‘Prince’ racer goes on show in US

The ‘Prince R380’ was specifically developed by Prince Motor Company in the early 1960s to take on the likes of Porsche’s 904, Lotus and Jaguar in sports cars competition.

Underneath its fibreglass bodywork, the R380 featured a mid-mounted 2.0-litre straight six engine that would later power the first Skyline GT-R of 1969. There was also had a bit of “Australia” in the Prince R380, as it was built around the chassis of a Ron Tauranac-designed Brabham BT8 sports car.

Four R380s were built, taking part in a number of land speed records in 1965, before all four were entered for the 1966 Japanese Grand Prix: this was before the event had world championship status and was more an event for sports cars than formula-spec open wheelers.

The Princes finished first, second and fourth in the race, but in the years that followed, the cars were gradually forgotten, so by the time organisers of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in the US announced a ‘Japanese Prototype’ class for this year’s event, only one remained. The car sent over by Nissan’s premium companion brand, Infiniti, for the Florida event was the actual 1966 Japan GP winner; the first time any R380 has appeared in the US.

"The Prince R380 is a very important race car, and we are eager to share it with automotive fans from all over the world attending the Amelia Island Concours," said Alfonso Albaisa, executive design director for Infiniti.