Although the previous R381 had shown its potential in terms of aerodynamics and reliability, the car had been unable to use the planned 600 hp 5954 cc V12 engine that Prince was building for Nissan.

With the V12 completed soon after the R381 won the Japanese Grand Prix, Nissan turned instead to developing an all-new car to house the V12 engine, now named GRX-3.

Instead of allowing air freely through the bottom of the rear wing, a radiator was placed in the opening in order to better cool the new V12 engine.

The Porsche factory decided to bring one of their new 917s to the event with Jo Siffert and David Piper.

Motoharu Kurosawa and 1966-winner Yoshikazu Sunako would share the winning car, which finished a lap ahead of the third place Toyota 7.