Mechanically, the R90C shared many components with its predecessor, the R89C, including much of the chassis construction and the mechanical layout. The Nissan VRH35Z 3.5 litre twin-turbo V8 engine, first used in the R89C, was retained for the R90C. Although mechanically similar, nearly all the cars were new constructions, built by Lola Cars International as the T90/10, succeeding the T89/10.
Nissan felt the R89C was a compromise, leading to the development of two different R90C variants. Nissan Motorsports Europe constructed the R90CK, evolving the R89C design, while the R90CP was built at Nismo's headquarters in Japan with a lower downforce, high-speed layout. These differences resulted in a noticeably distinct design between the two cars.
The R90CK borrowed stylistic elements from the R89C, featuring a low front end with two deep channels leading to radiator inlets. Small slated inlets were placed on the leading edge of the car for brake cooling. The cockpit had a longer, raked windshield, but the sides remained similar to the R89C. A high-mounted rear wing on exposed struts provided downforce.
Ray Mallock Limited assisted in the design and development of the R90CK, preparing and running the cars from their workshop in 1990 before shipping them to the United States for the 1991 24 Hours of Daytona. Pre-season testing was conducted at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Australia, with Nissan Europe's team manager Howard Marsden noting the conditions were comparable to European circuits and the track's characteristics similar to traditional European circuits. At the time, the cars were reportedly lapping the circuit in the 1:18s, which would make them around 6 seconds faster than the current outright lap record as of 2025.
The R90CP ("P" referring to the Oppama Nissan plant where Nismo is based) featured a low downforce design. The front end had a higher nose, with the narrow channels replaced by large ducts. The fenders were redesigned, with headlights placed vertically instead of horizontally. The cockpit was identical to the R90CK, but the sides of the bodywork were changed, with rear-view mirrors integrated into the fenders. The turbo inlet was placed on the front edge of the rear fender, and the rear wing was positioned lower, with the rear wheel fender bodywork connecting to the endplates, similar to the Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo.
For 1991, Nissan officially withdrew from the World Sportscar Championship, but Nismo continued to compete in the JSPC, upgrading the R90CPs to compete with Toyota and Mazda. These upgraded cars, known as the R91CP and R91VP, featured smaller slits for the rear turbo inlets and a snorkel on the engine cover to cool the rear brakes. Further modifications in 1992, including an upgraded VRH35Z engine, resulted in the R92CP.
Nissan ran the R90CKs at the 24 Hours of Daytona following their WSC retirement. For the 1992 race, the R90CKs had their VRH35Z engines replaced with smaller 3.0L twin-turbo V8s, but were less successful than the R91CP.
Three additional unique R90Cs were created. Nova Engineering upgraded a R89C to a R90CP (chassis #07), while Team Le Mans bought a R90CP and modified it into an R91VP. These cars featured minor aerodynamic differences.
The 1990 WSC season opened at Suzuka, but the R90CKs were not completed in time, with the older R89Cs run by the European team. A lone JSPC R90CP was entered by the Japanese team but did not finish. By the second round at Monza, three R90CK chassis were completed, driven by Kenny Acheson, Julian Bailey, Mark Blundell, and Gianfranco Brancatelli. One car lacked fuel to finish, while the other finished seventh.
At Silverstone, both cars retired with suspension failure and fuel problems. The team achieved their first success at Spa-Francorchamps, with the Acheson-Bailey car finishing third, two minutes behind the winning Mercedes-Benz. A podium was also achieved at Dijon by Bailey and Blundell.
The team finished both cars in the top ten at the Nürburgring for the first time. At Donington Park, Acheson and Brancatelli finished fourth after the disqualification of both Jaguars. At Montreal, Bailey and Blundell took their best finish of the season, second place, six seconds behind the leading Mercedes-Benz, with the second Nissan finishing fifth. The team continued their success at Mexico City, with Bailey and Blundell finishing second, two laps behind the winning Mercedes-Benz, and Acheson and Brancatelli finishing fourth. Nissan finished third in the team championship, four points behind Jaguar. Bailey was the highest-ranking Nissan driver in the driver's championship, finishing ninth.
Following the season, Nissan chose to focus on the JSPC and IMSA GT Championship, and did not return to the WSC until 1997. Nova Engineering's R91CK competed in an invitational class at the 1992 1000km of Suzuka, finishing fourth.
Nissan used its R90CPs for the 1990 JSPC season, with drivers Masahiro Hasemi, Toshio Suzuki, Kazuyoshi Hoshino, and Anders Olofsson. The cars finished second and fourth at the 500km of Fuji, behind Toyota's 90C-V. Nissan won the third race at Fuji by two laps, and Hoshino and Suzuki won at the 1000km Suzuka, followed by Hasemi and Olofsson at Sugo. Toyota won the final race at Fuji by just over a minute. Nissan won the manufacturer's championship, with all four drivers tying for the drivers championship.
For 1991, Nissan upgraded its cars to the R91CPs, with some older cars sold to privateers. Nova Engineering upgraded its R90C to R91CK specification. The factory Nissan team won the opening round at Fuji, with Nova Engineering finishing second and Team Le Mans fourth. At the second race at Fuji, Nissan took the top two positions, a lap ahead of Toyota's new 91C-V. Toyota won the third race at Fuji, with Nissan finishing second and third. Nova Engineering finished second at the 1000km Suzuka, ahead of the factory entry in third. Nissan won at the 1000km Fuji, winning by a minute, though three cars did not finish. Jaguar won the final race, with Toyota second and Nissan third and fourth. Nissan won the points championship by three points. Kazuyoshi Hoshino and Toshio Suzuki won the drivers championship by two points.
In the final season of JSPC, Nissan upgraded the R91CPs to the R92CPs. Nova Engineering retained its R91CK. Nissan won the opening round at Suzuka, with Nova Engineering taking second. Nissan took the top four spots at the 1000km Fuji. Nissan won at Fuji, beating Toyota by over a minute, and at Sugo, beating Toyota by just three seconds. Toyota won at the final round at Mine, leaving Nissan in second and third. Nissan won the C1 championship, and Kazuyoshi Hoshino won the solo drivers championship.
At the 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans, Nissan entered four R90CKs and one R90CP, along with two older R89Cs. The R90CP of Masahiro Hasemi, Kazuyoshi Hoshino, and Toshio Suzuki finished fifth, 11 laps behind the winning Jaguar. An American R90CK finished 17th, and Courage Compétition's R89C finished 22nd. The R90CK achieved the highest straight-line speed on the Mulsanne Straight, with Mark Blundell reaching 366 km/h (226.9 mph) during qualifying, due to a jammed wastegate causing the engine to produce over 1100 bhp. Nissan did not return to Le Mans with its prototypes until the Nissan R391 in 1999.
Nissan entered three R90CKs in the 1991 24 Hours of Daytona, finishing first in class and second overall, 18 laps behind the winning Porsche 962C. In 1992, Nissan entered two modified R90CKs and a R91CP, with the R91CP winning overall.
The R90C platform made its final appearance at the 1993 1000km Suzuka, part of the new All Japan GT Championship. Team Le Mans and Nova Engineering entered former factory cars, winning the race with Team Le Mans ahead of Nova Engineering.