In it’s 60th year as a car company, sports car manufacturer Lamborghini is taking its first steps into the motorsports world beyond GT racing with the SC63, its hybrid prototype race car built to the LMDh ruleset and destined for GTP in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Hypercar in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The car was fully revealed today at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
“This year marks not only the 60th anniversary of our brand, but also the 10th anniversary of Squadra Corse, Lamborghini’s motorsport division,” said Girogio Sanna, Lamborghini’s head of motorsport. “Over the last decade we have achieved great results. Starting from scratch, we have won some of the most prestigious endurance races in the GT category for our production-based racing cars. These include three class wins at the Daytona 24 Hours and two wins in a row at the Sebring 12 Hours. Now we are ready for what is our biggest step into the future of motorsport, measuring ourselves against the best manufacturers in the world.”
Developed in conjunction with Ligier, the SC63 is the first LMDh car in which the French race car constructor has had a hand. The internal combustion engine is a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 developed specifically for the racing program. It’s a “cold V” configuration with the turbos mounted outside the v-angle of the engine for serviceability as well as a lower center of gravity. As with all LMDh cars, it uses a spec hybrid system with a maximum combined output of 670hp.
With Lamborghini the only manufacturer engaging Ligier for the SC63, there was a certain freedom afforded the car company in the design of the pushrod front suspension, as well as weight distribution and designing the car to be worked on and repaired easily.
The body and aerodynamics follow what has become a familiar pattern with LMDh cars, including a rear wing as the adjustable aerodynamic element that is mated with a central vertical fin. The bodywork was designed by Lamborghini’s Centro Stile department in conjunction with the race design team and feature elements heavily influenced by current Lamborghini road car design, notably the Y-shaped lights front and rear.
Pressure-relief holes in the fenders run lengthwise, blending into louvered rear vents on both the front and rear fenders. Multiple air intakes on both sides of the car feed eight different radiators to handle engine cooling, intercoolers, gearbox, Energy Recovery and Storage System cooling, and the condenser for the air conditioning.
“From the beginning, my personal briefing to the design team was that the car needs to be highly functional, but we wanted to create a car that is immediately recognizable as Lamborghini,” explained Mitja Borkert, head of design at Centro Stile. “The main recognition of the front and rear of the SC63 is driven by the Y-shaped signature light. The size of the cabin and the main character of the car is driven by the sporting rules, but we have also implemented our own brand styling cues throughout the car.
“Integrated into the side panel of the body you can see a NACA duct that was inspired by the air intake of the Countach. When you look at the rear wheel arch, we gave the impression of acceleration towards the front, and this relates to the wheel arch design language of Lamborghini that can also be seen on the Revuelto.”
The Revuelto is the latest supercar from Lamborghini, and the first real production model to feature a hybrid powertrain.
The SC63 has been developed with a lot of Driver-in-the-Loop simulation work by Lamborghini factory drivers Andrea Caldarelli, Mirko Bortolotti, Romain Grosjean and Daniil Kvyat, the latter two having experience with hybrid race cars from their Formula 1 experience. Those four drivers will continue with on-track testing and make up part of the racing lineup as well, with others to be named later.
Lamborghini has committed one car each to WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Michelin Endurance Cup. The cars will be run, as are the company’s factory GT3 programs this season, by new partner Iron Lynx.
“Being involved in such an ambitious project is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Andrea Piccini, Iron Lynx team principal and CEO. “We are honored and extremely excited to be a part of it and start a new chapter for Iron Lynx with Lamborghini. It’s been amazing to see everything finally come together for the reveal of the SC63. Everyone at Iron Lynx is eager for testing to get underway. This undoubtedly is one of the biggest challenges we’ve ever faced as a team, and we are now looking forward to seeing the SC63 on track.”
The SC63 represents Lamborghini’s first foray into non-GT racing (outside the ill-fated Formula 1 attempt in 1991). The LMDh formula, being based around a hybrid powertrain, came at the right time as Lamborghini was developing hybrid road cars. And while Lamborghini has made its name with screaming V12 and V10 engines, the twin-turbo V8 made more sense within the rules; since maximum output is regulated, teh focus was centered more on efficiency. In addition the Lamborghini Urus uses a twin-turbo V8, as likely will the replacement for the Huracán.
“The SC63 is the most advanced racing car ever produced by Lamborghini and it follows our roadmap ‘Direzione Cor Tauri’ laid out by the brand for the electrification of our product range,” said Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini chairman and CEO. “The opportunity to compete in some of the biggest endurance races in the world with a hybrid prototype fits with our vision for the future of high-performance mobility, as demonstrated for road-legal cars with the launch of the Revuelto. The SC63 LMDh is the step into the highest echelons and into the future of motorsports for our Squadra Corse.”
