Chief designer Ben Bowlby was tasked with creating a car that was not an “Audi copy”. Bowlby placed the GT-R LM’s combustion engine in front of the cockpit, a layout previously seen in the Panoz LMP-1. Unlike the Panoz, the GT-R LM powered the front axle with a gearbox located in front of the engine. This design was based on the belief that Nissan could build a faster and more efficient front-engine car. Bowlby noted that the rear-end designs of Le Mans Prototypes were limited in size, resulting in poor aerodynamic efficiency, and that the front-end had been largely untouched, leading to the decision to focus on front downforce to reduce drag. The chassis was constructed from carbon fibre, lowering the car’s weight to the minimum limit of 870 kilograms (1,920 lb) as set by the FIA.
The engine, co-developed by Nissan and Cosworth, was a 3.0 L (180 cu in) 60-degree V6 with dual turbochargers and direct injection. A kinetic energy recovery system using two flywheels, developed by Torotrak, was positioned behind the engine and beneath the cockpit. These flywheels gained energy from front wheel braking and discharged it back to the front wheels via a driveshaft running over the engine. The system could also output power to a limited-slip differential at the rear, enabling all-wheel drive. The combustion engine produced approximately 500 hp (370 kW; 510 PS), with the flywheel system adding approximately 750 hp (560 kW; 760 PS). Engineers from Nissan’s Nismo division were involved in the engine’s development, but faced challenges installing the power plant into the monocoque, requiring a minor chassis redesign and entry through the front windshield. The developers prioritised efficiency due to the ACO’s fuel capacity limit of 68 litres (18 US gal) for LMP1 hybrids.
The GT-R LM’s weight bias was heavier in the front, and the wheels were offset to balance the car. The front tyres were 14 in (360 mm) wide, while the rear tyres were only 9 in (230 mm) wide, with Michelin serving as the team’s tyre supplier. Cooling for the engine, gearbox, and flywheel systems was located in the nose of the car, allowing the bodywork around the cockpit to be used as airflow tunnels. The turbochargers were placed on top of the engine, exhausting out of the top of the bodywork in front of the windshield. The rear drivetrain lacked traditional halfshafts, instead utilising an epicyclic gearing system. The suspension consisted of adjustable Penske rear dampers and Öhlins front dampers, along with a rear hydraulic anti-roll bar system. The Xtrac five-speed hydraulically-activated sequential gearbox was cast by a Michigan-based company, with Cosworth supplying the engine control unit.
Nissan publicly announced its GT-R LM program on 23 May 2014. Testing began six months later with a two-day roll-out session at the Nissan Technology Centre in Stanfield, Arizona, and continued at the Circuit of the Americas in January 2015. A Super Bowl XLIX commercial featured the car during testing at the Circuit of the Americas. Further testing took place at Palm Beach International Raceway in February 2015, including night running, and at Michelin Laurens Proving Grounds for straight-line speed testing. A weeks’ worth of running at Sebring International Raceway in March was cut short after two days due to an engine mounting problem.
Nissan initially intended to enter two GT-R LM’s in the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), with a third car for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, the car failed its crash test twice, delaying its debut until Le Mans and causing it to miss the WEC pre-season test session at the Circuit Paul Ricard. The first crash test failed due to damage to the front roll hoop, and a subsequent redesign of the car’s door was also required after it failed its initial test. Further testing occurred in April at NCM Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, covering 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi).
Nine drivers were named to the team in early 2015. Marc Gené, a former Le Mans winner from Audi, was the first driver announced, but later moved to an advisory role, with Mark Shulzhitskiy taking his seat. Harry Tincknell, Olivier Pla, and Tsugio Matsuda also joined the team, alongside GT Academy winners Jann Mardenborough and Lucas Ordóñez, and former FIA GT1 World Champion Michael Krumm. Max Chilton and Alex Buncombe completed the driver lineup.
Further testing was conducted at NOLA Motorsports Park in December 2015 before the program was officially cancelled on 22 December. A second-generation GT-R LM Nismo, designed to include an electrical hybrid system, was designed but never completed.
The GT-R LM made its racing debut at the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans, with three cars entered by Nissan Motorsports, numbered 21, 22 and 23. The cars qualified in the last three places of the LMP1 class, over 20 seconds slower than the pole position time set by the No. 18 Porsche 919 Hybrid, and were even out-qualified by the fastest LMP2 car. After failing to achieve a time within 110 percent of the pole position time, they were moved to the back of the prototype grid. The No. 21 car retired after 115 laps with a suspension failure, while the No. 23 car retired on lap 234 with gearbox issues. The No. 22 car finished the race but was not classified as it failed to complete 70 percent of the race winning car's race distance. Following this unsuccessful debut, Nissan ended the GT-R LM Nismo campaign.
The car also made a virtual debut in Gran Turismo 6 as downloadable content for the 2015 GT Academy competition.