the season the battle was between Ferrari and Vanwall and it was fervently hoped that Vandervell would success at home but it
5130-552: The holding company Nihon Sangyo (日本産業 Japan Industries or Nihon Industries). The name 'Nissan' originated during the 1930s as an abbreviation used on the Tokyo Stock Exchange for Ni hon San gyo. This company was Nissan " Zaibatsu " which included Tobata Casting and Hitachi . At this time Nissan controlled foundries and auto parts businesses, but Aikawa did not enter automobile manufacturing until 1933. The zaibatsu eventually grew to include 74 firms and became
5265-491: The 1930s who introduced cars. The Fairlady name was used as a link to the popular Broadway play My Fair Lady of the era. Miss Fairladys became the marketers of the Datsun Fairlady 1500 . In April 2008, 14 more Miss Fairlady candidates were added, for a total of 45 Nissan Miss Fairlady pageants (22 in Ginza, 8 in Sapporo, 7 in Nagoya, 7 in Fukuoka). In April 2012, 7 more Miss Fairlady candidates were added, for
5400-424: The 1965 season, BRM had taken a chance and signed Jackie Stewart straight from Formula Three; the International Trophy was only his fourth Formula One race, but despite this he won handsomely from Surtees in the Ferrari. When the Formula One returned for the British Grand Prix later that year, Stewart finished a creditable fifth. Fellow Scot, Clark won the race in his Lotus-Climax 33 from the BRM P261 of Hill and
5535-439: The 2015 model year Chevrolet City Express, to be introduced by the end of 2014. Holden , GM's Australian subsidiary, sold versions of the Nissan Pulsar as the Holden Astra between 1984 and 1989. Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is a motor racing circuit in England, near the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury . It is the home of the British Grand Prix , which it first hosted as
GT Academy - Misplaced Pages Continue
5670-408: The 235 laps (687 miles) being completed at 114.602 mph (184.434 km/h). The only other to complete the full race distance was the Siegfried Brunn / Jürgen Barth (Porsche 908/3), with a Porsche 935K Turbo driven by John Paul and Brian Redman third, a lap down. 1981 saw the arrival of the one-one-one grid, staggered in two rows. The turbocharged era saw Renault occupying the front row of
5805-402: The 240 laps at a speed of 128.5 mph (206.8 km/h), with the second-place car three laps adrift, that of Ickx/Bell. The final podium place went to the Joest Racing Porsche 936C Turbo of Bob Wollek/ Jean-Michel Martin / Philippe Martin . May 1983 saw the running of the Silverstone 1000 kilometres, which was a round of the newly instigated World Endurance Championship. Porsche dominated
5940-487: The 28 entries were Cosworth-powered, there being just two Ferraris to challenge them. Tom Pryce placed his Shadow DN5 on pole for the 1975 Grand Prix, but an accident destroyed his chances as the race was run in appalling weather and it was stopped at two-thirds distance, following multiple cars crashing on the very wet circuit. Victory went to Fittipaldi (McLaren M23) from Carlos Pace ( Brabham BT44 B) and Scheckter (Tyrrell 007). International motor racing at Silverstone
6075-415: The 3-litre era was now into its fifth season; it was also the year when sponsorship came to the fore. Ken Tyrrell became a constructor and Jackie Stewart won at Silverstone driving the Tyrrell 003 on his way to a second World Championship. Ronnie Peterson was second in March 711 from Emerson Fittipaldi in Lotus 72D ; all were Cosworth-powered in what fast becoming Formula Super Ford; the race average
6210-501: The BRM crossed the finishing line almost sideways to snatch victory from Jim Clark 's Lotus 24 ; both drivers were credited with the same race time. Clark was to win the British Grand Prix when it returned to Silverstone in 1963, driving the Lotus-Climax 25 . By now, even Ferrari had succumbed to the rear-engined layout, but sent only one to Northamptonshire for Surtees ( Ferrari 156 ). He finished second, ahead of three BRM P57 's of Hill, Richie Ginther and Lorenzo Bandini . For
6345-422: The BRM was troubled by fading brakes which led to Hill spinning off at Copse Corner. 1961 was the year of the new 1.5 litre Formula One introduced by the governing body on safety grounds – it met with strong opposition in Britain which gave birth to the short-lived Intercontinental Formula , which extended the life of the now-obsolete Formula One cars. The International Trophy was run to this Formula and produced
6480-466: The DAT and Datsun passenger cars. The vast majority of its output were trucks, due to an almost non-existent consumer market for passenger cars at the time, and disaster recovery efforts as a result of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake . Beginning in 1918, the first DAT trucks were produced for the military market. At the same time, Jitsuyo Jidosha Co., Ltd. (jitsuyo means practical use or utility) produced small trucks using parts, and materials imported from
6615-427: The Driver Development Program consisted of two-to-four months of training and racing at club and national level with the GT Academy Nissan RJN Motorsport Team in order for drivers to qualify for an International Racing License, a process that normally takes three years. This was a requirement to compete at an international endurance race – the final prize for the majority of the GT Academy Winners – which for most had been
