The LMDh car, SC63, has been unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It will compete in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship racing programs.
Sant’Agata Bolognese/Goodwood, 13 July 2023 – Lamborghini Squadra Corse has unveiled its first hybrid endurance racing prototype, the SC63, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The SC63 will undergo testing and compete in the Hypercar class of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, including the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race, as well as in the GTP class of the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship Endurance Cup, which features iconic races like the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. Italian team Iron Lynx will partner with Lamborghini to run the car in international competition, and the team has signed top-tier drivers from Formula 1 and endurance racing.
The LMDh project is part of Lamborghini’s strategy for electrification, focusing on hybridizing the entire model range by the end of 2024 to enhance performance and driving experience. The SC63 embodies this approach in the motorsport program, becoming a new pillar of the Lamborghini Manifesto: Driving Humans Beyond.
“The SC63 is the most advanced racing car ever produced by Lamborghini, following our electrification roadmap ‘Direzione Cor Tauri’,” says Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini Chairman and CEO. “Competing in major endurance races with a hybrid prototype aligns with our vision for high-performance mobility, as demonstrated by the launch of the Revuelto road legal car. The SC63 LMDh represents a step into the highest echelons of motorsports and the future of Squadra Corse.”
The SC63 features an all-new 3.8-liter twin turbo V8 engine developed specifically by Lamborghini engineers for the racing program. It employs a ‘cold V’ configuration, where the turbos are mounted outside the vee angle of the engine for better cooling and servicing. This configuration also reduces the car’s weight and optimizes its center of gravity. Combined with a specially developed aerodynamic balance and attitude, this solution allows for excellent tire grip, balance, drivability, and consistent speed over both single laps and long-distance races.
Regulations restrict the power from the engine and the hybrid system, standardized across LMDh-category cars, to 500kW (680 CV). The Power Unit is managed by a Bosch electronic control unit. The LMDh rule set specifies standard gearbox, battery, and motor generator unit (MGU) to control development costs for the prototype.
Lamborghini engineers have leveraged their expertise in various aspects of the car’s design and performance. Despite a standardized gearbox for LMDh cars, customization is allowed, including gear ratio selection and mechanical differential slip. The monocoque for the SC63 is developed and built by renowned experts Ligier, with Lamborghini able to determine specific requirements such as the push rod front suspension design, weight distribution, and ease of service for critical components. The bellhousing, which connects the rear of the engine to the front of the gearbox, enhances torsional stiffness and houses the electric engine.
In terms of braking, the system must deliver high performance and reliability in all conditions. The challenge is to strike a balance between weight and durability, effective cooling, and the ability to accommodate different driving styles.
The exterior design of the SC63, created by Lamborghini’s Centro Stile design department in collaboration with the race design team, incorporates distinctive brand features, including the iconic y-shaped lights at the front and rear.
Team drivers Mirko Bortolotti, Andrea Caldarelli, Daniil Kvyat, and Romain Grosjean have provided valuable input in tuning the LMDh system. The latter two have recent experience with hybrids in Formula 1 and have contributed to designing the steering wheel controls to enable the driver to manage the hybrid system effectively.
“Motorsport is a valuable and demanding proving ground for our technology,” says Rouven Mohr, Lamborghini Chief Technical Officer. “Our LMDh car, the Lamborghini SC63, represents an exciting technical and human challenge. Developing our internal combustion engine, efficient aerodynamics, and overall technical package has pushed us to constantly raise our standards. Now, it’s time to hit the track and be ready to compete in the 2024 season. We also aim to transfer our learnings from motorsport to our future production cars whenever possible.”
The SC63 will run in a livery consistent with the branding seen on Lamborghini’s Huracán GT3 challenger. The cars will have a Verde Mantis green color with a black Nero Noctis strip over the cabin, front hood, carbon diffuser, rear fin, and wing. They will also feature the Italian Tricolore colors of green, white, and red, as well as the branding of Lamborghini’s long-time partner, Swiss watch manufacturer Roger Dubuis.
With its cooling layout greatly influencing the engineering and design, the SC63 incorporates eight radiators, including those for intercoolers, gearbox, air conditioning, Energy Recovery System (ERS), Energy Storage System (ESS), and water.
Due to regulations, there is only one allowed body kit configuration with limited changes between races. As a result, the design team has to consider worst-case scenarios, such as high ambient temperatures, and manage the thermal efficiency of the car at both IMSA and WEC circuits.
The SC63 has been designed and developed to provide optimal performance while ensuring tire preservation, even on demanding track surfaces. Prior to on-track testing, extensive development work has been conducted using a Driver in the Loop (DiL) simulator.
Starting in 2024, Lamborghini will enter one car in the full FIA World Endurance Championship and another in the North American Endurance Championship races of the IMSA series. Both cars will be run by the Iron Lynx team, which was introduced as a partner at the 2022 Lamborghini Grand Finals. The driving lineup will include Bortolotti, Caldarelli, Grosjean, and Kvyat, with more drivers to be announced later in 2023.
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