Inspired by Nissan's radical Le Mans race car the DeltaWing, the Nissan BladeGlider could be the most outrageous concept car at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. Without the revolutionary DeltaWing -- the one shaped like a rocket -- the BladeGlider would not have been possible.

But there is one big difference between the two. While the DeltaWing employs a turbocharged, 1.6-liter gas engine, the BladeGlider is driven by lithium-ion batteries and two in-wheel motors - a pure electric powertrain.

So why all the hype about a race car-inspired, rocket-shaped, two-door concept that seems as far away from U.S. showrooms as Le Mans' Sarthe Circuit is from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca? Because Nissan bosses say that this concept hints at an upcoming production version.

This is a big claim, and a lot would have to transpire for the car to clear safety and crash regulations in order to show up on Main Street. But Nissan is serious. If the company's bean counters have their way, we could see the concept on the road within three years.

So what is the BladeGlider all about? "A clean slate was the starting point for this project," says Francois Bancon, product strategy general manager. "The goal was to revolutionize vehicle architecture. To change the way we think about cars, and to see how zero emissions can help redefine our conception of vehicle basics."

OK, that's all very cryptic. But take one look at the BladeGlider's arrow-like design and it's easy to see that Nissan is challenging all preconceptions about car design.

The inspiration for the car's 3.3-foot-wide front tread and greater than 5.9 feet in rear width, as well as its impressive downforce and superb handling (proved by racer Michael Krumm in the DeltaWing at Le Mans) was drawn from two signature aerial images: the silent freedom of a glider and the triangular shape of high-performance 'swept wing' aircraft such as the F-14 Tomcat. Hence the term 'glider' in the BladeGlider's name. Nissan wants you to feel as if you are gliding it, not driving it.

And that may be very well what a driver will feel behind the wheel. The BladeGlider, in rare McLaren F1 supercar style, is a three-seater configuration, with the driver's seat centrally located and two passenger seats located in a staggered position behind the driver's shoulders. The driver's seat moves aside automatically when doors open to allow access to rear-seat passengers.

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British designer Ben Bowlby, who penned the 2012 DeltaWing and the ZEOD (Zero Emission On Demand) race car slated for next year's Le Mans, is the driving force behind the BladeGlider's unique silhouette. "By its very nature, the DeltaWing shape with its narrow front 4-inch-wide tires, wide rear track, and downforce maximizing underbody does not need huge rear wings like other race cars to keep it planted to the road." And those narrow front tires develop enough grip to corner at over 120 mph. Having the front wheels close together reduces drag and understeer and enables high g cornering assisted by a 30/70 front-rear weight distribution ratio.

If we look at Nissan's progression in the development of the BladeGlider, we can see the method in the madness. With visionary designer Bowlby on board, the company first perfected the DeltaWing shape and ensured it handled superbly at high speed while circling the Le Mans race track using half the petrol of rival race cars and suffering half the tire wear (leading to fewer pit stops) but still generating the same amount of downforce as Audi and Toyota hybrids with huge rear wings. Then Nissan applied its motor and lithium-ion battery technology, perfected on the Leaf, to the hybrid ZEOD race car.

The regenerative brake energy created and cumulatively stored in the ZEOD's batteries during 11 race laps (powered by a small gas engine) can propel the car for one full lap. And it's an extension of that technology, especially those rear located twin in-wheel motors, that we hope will propel the BladeGlider into the future.

If it works and does make it onto the road, then Nissan would have created not just created a revolutionary sports car, but also a yardstick by which all low-emission sports cars will be measured.