Cadillac Project GTP Hypercar Is Headed to Daytona in 2023
This sharp racecar will use a 5.5-liter V8 mated to a class-spec hybrid system.
Lamborghini gave us an early look at its upcoming LMDh, or Le Mans Daytona hybrid, race car in late May, which will compete in both the IMSA and FIA endurance racing series in 2023. Three days ago, we saw BMW's take on the same class of race car. Now, it's Cadillac's turn.
Cadillac on Thursday unveiled its Project GTP Hypercar. It will be built to the same LMDh specs that will allow it to participate in both the FIA World Endurance Championship's Hypercar class, as well as the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship's GTP Class. That's thanks to a blending of rulesets that will allow cars to compete in both series starting in 2023.
The Project GTP Hypercar's chassis comes from Dallara, one of four manufacturers who can build a chassis for this racing class, but the body is all Cadillac. Vertical lighting helps reinforce the connection between the automaker's road cars and its race cars, while the taillights out back look like they're floating. Exposed composite material can be seen on the roof, side skirts and most of the rear end. Aerodynamic trickery is everywhere, with some interesting wings atop all four wheel wells.
While Cadillac didn't give out too many specs, it did say the Project GTP Hypercar will use an all-new 5.5-liter V8 with dual overhead cams. That'll be mated to the spec hybrid system, which is given to every company building a car in the LMDh class. LMDh also mandates a specific vehicle weight, so we know this creation will weigh 1,050 kilograms, or about 2,300 pounds, which is a little less than a modern Miata.
As I noted in my write-up of Lamborghini's LMDh car, don't expect to see a road-legal version of this Cadillac race car. You're thinking of LMH, Le Mans Hypercar, the "original" hypercar group that shares a class with LMDh. And none of it matters anyway, because the requirement for a road-legal homologation was scrapped after nearly every automaker realized it'd be like throwing money directly into a fire. (There may or may not have been some real fires involved.)
So, when will you get to see this slick little number in action? Cadillac intends to begin track testing this summer, so it's possible the automaker could give out some updates shortly thereafter. But in terms of prime-time viewing, keep your eyes to the Rolex 24 at Daytona in early 2023, which will mark the Project GTP Hypercar's official debut.