6750-401: The Driver Development Programme also included training in the NISMO Lab, where technological equipment included Nissan's In-Body machine, which analysed body composition; a brainwave monitor, which trained the mind to simultaneously focus and relax; a BATAK console to improve peripheral vision and reaction times; a racing simulator which allowed simulated racing practice on any track in the world;
6885-416: The Dubai 24 Hours. rFactor 2 is also used for the training. RJN Motorsport was the racing team for GT Academy Winners for the Driver Development Programme for the entirety of GT Academy, starting from when inaugural winner Lucas Ordoñez upgraded his National B racing license to an International C racing licence after six weekends of racing. In addition to building fitness, racing experience and theory,
SECTION 50
#17327809016257020-453: The European Grand Prix; it was the first race in the newly created World Championship of Drivers ; and the event was graced by the presence of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth – the first and only time a reigning monarch has attended a motor race in Britain. The year was the institution of the World Championship for Driver, and Silverstone witnessed the first time that Alfa Romeo 158 'Alfettas' had been seen in England, and they took
7155-413: The Ferrari of Surtees. The following year, the new 3-litre Formula One was heralded as the "Return of Power" , however the first Grand Prix under these regulations was held at Brands Hatch. It was not until 1967 that the big-engined cars came to Northamptonshire. The result remained unchanged, with Clark winning in the Lotus-Cosworth 49 at a race average speed of 117.6 mph (189.3 km/h). Second
7290-437: The G Series of Infiniti . To capitalize on the renewed investment during 1964 Summer Olympics , Nissan established the gallery on the second and third floors of the San-ai building, located in Ginza, Tokyo . To attract visitors, Nissan started using beautiful female showroom attendants where Nissan held a competition to choose five candidates as the first class of Nissan Miss Fairladys, modeled after "Datsun Demonstrators" from
7425-504: The GT Academy Winner. Headquartered at Stowe Circuit in the premises of Silverstone Circuit, UK, Race Camp assessed competitors both on and off the real-world track. Competitors were split into regional groups where they competed against each other and also against other territories. They were allocated a judge - each with a professional background in auto racing – responsible for mentoring and eliminating all but one of their group based on various eliminatory challenges. A head judge also oversaw
7560-490: The GT Academy site on the Gran Turismo website, GT Academy required entrants to be over the age of 18 and hold a valid driver's license, and never have a racing license equivalent to Motor Sport Association UK A class license or higher. Any contestant who made it to Race Camp in any of the previous GT Academy competitions was generally restricted to the Online Qualification stage of the GT Academy. Players qualified for GT Academy through Gran Turismo 6 on PlayStation 3. Gamers in
7695-657: The LM P2 category in 2011, and in 2013 he finished third alongside Jann Mardenborough (2011 European winner). In 2014, Wolfgang Reip recorded the first-ever all-electric lap of the Le Mans circuit, driving the Nissan ZEOD RC. In the Blancpain Endurance Series , Jordan Tresson was winner of the GT4 class in 2011. In 2013, the Pro-Am cup was won by Lucas Ordoñez, while the Pro-Am team cup was won by Nissan GT Academy Team RJN, which included Jann Mardenborough, Wolfgang Reip (2012 European winner), Mark Shulzhitskiy (2012 Russia winner), Peter Pyzera (2012 Germany winner) and Steve Doherty (2012 USA winner). In 2015 , Wolfgang Reip became
7830-431: The Middle East, and for the first time to India , Mexico , and Thailand . The sixth season in 2014 grew to include separate competitions for Europe (France, Italy , United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal , Belgium , Netherlands , Luxembourg , Russia, Sweden , Poland , and Czech Republic ), Germany, North America (United States and Canada ) and an International group (Australia, India, Middle East, Mexico and Thailand). In
7965-400: The Nashville area. Project 901 was an initiative in the mid-1980s, and it represented a desire for Nissan to offer technologically advanced cars by 1990. Known by various names such as P901 Activity, 901 Activity, 901 Plan, 901 Operation, and Project 901, the project began under the leadership of Nissan President Yutaka Kume (1985-1992). Project 901 was initiated in early 1985 in response to
8100-407: The Nissan Mistral. Nissan licensed the Volkswagen Santana . Production began in 1984, at Nissan's Zama, Kanagawa plant, and ended in May 1990. From 1983 to 1987, Nissan cooperated with Alfa Romeo to build the Arna . The goal was for Alfa to compete in the family hatchback market segment, and for Nissan to establish a foothold in the European market. After Alfa Romeo's takeover by Fiat, both
8235-399: The RAC decided it no longer wished to run the circuit, and on 1 January the lease was taken on by the BRDC, with James Brown continuing as track manager. The lease covered only the perimeter track and other areas at specific times. The original pits between Abbey and Woodcote were demolished, and new pit facilities were constructed between Woodcote and Copse. Coinciding with the BRDC taking over
