Cadillac shows its V8-powered endurance race car's final design

Cadillac will compete head-to-head against companies like BMW, Lamborghini, and Porsche in endurance racing’s new LMDh category. Its V8-powered V-LMDh racer is scheduled to make its competition debut in 2023, and the firm has now revealed the liveries that the cars will wear.

Three examples of the V-LMDh will race in two separate series; the LMDh rules are valid in both International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and World Endurance Championship (WEC) events. The cars assigned No. 1 and No. 31 will remain in their home country and compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. They’re finished in gold and red, respectively. The car assigned No. 2 wears a blue livery and will roam the globe to race in the FIA World Endurance Championship, which includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Color aside, the three cars are identical. They’re purpose-designed race cars developed with input from Dallara, among other companies, and they’re unrelated to Cadillac’s production models. Power comes from a new, naturally-aspirated 5.5-liter V8 engine that develops up to 670 horsepower depending on regulations and that’s paired with a hybrid system. It’s bolted to a seven-speed sequential transmission.

Cars 1 and 31 will make their competition debut at the 24-hour Rolex 24 at Daytona race taking place in two weeks at the Daytona International Speedway, January 26-29. Car No. 2 will start racing at the 1,000 Miles of Sebring on March 17, 2023.