The Cadillac Project GTP Hypercar debuts to preview the brand's latest endurance racing machine that begins competition at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January 2023. It'll also be part of the grid for next year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. Track testing will begin this summer.
"By competing in both the 2023 IMSA and WEC championships, Cadillac Racing has the opportunity to demonstrate its capability, craftsmanship, and technology," said Vice President Global Cadillac Rory Harvey.
Gallery: Cadillac Project GTP Hypercar LMDh Race Car
The Project GTP Hypercar features design cues from Cadillac's roadgoing vehicles. This is most noticeable at the front where the race car has vertically oriented headlights that cascade down the nose. The sharply chiseled body panels also evoke modern products from the brand.
The racer's shape has sharp protrusions coming out of the front and rear fenders. These pieces don't attach to the main body, though, so we can't call them flying buttresses. A tall fin bisects the rear deck and attaches to the tall wing.
Cadillac's announcement says that what we are seeing "previews" the look of the GTP Hypercar that's going racing. Aerodynamic testing is complete in the lab, but the car still has to undergo actual track testing. It's possible that things might change depending on what drivers and engineers experience when on a real circuit.
Dallara will supply the chassis to the Project GTP Hypercar. Power will come from a 5.5-liter dual overhead cam V8 with the LMDh category's common hybrid system. There are no other mechanical details available at this time.
Motor1.com asked whether this V8 was the same unit powering the C8.R race car. "This is an all-new engine designed for the Cadillac LMDh," a Cadillac spokesperson told us during the GTP's presentation.
Cadillac will have lots of competition in the LMDh class. For example, Lamborghini is teasing its entry that has sharp styling that evokes the brand's road-going supercars. Acura is also offering a glimpse of a car with huge headlights.
BMW recently unveiled the exterior of its car in this class that the German brand calls the M Hybrid V8 LMDh. Beyond the eight-cylinder layout, there is no mechanical info about the racer yet.
Porsche appears to have its entry deep into development because the company is already evaluating the vehicle on the track. The powerplant is reportedly a twin-turbo V8 and the class-mandated hybrid tech.
Audi originally planned to build an LMDh-class car. However, our colleagues at Motorsport.com reported that the brand paused the racer's development. A person from the brand told Motorsport: "The capacities are being used differently and more sensibly at the moment."
