Lamborghini SC63 LMDh Car Unveiled with Turbo V8 Engine Ahead of 2024 WEC

Lamborghini is finally joining a premier racing series is something we've been waiting 60 years for.  Lamborghini presented their LMDh competitor, the SC63, during Thursday's Goodwood Festival of Speed in the United Kingdom. The name derives from the founding year of the Italian brand, 1963, and is a combination of the SC used on a trio of specialities made by Lamborghini's Squadra Corse motorsport department and the race number utilised successfully by teams running its Huracan GT3. In 2023, the Italian Iron Lynx team will race Huracan GT3 EVO2s with the number 63 in the International Motor Sports Association and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup. They will be fielding factory Lamborghini LMDhs internationally and in North America. Collaboration with French manufacturer Ligier Automotive resulted in the SC63 based on Ligier's next-generation LMP2 design. There have been more disclosures of the technical specifications of the car's custom powerplant. The 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 has its turbochargers positioned outside, rather than inside, in the vee.

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Lamborghini SC63 LMDh

However, the SC63 is not yet ready for competitive racing. More testing is planned before the 2024 racing season when the automobile will make its debut. Mirko Bortolotti and Andrea Caldarelli, both of whom are factory drivers for Lamborghini, will compete with Formula 1 racers Daniil Kvyat and Romain Grosjean.

Lamborghini plans on taking things slowly with the new vehicle as well. According to the firm, the SC63 will only compete in the four Michelin Endurance Cup events in 2024 rather than the whole season. That includes the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, the Six Hours of the Glen, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and the 12 Hours of Sebring. The WEC challenge will last the whole season, even if just one vehicle participates in the first few races. Lamborghini, however, has confirmed that they will send two cars to the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours.

The SC63 also has its own unique V-8 that is not shared with the Porsche 963. The new 3.8-litre twin-turbo unit has a 'cold vee' arrangement, with the turbos positioned outside for easier service and a lower centre of gravity. According to the company, the new engine will serve as the foundation for the company's next Huracan successor. The power will go to the rear wheels through a standard hybrid system, which uses the same seven-speed gearbox, battery, and motor-generator unit as LMDh races. There will be a cap of 670bhp  for the combined output.

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2023 Le Mans 24 Hours

Using their brand new 499P Le Mans Hypercar, Ferrari returned to the top tier category of endurance racing at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 2023, and the #51 crew took home the overall win. In the #8 Toyota GR010 HYBRID, Pier Guidi finished ahead of Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa. Third place went to the Cadillac V-Series.

The LMDh formula has attracted the attention of many businesspeople in recent years. The German carmaker was among the first to publicly announce its plan to join with the debut of the Porsche 963. Rapidly joining the battle were Cadillacs, Acuras, and BMWs. BMW is going to start racing more seriously and entering the World Endurance Championship (WEC) next year. The following year will also see the inclusion of  Alpine in the LMDh formula.