This morning, we’re seeing some of the first details of the internal combustion element of Lamborghini’s upcoming LMDh machine, and the 90-degree V8 twin-turbo powerplant looks promising for World Endurance Championship and IMSA Championship racing.
Lamborghini is teaming up with French constructor Ligier Automotive to put together the first engine made by the Lamborghini Squadra Corse in-house motorsport department from a ground-up design. The teaser released today doesn’t offer any details about power output or capacity, but we do know that the twin-turbo V8 engine will be wholly different from the production-based V10 engines that power the Huracan GT3 and Super Trofeo race cars.
Lamborghini did announce that, when combined with the hybrid system that’s been developed by Bosch, Williams, and Xtrac, its LMDh racer will make 500 kW (or 670 hp), which is well within the regulations’ allowed 480-to-520-kW range.
Lamborghini has also released the new race car’s dimensions: 2000 mm (78.7 inches) wide, 5100 mm (200.8 inches) long, and 3148 mm (123.9 inches) high, with a weight listed as 1030 kg (0r about 2270 pounds). That makes it large but light for its class.
As of this moment, though, we don’t have many other details. We know that Lamborghini’s factory GT drivers Mirko Bortolotti and Andrea Caldarelli will pilot the racer in 2024, but Lamborghini has yet to establish or partner with a team; for the moment, it’s a constructor only.
The LMDh regulations have been developed in tandem by WEC and IMSA, two international racing organizations that have long existed within one another’s spheres but often with different regulations. Now, the goal is to encourage LMDh manufacturers to compete in both series, which means LMDh vehicles will be able to compete in both the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans without significant alterations. In WEC, LMDh cars will run in a class known as Hypercar, while in IMSA, they’ll run in the GTP class.