SECTION 60
#17327809016258370-426: The Silverstone Six-Hours, a round of the World Championship for Makes. A 3.2-litre Porsche 935 won in the hands of Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass from a 3.0-litre version driven by Wollek and Henri Pescarolo ; third and fourth were BMW 320s handled by Harald Grohs / Eddy Joosen and Freddy Kottulinsky / Markus Hotz . The race was run over 235 laps of the Grand Prix circuit to make a total of a little over 689 miles which
8505-547: The United States. Commercial operations were placed on hold during Japan's participation in World War I , and the company contributed to the war effort. In 1926, the Tokyo-based DAT Motors merged with the Osaka -based Jitsuyo Jidosha Co., Ltd ( Jitsuyō Jidōsha Seizō Kabushiki-Gaisha ) a.k.a. Jitsuyo Jidosha Seizo (established 1919 as a Kubota subsidiary) to become DAT Jidosha Seizo Co., Ltd Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd. ( ダット自動車製造株式会社 , DAT Jidōsha Seizō Kabushiki-Gaisha ) in Osaka until 1932. From 1923 to 1925,
8640-419: The Zama plant began to be robotized; this automation process then continued throughout Nissan's factories. Nissan electric vehicles have been produced intermittently since 1946. In 2010, the Nissan Leaf plug-in battery electric vehicle was introduced; it was the world's most sold plug-in electric car for nearly a decade. It was preceded by the Altra and the Hypermini . Until surpassed by Tesla, Nissan
8775-415: The alternative venue. By the time the Grand Prix returned to Silverstone in 1956, Mercedes-Benz had gone, as had Lancia as an independent entrant, the cars having been handed to Scuderia Ferrari, who ran them as 'Lancia-Ferraris'. The great Fangio scored his only British Grand Prix win in one of these cars. Second was another Lancia-Ferrari which had started the race in the hands of Alfonso de Portago , but
8910-416: The appearance of Lancia meant that there were three Italian teams competing at the highest level, the others being Ferrari and Maserati. The British were catered for by the Owen Racing Organisation with their BRMs , the Vanwall of Tony Vandervell and Connaught still competing, while Cooper-Bristol were not to be forgotten. At the start of the season, Mercedes-Benz had swept all before them, but Silverstone
9045-447: The beginning of live events, offering a way into GT Academy for those without access to a PlayStation 3 console or Gran Turismo game. In 2013, GT Academy included competitions in Europe , the United States, Germany , Russia , the Middle East and South Africa , each entering the competition for the first time on Gran Turismo 6 . In 2014, a new International competition was introduced, broadening GT Academy again to Australia and
9180-545: The best selling Japanese brand in Europe. The Greek manufacturing plant itself was closed. A joint venture with Italy's then state-owned Alfa Romeo was also entered in 1980, leading to Italian production of the Nissan Cherry and an Alfa-badged and motorized version, the Alfa Romeo Arna . In 2001 Nissan established a manufacturing plant in Brazil. In 2005 Nissan added operations in India, through its subsidiary Nissan Motor India Private Limited . With its global alliance partner Renault , Nissan invested $ 990 million to set up
9315-410: The biggest customers of domestic automakers. In late-July 2019, Nissan announced it would lay off 12,500 employees over the next 3 years, citing a 95% year on year net income fall. Hiroto Saikawa, CEO at the time, confirmed the majority of those cuts would be plant workers. In May 2020, Nissan announced that the company would cut production capacity by 20% due to the COVID-19 pandemic . In mid-2020,
9450-414: The car and cooperation were discontinued. In Europe, General Motors (GM) and Nissan co-operated on the Nissan Primastar , a light commercial vehicle. The high roof version is built in the NMISA plant in Barcelona , Spain; while the low roof version is built at Vauxhall Motors / Opel 's Luton plant in Bedfordshire , UK. In 2013, GM announced its intentions to rebadge the Nissan NV200 commercial van as
9585-403: The circuit. Despite possible concerns about the weather, the 1948 British Grand Prix began at Silverstone on Thursday 30 September 1948. The race took place on 2 October. The new circuit was marked out with oil drums and straw bales and consisted of the perimeter road and the runways running into the centre of the airfield from two directions. Spectators were contained behind rope barriers and
9720-791: The company announced it would shut down factories in Indonesia and Spain, and would exit the South Korean car market. Nissan announced that the Infiniti brand will be pulled out from South Korea as well alongside the Nissan brand by December due to worsening business environment amidst the pandemic and the 2019 boycott of Japanese products in South Korea . Nissan announced that service centers will be managed to provide after-sales services such as vehicle quality assurance and parts management for eight years. In November 2020, Nissan announced
9855-488: The company produced light cars and trucks under the name of Lila. In 1929, DAT Automobile Manufacturing Inc. merged with a separated part of the manufacturing business of IHI Corporation to become Automobile Industries Co., Ltd. In 1931, DAT came out with a new smaller car, called the Datsun Type 11 , the first "Datson", meaning "Son of DAT". Later in 1933, after Nissan Group zaibatsu took control of DAT Motors,
