The Cadillac V-LMDh race car will make its competition debut in January at the Rolex 24 in Daytona. Ahead of the event, the brand unveiled the colorful paint schemes for the three engines that will be competing worldwide.
All three have a black tail with the V Series crest on the fin that runs between the cockpit and rear wing. Up front, they are blue, gold, and red, respectively. This is the color of the V badge.
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Specifically, the gold Cadillac Racing #01 race car and the red V-LMDh #31 Whelen Engineering race car will compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the United States. The blue Cadillac Racing #2 engine will take part in the FIA World Endurance Championship at events around the world.
“Cadillac is ready to compete against the very best in North America and internationally – including one of the world’s toughest races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” said Cadillac Global Vice President Rory Harvey.
The V-LMDh packs a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8 that has the internal designation LMC55R. There is also a general hybrid system that all cars in this class should use. The setup produces 670 horsepower (500 kilowatts), which is the maximum possible under the rules. The engine directs power through a seven-speed sequential gearbox. The chassis is from Dallara.
Cars competing with Cadillac packed forced induction rather than using naturally aspirated engines. For example, Porsche uses a twin-turbo 4.6-liter V8 engine. BMW has a 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8 engine. Acura chose a twin-turbo 2.4-liter V6 that spins up to 10,000 rpm. Lamborghini will also use a twin-turbo V8.
Cadillac is moving into the new LMDh class after much previous success in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It won the series in 2021, 2018, and 2017. It also counts wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017
Cadillac recently announced its entry in Formula One with partner Andretti Global. It will be separate from the endurance racing program. “From our perspective, it will complement what we’re doing on the series. We don’t see it impacting the series in any way,” Harvey to our partners in Motorsport.