Here's an engine that's so small and light you can hold it in your hands. Nissan shows off their new DIG-T R internal combustion engine for its ZEOD RC Hybrid racing model that will break ground later at Le Mans this year.

The new three cylinder turbo unit weighs only 40kg. It has an impressive 400 horses and 380Nm from a displacement of just 1.5 liters.

Furthermore, the new DIG-T R 1.5L engine that can rev up to 7,500 rpm is extremely compact at 500mm tall x 400mm long x 200mm wide (19.68” x 15.74” x 7.78”), so much so that, Nissan claims "it could easily fit inside the luggage guides seen at major airports around the world".

The ZEOD RC uses two engines, with the aforementioned petrol unit and an electric motor. Both are running through the same five speed gearbox that transfers power to ground via Michelin tires.

“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," commented said Darren Cox, Nissan’s Global Motorsport Director.

“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 focusing on downsizing. Lessons learned from the development of the engine will be seen in Nissan road cars of the future," he added.