9990-454: The company took a hard line. Workers were locked out, and several hundred were fired. The Japanese government and the U.S. occupation forces arrested several union leaders. The union ran out of strike funds and was defeated. A new labor union was formed, with Shioji Ichiro one of its leaders. Ichiro had studied at Harvard University on a U.S. government scholarship. He advanced an idea to trade wage cuts against saving 2,000 jobs. Ichiro's idea
10125-430: The company. He was replaced as CEO by his then-deputy Hiroto Saikawa . On 19 November 2018, Ghosn was fired as chairman following his arrest for the alleged under-reporting of his income to Japanese financial authorities. After 108 days in detention, Ghosn was released on bail, but after 29 days he was again detained on new charges (4 April 2019). He had been due to hold a news conference, but instead, his lawyers released
10260-480: The cream of Formula One, including the seemingly invincible Alfas, driven by Fangio and Farina. However, the weather worsened for the final and visibility was almost nil, and in those conditions the Alfettas with their supercharged engines were at a distinct disadvantage. When the race was abandoned after only six laps, Reg Parnell was in the lead in the "Thinwall Special" ; no official winner was declared. In 1952,
10395-618: The discontinuation of the arrangement. In Europe, Nissan and Ford Europe partnered to produce the Nissan Terrano II and the badge-engineered Ford Maverick, a mid-size SUV produced at the Nissan Motor Ibérica S.A (NMISA) plant in Barcelona , Spain . The Maverick/Terrano II was a popular vehicle sold throughout Europe and Australasia. It was also sold in Japan as a captive import , with the Nissan model marketed as
10530-542: The eliminations and had the ultimate responsibility of naming the GT Academy Winner. On the last day, the remaining competitors - one from each group – competed in a final race against each other, where the results of the race, along with their development over Race Camp, were taken into account, so as for the judges to determine the winner. All activities took place within Silverstone Circuit and
10665-406: The final went to a Ferrari Tipo 125 driven by Alberto Ascari from Farina, with Luigi Villoresi third in another Ferrari. For this meeting, the chicane at Club Corner was dispensed with and the circuit took up a shape that was to last for 25 years. The 1950 British Grand Prix was a significant occasion for three reasons: it was the first ever World Championship Grand Prix, carrying the title of
10800-640: The first car manufactured by an integrated assembly system rolled off the line at the Yokohama plant. Nissan built trucks, airplanes, and engines for the Imperial Japanese Army . In November 1937 Nissan moved its headquarters to Xinjing , the capital of Manchukuo . In December the company changed its name to Manchuria Heavy Industries Developing Co (MHID). In 1940, the first knockdown kits were shipped to Dowa Jidosha Kogyo (Dowa Automobile) , one of MHID's companies, for assembly. In 1944,
10935-545: The first three places in the hands of Giuseppe Farina, Luigi Fagioli and Reg Parnell , with the race average having increased to 90.96 mph (146.39 km/h); however the race distance had been reduced to 205 miles (330 km). 1951 was memorable for it saw the defeat of the Alfas, with victory going to the popular Argentinian driver, Froilán González driving the Ferrari 375 . His fellow countryman Juan Manuel Fangio
11070-411: The founding of Nissan GT Academy, a joint venture between Sony and Nissan, which took its name from the well-known Gran Turismo video game series. In the same year, inaugural GT Academy competition took place, with Spain's Lucas Ordóñez claiming victory. Following a commendable performance at the 2009 Dubai 24 Hours, Nissan enlisted Ordóñez for its works racing team. Cox is portrayed by Orlando Bloom in
11205-485: The fourth-largest in Japan during World War II . In 1931, DAT Jidosha Seizo became affiliated with Tobata Casting and was merged into Tobata Casting in 1933. As Tobata Casting was a Nissan company, this was the beginning of Nissan's automobile manufacturing. In 1934, Aikawa separated the expanded automobile parts division of Tobata Casting and incorporated it as a new subsidiary, which he named Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. ( 日産自動車 , Nissan Jidōsha ) . The shareholders of
11340-569: The grid was the product of Règie Renault which was exploiting a rule in F1 regulations that allowed the use of 1.5-litre turbocharged engines. The Renault RS01 expired early in the race. Ulsterman John Watson had an early battle with James Hunt , but the fuel system in Watson's Brabham-Alfa Romeo let him down and the winner Hunt ( McLaren M26 ) won at a speed of 130.36 mph (209.79 km/h), with Niki Lauda second for Ferrari from Gunnar Nilsson in
11475-565: The grid, and turbo-engined Ferraris fourth and eighth. The Renaults dominated the race, but total reliability was still lacking and the victory went to John Watson in a McLaren MP4/1 . Second place went to Carlos Reutemann in the Williams FW07 C from the Talbot-Ligier JS17 of Jacques Laffite , a lap down; the race speed was down a little at 137.64 mph (221.51 km/h). For 1982, endurance sport car racing entered
