The Lamborghini LMDh car will miss the first year of competitive racing in the class with its racing debut earmarked for 2024. From the early teasers though, it should still look as radically styled as road-going Raging Bulls, just with V8 power this time around.
As the first year of class competition in the LMDh class nears, we have caught a glimpse of many in testing and even experienced some being unveiled. These include brands like Ferrari, Porsche and Cadillac. Lamborghini will not go toe-to-toe with these automakers in the first year of class competition since their challenger will only arrive in 2024.
Underneath the Lamborghini LMDh will be a twin-turbo V8 Hybrid powertrain which signals the first racing engine developed exclusively by the Italian brand’s in-house Squadra Corse division. This will be paired to an Xtrac-sourced seven-speed P1359 gearbox while the chassis will be supplied by Ligier and a Bosch Motor Generator Unit and Williams Advanced Engineering battery pack form part of the mandated hybrid running gear powering the racing bull.
WATCH: New Porsche 963 LMDh struts its stuff at Sebring
Being an FIA series, there are dozens of regulations to adhere to. On the power side of things, a maximum of 500 kW can be generated which can propel the LMDh cars up to a maximum of 340 km/h. There are also limitations in dimension and weight; 1 030 kg dry weight, 5,1 metres long, 2,0 metres wide.
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The teaser images that we have seen portray a model that is immediately recognisable as a Raging Bull. With sharp, angular surfaces and geometric LED signatures, the Lamborghini LMDh car retains the design identity that makes the road-going cars so recognisable.
With the new class, endurance racing has opened up to several manufacturers which the series hopes will reignite competitive racing and not single-sided dominance. The first race of the season will be at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January 2023.
