The M Hybrid V8 may have the least imaginative name in racing, but it is unmistakably a modern BMW.
BMW has not had a top-level sports car since 2000, the year it retired the V12 LMR that won the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans. It has been a long 22 years of racing in Formula 1, GT cars, and the DTM, but, finally, BMW is back. This is the car that will lead that charge.
This is the first look at the BMW M Hybrid V8. It was designed by BMW Group Designworks to bring the aesthetic of the modern BMW to the company’s first purpose-built prototype in decades, which it does through a Hofmeister kink, a unique performance twist on the brand’s signature twin running lights, and a particularly aggressive pair of kidney grilles.
BMW says that the test livery is designed in part to hide the specifics of some of its design, but the massive kidneys dominate the look in a way that should carry over to the final car in its final scheme. While they may be an awkward fit on many road cars, they fit this design in a striking way that is unlike any sports car racing today.
The brand had previously revealed that the car would be powered by a twin-turbo flat-plane V-8 built on architecture previously used in the DTM from 2012 to 2018. That’s paired to a hybrid system standard to the LMDh rule set, which the rules state will combine for a maximum of 697 horsepower that can be reduced for balance-of-performance purposes between events.
BMW’s LMDh challenger is built in partnership with Dallara, whose next generation LMP2 tub will also be the first building block of Cadillac’s 2023 racer. Both also have the same hybrid unit, but separate designs, engines, and development plans mean most of the similarities will end there. In addition to the Cadillac, LMDh-spec cars from Acura and Porsche are also confirmed for the first year of the newly-renamed IMSA GTP class. If another manufacturer shows interest, that category will also allow cars built to Europe’s Hypercar ruleset to compete.
BMW has already announced that the M Hybrid V8 will be campaigned by Rahal Letterman Lanigan in the 2023 IMSA season. Rahal has long campaigned BMW’s factory-backed GT cars in both IMSA and the American Le Mans Series it replaced. It currently campaigns an M4 GT3 in the GTD Pro class. No plans have been announced for Europe and the World Endurance Championship yet, which means that, while the M Hybrid V8 is eligible to fight for the overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it is not yet officially scheduled to compete in that race.
From: Road & Track
Keyword: BMW M Hybrid V8 Is Another Star Bound for IMSA's New GTP Class in 2023