The R90C platform was created as a near-clean-sheet successor to the R89C, though it retained the R89C's proven Nissan VRH35Z 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine. Lola Cars International constructed the base chassis, designated T90/10. Unlike its predecessor, the platform was deliberately split into two separate cars reflecting their different competitive environments: the R90CK ("K" denoting the Kuala Lumpur-built Nissan Motorsports Europe operation) was optimised for the downforce-demanding European circuits of the World Sportscar Championship; the R90CP was built by Nismo at its Oppama plant in Japan in a lower-drag, higher-speed configuration for the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship.
The R90CK's aerodynamic package featured a low nose with deep channels flanking a slanted front end, side-mounted radiator inlets, and a rear wing mounted high on exposed struts to generate maximum downforce. Design and development work was carried out in association with Ray Mallock Limited, with the cars prepared at RML's workshop in 1990 before some chassis were also shipped to the United States for IMSA appearances by Nissan Performance Technology Inc. (NPTI).
The R90CKs were not ready for the championship's opening round at Suzuka, where Nissan ran the older R89Cs. By the second round at Monza, three new R90CK chassis arrived with Kenny Acheson, Julian Bailey, Mark Blundell, and Gianfranco Brancatelli sharing the driving duties. Early races at Monza and Silverstone exposed fuel management and suspension reliability issues that cost the team strong results, but the car began to show its potential at Spa-Francorchamps, where the Acheson-Bailey car took third place.
Further podiums followed at Dijon, where Bailey and Blundell drove together. At Donington Park both cars finished in the top six, with Acheson and Brancatelli promoted to fourth after the post-race disqualification of the two Jaguar entries. The season's strongest results came at the final two fly-away rounds: at Montreal, Bailey and Blundell finished second, just six seconds behind the winning Mercedes-Benz when the race was red-flagged; at Mexico City, Bailey and Blundell again took second place. Nissan finished third in the team championship, four points behind Jaguar.
Following the 1990 season, Nissan withdrew from the World Sportscar Championship to concentrate resources on the Japanese JSPC series and IMSA in North America.
The 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans was a significant outing for the R90C platform. Four R90CKs and one R90CP were entered, representing the European works team, the Japanese factory effort, and the American NPTI squad. The race produced one noteworthy record: during qualifying, Mark Blundell in an R90CK reached 366 km/h (226.9 mph) on the Mulsanne Straight — the highest speed recorded on the straight since the installation of chicanes at Le Mans that year, achieved despite the qualifying engine having its wastegate jammed open and producing well over 1,100 bhp. Bob Earl subsequently set the fastest race lap in the NPTI R90CK. Only three Nissans finished; the highest R90C result was the lone R90CP in fifth place, eleven laps behind the winning Jaguar.
Three R90CKs competed in an invitational Group C class at the 1991 24 Hours of Daytona under NPTI. Two failed to finish, but the car driven by Bob Earl, Derek Daly, Chip Robinson, and Geoff Brabham finished first in class and second overall, eighteen laps behind the winning Porsche 962C. For the 1992 Daytona, two R90CKs were modified with smaller 3.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engines to run in the IMSA GTP class; they were less successful than the concurrent R91CP factory entry.
The R90CK represented Nissan's most sustained effort in European endurance racing and consistently pushed the dominant Mercedes-Benz team for podium positions. The Mulsanne Straight speed record set during the 1990 Le Mans qualifying — the highest trap speed after the introduction of chicanes — remained unbroken. The R90C platform continued its competition life through the R91CP and R92CP in Japan, winning three consecutive All Japan Sports Prototype Championship manufacturers' titles before Nissan eventually withdrew from prototype sports car racing.