11610-623: The growing demand for new, technically advanced cars from all Japanese manufacturers. With a market share of around 25% then, Nissan saw a decline to less than 20%, prompting the company to address its shortcomings. Under the banner of 'Aiming to be the world's best in technology by the 1990s,' the plan focused on the technological development of chassis, engines, suspensions, handling, design, and quality improvements for all car models to be introduced before 1990. In 1999, facing severe financial difficulties, Nissan entered an alliance with Renault of France. In June 2001, Renault executive Carlos Ghosn
11745-437: The head office was moved to Nihonbashi, Tokyo , and the company name was changed to Nissan Heavy Industries, Ltd., which the company kept through 1949. DAT had inherited Kubota 's chief designer, American engineer William R. Gorham . This, along with Aikawa's 1908 visit to Detroit, was to greatly affect Nissan's future. Although it had always been Aikawa's intention to use cutting-edge auto making technology from America, it
11880-406: The last syllable of Datson was changed to "sun", because "son" also means "loss" in Japanese, hence the name " Datsun " ( ダットサン , Dattosan ) . In 1933, the company name was Nipponized to Jidosha-Seizo Co., Ltd. ( Jidōsha Seizō Kabushiki-Gaisha , "Automobile Manufacturing Share Company") and was moved to Yokohama . In 1928, Yoshisuke Aikawa (nickname: Gisuke/Guisuke Ayukawa) founded
12015-585: The last time in 1978 but the race witnessed the début of the epoch-making Lotus 79 in the hands of Mario Andretti . Such events as this gave the Formula One also-rans a chance to start, which they were normally denied in Grands Prix; two such were the Theodore and Fittipaldi . Keke Rosberg won the former in atrocious conditions from Fittipaldi in his namesake car. 14 May witnessed the running of
12150-399: The latest technological advancements and chic Italianate styling for sporty cars such as the Datsun Fairlady roadsters, the race-winning 411 series , the Datsun 510 and the Datsun 240Z . By 1970 Nissan had become one of the world's largest exporters of automobiles. In 1970 Teocar was established, which was a Greek assembly plant created in cooperation with Theoharakis. Nissan Mexicana
12285-481: The latest. On 1 December 2019, Uchida became CEO. In the United States, Nissan has been increasing its reliance on sales to daily-rental companies like Enterprise Rent-A-Car or Hertz . In 2016, Nissan's rental sales jumped 37% and in 2017 Nissan became the only major automaker to boost rental sales when the Detroit Three cut back less profitable deliveries to daily-rental companies, which traditionally are
12420-537: The new company; however, were not enthusiastic about the prospects of the automobile in Japan, so Aikawa bought out all the Tobata Casting shareholders (using capital from Nihon Industries) in June 1934. At this time, Nissan Motor effectively became owned by Nihon Sangyo and Hitachi . In 1935, the construction of its Yokohama plant was completed. 44 Datsuns were shipped to Asia, Central and South America. In 1935,
12555-516: The next on the Isle of Man , but there was nowhere permanent on the mainland which was suitable. In 1948, Royal Automobile Club (RAC), under the chairmanship of Wilfred Andrews , set its mind upon running a Grand Prix and started to cast around public roads on the mainland. There was no possibility of closing the public highway as could happen on the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands; it
12690-402: The officials were housed in tents. An estimated 100,000 spectators watched the race. There were no factory entries but Scuderia Ambrosiana sent two Maserati 4CLT/48s for Luigi Villoresi and Alberto Ascari who finished in that order (notwithstanding having started from the back of the grid of 25 cars) ahead of Bob Gerard in his ERA R14B/C . The race was 239 miles (385 km) long and
12825-457: The participating territories signed in with their PSN (PlayStation Network) ID and entered the competition via a free automatic update on the game. They then had to compete against each other to set the fastest lap time possible in four consecutive rounds, each with a different track and Nissan vehicle, before the final round determined whether or not the player qualified for the next phase of GT Academy. Nissan and PlayStation hosted Live Events for
12960-432: The pits Mansell picked up stranded rival Ayrton Senna to give him a lift on his side-pod after his McLaren had run out of fuel on the final lap of the race. Following the deaths of Senna and fellow Grand Prix driver Roland Ratzenberger at Imola in 1994, many Grand Prix circuits were modified in order to reduce speed and increase driver safety. As a consequence of this the entry from Hangar Straight into Stowe Corner
13095-469: The podium going to the Coventry-Climax–powered cars, with victory going to Jack Brabham in the works Cooper T53 from John Surtees and Innes Ireland in their Lotus 18s . Although the race is remembered as the race lost by Graham Hill , rather than won by Brabham. Hill stalled his BRM on the grid, left the line in last place, then proceeded to carve through the whole field. Once in the lead,
