Have you ever wanted to bench press a Le Mans engine, or maybe take it on the plane as carry on luggage – well thanks to the new Nissan ZEOD RC you can.

The Japanese manufacturer revealed details of the remarkable petrol powered engine that will accompany the electric motors used in the car. The Nissan ZEOD RC will become the first entry at Le Mans to complete a lap of the Circuit de la Sarthe under nothing but electric power in June. A single lap of each stint will be electric powered, then the new Nissan DIG-T R 1.5 liter three-cylinder turbo engine will take over.

The incredibly small engine weighs only 40 kilograms (88 pounds) but produces an astonishing 400 horsepower. The base engine is only 500mm tall x 400mm long x 200mm wide (19.68″ x 15.74″ x 7.78″). While the engine is technically too heavy to take as carry-on luggage on a plane – it would easily fit inside the luggage guides seen at major airports around the world.

Revving to 7,500rpm, the Nissan DIG-T R produces 380Nm of torque. At a ratio of 10 horsepower per kilogram – the new engine actually has a better power-to-weight ratio than the new engines to be used in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship this year.

“Our engine team has done a truly remarkable job with the internal combustion engine,” said Darren Cox, Nissan’s Global Motorsport Director.

“We knew the electric component of the Nissan ZEOD RC was certainly going to turn heads at Le Mans but our combined zero emission on demand electric/petrol power plant is quite a stunning piece of engineering.

“Nissan will become the first major manufacturer to use a three-cylinder engine in major international motorsport. We’re aiming to maintain our position as industry leaders in focussing on downsizing. Lessons learned from the development of the engine will be seen in Nissan road cars of the future.

After extensive dyno testing, the Nissan ZEOD RC hit the track for the first time last week with both the electric and internal combustion engines in place. Both the petrol and electric power plants run through the same five-speed gearbox that transfers power to the ground via Michelin tires.