New Lamborghini SC63 hypercar gunning for 2024 Le Mans win

The Lamborghini SC63 LMDh racer that hopes to claim victory in the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hour has been revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The Italian performance car brand has confirmed it will race two SC63s next year – one in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship and the other in North America’s IMSA SportsCar Championship.

Giving it the best chance of multiple wins, Lamborghini says its two hybrid racers will be driven by the likes of ex-Formula 1 stars Daniil Kvyat and Roman Grosjean.

Helping Lamborghini compete in its top-flight Le Mans return is Italian race team Iron Lynx, which already campaigns two Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo 2 racers in IMSA SportsCars and GT World Challenger Europe.

Developed by Lamborghini Squadra Corse, the new SC63 LMDh racer will size up against the likes of the Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 Hybrid Hypercar and the Porsche 963LMDh, plus the Ferrari 499P Hypercar that won the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hour on its debut at the world-famous endurance race last month – 50 years since the Prancing Horse last raced in the top class.

All-new from the ground up, the Lamborghini SC63 LMDh is powered by a V8 instead of the V6s favoured by Toyota and Ferrari, with the twin-turbo 3.8-litre engine producing a mighty 500kW.

Driving the front wheels is an electric motor that produces 197kW, although total power output is limited to just 500kW thanks to the strict FIA rules governing the LMDh category.

According to Lambo’s chief technical officer Rouven Mohr, the all-new biturbo V8 has been specifically created for racing, with no carryover components from any past, present or future road cars.

The LMDh category regulates the transmission, electric motor and battery to reduce costs for entrants, but Mohr says there’s plenty of scope to customise, in addition to Squadra Corse’s chosen gear ratios.

Beneath its skin, the Lamborghini SC63 is based around a Ligier chassis, although the front push-rod suspension design was developed in-house by the Italian car-maker.

Both Kvyat and Grosjean, who have competed in the F1 hybrid era, have already proved their worth by helping Lamborghini tune the hybrid powertrain, including redesigning the racer’s steering wheel controls to improve the hybrid system’s functions at speed.

The Lamborghini SC63 body was created by the company’s Centro Stile road car division and borrows design cues from current models including the Y-shaped front and rear lights that were first seen on the 2017 Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept.

Along the side are NACA ducts said to have been inspired by the original Countach, while the wheel-arch design is claimed to mimic the very latest Revuelto supercar.

The ducts and intakes are needed because the Lambo endurance racer has no fewer than eight different radiators, including two intercoolers, one transmission cooler, a condenser for the air-conditioner, a radiator for the Energy Recovery System (ERS) and another for the Energy Storage System (ESS). Finally, there are a further two water radiators to keep the V8 operating at optimum temperature whatever the weather.

According to Lambo’s technical chief, despite the fact it doesn’t borrow any physical parts from any production car, the SC63 LMDh will prove invaluable to the development of all future road-going Lamborghinis including its next-gen supercars – especially when it comes to software and cooling.

Mohrs is also a firm believer that competition improves the breed, with synergies and strategies learned while competing in motorsport directly transferring to the development of future models.

“You learn a lot if you challenge yourself with the very best,” he said.

Lamborghini’s chief engineer also admits that, as a fan, endurance racing is proving hugely popular in 2023, even if the brand’s arch-rival Ferrari beat Toyota at Le Mans.

Mohrs said he was not against offering its top-flight racer to Lamborghini’s wealthiest customers in future and conceded that selling the SC63 to private buyers is an “attractive option” if there’s demand.

But he added that the SC63 was far from a turn-key race car and a long way from being easily converted to road use.

“The cars are still highly complex. It’s not a car that you can give to customers. The complexity of the car is not to underestimate.”

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