13230-555: The qualifying rounds in the participating territories. These events allowed those who did not have a PlayStation 3 or copy of Gran Turismo 6 to enter the competition on gaming pods set up at public venues or events, such as motor shows and gaming conventions. The fastest gamers at the Live Events were granted a spot at the National Finals. National Finals identified which gamers had real-life racing potential and determined
13365-565: The rest of the field. After a few laps, Hartog fell off the pace as Sheene and Roberts continued to swap the lead throughout the 28-lap event, the American winning for the second time ahead of Sheene by a narrow margin of just three-hundreds of a second. In May 1980, sports cars returned in the form of the Silverstone Six-Hours, which was won by Alain de Cadenet driving a car bearing his own name, partnered by Desiré Wilson ;
13500-471: The running of the Grand Prix, there was a little unrest within the sport which led to the downgrading of Grand Prix racing to Formula Two , which was won by Alberto Ascari at 90.9 mph (146.3 km/h) from his Ferrari teammate Piero Taruffi – both driving the Tipo 500 . The podium was completed by Mike Hawthorn driving a Cooper-Bristol T12 . The International Trophy was notable in 1952, in that it saw
13635-457: The series, but at Silverstone things were different. John Fitzpatrick and Tom Walkinshaw kept their BMW ahead to win by 197 yd (180 m) (1.18secs) from the Bob Wollek / Hans Heyer Porsche 935 Turbo. Third was a Porsche 934 Turbo in the hands of Leo Kinnunen and Egon Evertz . The 1977 British Grand Prix saw the beginning of a revolution in Formula One, for towards the back of
13770-435: The top selection of competitors who would progress to the next phase of GT Academy. In addition to onsite Gran Turismo 6 time trials, competitors were also tested on real driving in Nissan vehicles. Additionally, players underwent a personality test, and regular assessments of physical fitness, vision and general health. Winners from the National Finals received a place at Race Camp, a week-long selection process that determined
13905-755: The town of Buckingham , (situated in Buckinghamshire) (6 miles (9.7 km)) are close by, and the nearest city is Milton Keynes , the home of Formula One team Oracle Red Bull Racing . Many F1 teams have bases in the UK, but Aston Martin (formerly Force India ) is the closest to the track, with a new base having just been built under a kilometre from the race circuit. Silverstone was first used for motorsport by an 'ad hoc' group of friends who set up an impromptu race in September 1947. One of their members, Maurice Geoghegan, lived in nearby Silverstone village and
14040-502: The transaction were set to be completed by the first quarter of 2023 and it would be done by the fourth quarter. The companies also approved joint projects and Nissan's Ampere investment. The share transfer was completed in November 2023. In November 2024, Nissan announced an emergency turnaround plan which saw it cut its annual operating profit forecast by 70% to 150 billion yen ($ 975 million), marking its second downward revision after
14175-511: The winners of each region competed for real in actual Nissan cars at Race Camp. This experience involved week-long testing and challenges that also involved elimination. Throughout all seasons of the programme, 'Race Camp' was based at Silverstone Circuit in the United Kingdom where the winner was crowned to whoever demonstrated the highest potential to transition from Gran Turismo gamer to a real racer. Nissan's Driver Development Program
14310-436: The winning car covered at 114.914 mph (184.936 km/h). Come the 1979 Grand Prix and the passage of two years had made a great difference to the performance of the turbocharged Renaults; the car which qualified on the last row in 1977 was now on the front row beside Alan Jones in the Williams FW07 . When Jones's Cosworth expired, his teammate Clay Regazzoni moved into the lead, going on to win from René Arnoux in
14445-704: The world's largest car market, the United States. Nissan first showcased the Datsun Bluebird at the 1958 Los Angeles Auto Show . Nissan had entered the Middle East market in 1957 when it sold its first car in Saudi Arabia. The company formed a US subsidiary, Nissan Motor Corporation U.S.A. , in Gardena, California in 1960 headed by Yutaka Katayama . Nissan continued to improve the Sedan series with
14580-414: Was 130.5 mph (210.0 km/h). 1973 was the year that Jody Scheckter lost control of his McLaren at the completion of the first lap, spinning into the pit wall and setting in motion the biggest accident ever seen on a British motor racing circuit. The race was stopped on lap two and the carnage cleared away; it speaks highly for the construction of the cars that only one driver was injured. The race
14715-545: Was Gorham that carried out the plan. Most of the machinery and processes originally came from the United States. When Nissan started to assemble larger vehicles under the "Nissan" brand in 1937, much of the design plans and plant facilities were supplied by the Graham-Paige Company. Nissan also had a Graham license under which passenger cars, buses, and trucks were made. In his 1986 book The Reckoning , David Halberstam states "In terms of technology, Gorham
14850-488: Was Kiwi Denny Hulme aboard the Brabham-Repco , from the Ferrari 312 of his fellow countrymen Chris Amon . There was a frightening increase in race average speed in 1969, for it rose by 10 mph (16 km/h), to 127.2 mph (204.7 km/h) when Stewart won in his Matra-Cosworth MS80 from Jacky Ickx (Brabham-Cosworth BT26) and Bruce McLaren driving one of his own Cosworth-powered M7Cs . By 1971,
