Nissan Leaf Nismo RC gets on-track shakedown

Nissan has yet to figure out exactly where the company will campaign its new Leaf RC racer, but that hasn't stopped the engineers behind the Japanese automaker's Nismo effort from getting the machine out on track for a little shake-down action.

With its sexy carbon fiber bodywork, three-door layout and silent electric drivetrain, the car looks plenty sinister in its element. And while the vehicle's new skin is both longer and wider than the street-going Leaf, the race car uses the same drivetrain as what's whirring around on public streets right now, though it's worth noting that everything has been shifted closer to the passenger cell to improve weight balance.

Nissan says that ideally, the company would eventually like to replace traditional ICE racing with EVs and that it would also like to branch out into other forms of motorsports that have never been explored. Those include city races where typical race cars are too loud to compete and indoor events where a zero-emission vehicle could truly shine. Hit the jump to check out the video for yourself.