Just ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s most famous endurance race, Cadillac has announced their return to the global racing stage with the Project GTP Hypercar, which will compete in both IMSA and WEC in 2023.
The car will race in IMSA in the new GTP prototype class, which replaces the outgoing DPi class, and it will compete in the LMDh class in WEC, which, along with the LMH class, replaces the former LMP1 cars. The Project GTP Hypercar was codeveloped by Cadillac and Dallara, and it will be powered by a new 5.5L DOHC V8 engine mated to the standard LMDh hybrid system.
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Despite being a prototype car that doesn’t need to bear any resemblance to a roadgoing vehicle, GM wanted to create a design that was instantly recognizable as a Cadillac, as is the case with many other manufacturer-backed prototypes. They accomplished this by incorporating their signature vertical lighting as well as faint remnants of their corporate grille, topped off with the Cadillac crest at the nose.
“The Project GTP Hypercar is a unique convergence of form and function and showcases Cadillac’s future performance aesthetic,” said Chris Mikalauskas, Cadillac’s lead exterior creative designer. “We have plenty more to come, from the upcoming race car to amazing production vehicles.”
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Cadillac has already been competing in American sports car racing since 2017 in the IMSA championship with the DPi-V.R., and this new car will as well for 2023, but now, the automaker plans on returning to the global racing scene for the first time in 20 years by also competing in WEC (Le Mans included).
Commenting on that, Laura Wontrop Klauser, GM’s sports car racing program manager said: “Competing for the overall win at Le Mans with an iconic American brand like Cadillac is an honor. The entire team is excited to continue building Cadillac’s racing legacy by competing against the very best internationally and in the world’s toughest race.”
The Project GTP Hypercar will undergo testing this summer, and its first race will be the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January 2023.
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