14985-399: Was a débâcle for the team, which returned to Untertürkheim in defeat. The 263 miles (423 km) race was won by González from Hawthorn in the works 625s , with Onofre Marimón third in the works Maserati 250F . The best Mercedes driver was pole-man Fangio in his W196 . From 1955, the Grand Prix was alternated between Aintree and Silverstone, until 1964 when Brands Hatch took over as
15120-461: Was a time of austerity and there was no question of building a new circuit from scratch, so some viable alternative had to be found. A considerable number of ex-RAF airfields existed, and it was to these the RAC turned their attention to with particular interest being paid to two near the centre of England – Snitterfield near Stratford-upon-Avon and one behind the village of Silverstone . The latter
15255-412: Was a totally new engine designed by Nissan. This engine powered the new Datsun 510 , which gained Nissan respect in the worldwide sedan market. Then, in 1969, Nissan introduced the Datsun 240Z sports car which used a six-cylinder variation of the L series engine, developed under Nissan Machinery (Nissan Koki Co., Ltd. 日産工機 ) in 1964, a former remnant of another auto manufacturer Kurogane . The 240Z
15390-528: Was an immediate sensation and lifted Nissan to world-class status in the automobile market. During the Korean War , Nissan was a major vehicle producer for the U.S. Army. After the Korean War ended, significant levels of anti-communist sentiment existed in Japan. The union that organized Nissan's workforce was strong and militant. Nissan was in financial difficulties, and when wage negotiations came,
15525-544: Was aware that the airfield was deserted. He and eleven other drivers raced over a 2-mile (3.2 km) circuit, during the course of which Geoghegan himself ran over a sheep that had wandered onto the airfield. The sheep was killed and the car was written off, and in the aftermath of this event the informal race became known as the Mutton Grand Prix . The next year the Royal Automobile Club took
15660-504: Was conceived by Darren Cox , former Nissan Europe executive, in 2006 to help Sony PlayStation racing gamers become professional racing drivers. A small event was held in 2006 in a partnership with Sony, where participants competed in the Gran Turismo game and on an actual track for a Nissan 350Z prize. Cox saw the speed in real cars of the gamers and his idea of 'Gamer to Racer' was born. In 2008, Darren Cox's concept materialized with
15795-618: Was established in the early-1960s and commenced manufacturing in 1966 at the Cuernavaca assembly facility , making it Nissan's first North American assembly plant. In the wake of the 1973 oil crisis , consumers worldwide, especially in the lucrative US market, began turning to high-quality small economy cars. To meet the growing demand the new Nissan Sunny , the company built new factories in Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, United States, and South Africa. The " Chicken Tax " of 1964 placed
15930-589: Was estimated at anything up to 120,000. Also in 1949, the first running took place of what was to become an institution at Silverstone, the International Trophy sponsored by the Daily Express and which become virtually a second Grand Prix. The first International Trophy was run on 20 August in two heats and a final. Victory in heat one went to Prince Birabongse ('Bira') and the second to Giuseppe Farina – both driving Maserati 4CLT/48s, but
16065-467: Was exactly three miles and the race run over 100 laps, making it the longest post-war Grand Prix held in England. There were again 25 starters and victory went to a 'San Remo' Maserati 4CLT/48 , this time in the hands of Toulo de Graffenried , from Bob Gerard in his familiar ERA and Louis Rosier in a 4½-litre Talbot-Lago. The race average speed had risen to 77.31 mph (124.42 km/h). The attendance
16200-415: Was included to try and assist GT Academy winners to develop the skills needed to compete against those with years of car racing experience. Over six seasons, more than five million people had entered GT Academy via PlayStation 3. GT Academy winners who qualified to compete in the international race or series were also considered for a potential future racing career with Nissan as a Nismo Athlete. According to
16335-461: Was made part of a new union contract that prioritized productivity. Between 1955 and 1973, Nissan "expanded rapidly on the basis of technical advances supported – and often suggested – by the union." Ichiro became president of the Confederation of Japan Automobile Workers' Unions and "the most influential figure in the right wing of the Japanese labor movement." In 1966, Nissan merged with
16470-551: Was modified in 1995 to improve the run off area. In addition, the flat-out Abbey kink was modified to a chicane in just 19 days ready for the 1994 Grand Prix. Parts of the circuit, such as the starting grid, are 17 m (19 yd) wide, complying with the latest safety guidelines. With the termination of hostilities in Europe in 1945, the first motorsport event in the British Isles was held at Gransden Lodge in 1946 and
16605-466: Was moved from the Farm Straight to the straight linking Woodcote and Copse corners, and this layout remained largely unaltered for the following 38 years. For the 1975 meeting a chicane was introduced to try to tame speeds through Woodcote Corner (although MotoGP would still use the circuit without the chicane up until 1986), and Bridge Corner was subtly rerouted in 1987 . The track underwent
