Nissan Bladeglider – Electric Racer for the Road

This is the Nissan Bladeglider, and it’s a spitting image of its race-bound predecessors, with a triangular shape that’s both incredibly aerodynamic and super light thanks to a carbon fiber reinforced body shell.

The front end is just over 3 feet wide, with two skinny tires tucked into the pointed nose and controlled by a Knight Rider-esque steering wheel. There’s seating for three inside the open-air cabin, with the driver’s seat mounted in the middle — à la the McLaren F1 — and sliding laterally towards the Lambo-hinged doors for quick ingress and egress. Two passenger seats aft of the driver complete the ménage à trois, and help contribute to its road-hugging 30:70 front-to-rear weight distribution.

Nissan isn’t saying exactly what’s motivating the Bladeglider, only hinting that in-wheel electric motors will power the rear wheels, manipulating torque on the fly for maximum performance, with power provided by rear-mounted lithium-ion battery packs. The Bladeglider makes its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show this month, and according to Nissan it could “mature into a production car.” Breath held.

 

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