16740-407: Was named chief executive officer of Nissan. In May 2005, Ghosn was named president of Nissan's partner company Renault. He was appointed president and CEO of Renault on 6 May 2009. Under CEO Ghosn's "Nissan Revival Plan" (NRP), the company has rebounded in what many leading economists consider to be one of the most spectacular corporate turnarounds in history, catapulting Nissan to record profits and
16875-506: Was not to be; the green cars fell apart, Stuart Lewis-Evans the best placed finisher in fourth. Victory went to Collins from Hawthorn, both driving Ferrari Dino 246s . The crowd of 120,000 witnessed a trio of British drivers on the podium with Roy Salvadori coming home third in one of John Cooper's Coventry-Climax rear-engined powered cars. At the British Grand Prix of 1960, the front-engined cars were completely outclassed,
17010-629: Was released to the public, and was the prerequisite required for participants to qualify for the programme. The DLC was downloaded by participants more than 1.3 million times during its active period. In 2011, the competition expanded to the United States , where Bryan Heitkotter became the first GT Academy Winner outside of Europe. The European competition in 2011 began at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans , France , as inaugural GT Academy Winner Lucas Ordoñez made his Le Mans race debut. 2012 saw
17145-413: Was run at an average speed of 72.28 mph (116.32 km/h). Fourth place went to Louis Rosier 's Talbot-Lago T26, followed home by 'Bira' in another Maserati 4CLT/48. The second Grand Prix at Silverstone was scheduled for May 1949 and was officially designated the British Grand Prix. It was to use the full perimeter track with a chicane inserted at Club Corner. The length of the second circuit
17280-489: Was second in an Alfa Romeo 159B , and Luigi Villoresi in another Ferrari 375 was third. The race distance had increased to 263 miles (423 km), and the race average speed was now 96.11 mph (154.67 km/h). 1951 also saw the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) take over the lease from the RAC, and set about making the circuit into something more permanent. The International Trophy attracted
17415-597: Was still under the control of the Air Ministry, but a lease was arranged in August 1948 and plans put into place to run the first British Grand Prix since the RAC last ran one at Brooklands in 1927 (those held at Donington Park in the late 1930s had the title of 'Donington Grand Prix'). In August 1948, Andrews employed James Brown on a three-month contract to create the Grand Prix circuit in less than two months. Nearly 40 years later, Brown died while still employed by
17550-519: Was taken over by Peter Collins at half-distance and third place was Jean Behra in a Maserati 250F. Matters were somewhat happier for the British enthusiast at the International Trophy; a quality field had been attracted including Fangio and Collins in their Lancia-Ferraris, but the 13 laps of the race were led by the new BRM P25 driven by Hawthorn. When the engine of the BRM expired, Stirling Moss in
17685-520: Was the first and only graduate to sign a professional contract with another manufacter than Nissan as he signed a contract with Bentley Motorsport for the Blancpain Endurance Series Cup. Nicolas Hammann became the first GT Academy graduate to compete in stock car racing (both Gran Turismo 5 and Gran Turismo 6 had featured NASCAR Cup Series cars), where he made two starts (all on road courses) for Mike Harmon Racing in
17820-517: Was the founder of the Nissan Motor Company" and that "young Nissan engineers who had never met him spoke of him as a god and could describe in detail his years at the company and his many inventions." From 1934, Datsun began to build Austin 7s under license. This operation became the greatest success of Austin 's overseas licensing of its Seven and marked the beginning of Datsun's international success. In 1952, Nissan entered into
17955-478: Was the largest car manufacturer in North America. With a revenue of $ 78 billion in 2022, Nissan was the ninth largest automobile maker in the world, as well as being the leading Japanese brand in China, Russia, and Mexico. As of April 2018 , Nissan was the world's largest electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, with global sales of more than 320,000 all-electric vehicles. Masujiro Hashimoto ( 橋本増治郎 ) founded
18090-401: Was the world's largest electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, with global sales of more than 320,000 all-electric vehicles as of April 2018. In 2022, it was announced that Nissan was intending to create solid-state batteries for electric vehicles. In Australia, between 1989 and 1992, Nissan Australia shared models with Ford Australia under a government-backed rationalisation scheme known as
18225-415: Was won Scheckter's teammate, Peter Revson ( McLaren M23-Cosworth ) from Peterson (Lotus 72E) and Denny Hulme (McLaren M23). The race average speed had risen again to 131.75 mph (212.03 km/h). The 1973 débâcle wrought changes upon Silverstone as it was deemed necessary to slow these cars through Woodcote, therefore a chicane was inserted. "Formula Super Ford" reached its peak in 1975, when 26 of
#624375