Lamborghini Squadra Corse has unveiled the SC63 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK. Lamborghini’s racing outfit will begin to test its first-ever hybrid endurance racing prototype in the next few weeks, with plans to compete within the Hypercar class of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship and the GTP class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Endurance Cup. Iron Lynx is tasked with running the car during competition.
For the SC63, Lamborghini developed an entirely new powertrain in the form of a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8. Designed around a cold V configuration, the turbos are mounted outside of the V-angle to enhance cooling and facilitate easier servicing. Power produced by the engine and hybrid system will be limited to 500kW. As set out by the LMDh rulebook, the vehicle will use a standardized gearbox, battery and motor generator unit.
“Our LMDh car, the Lamborghini SC63, is an exciting challenge from both a technical and a human standpoint,” said Rouven Mohr, chief technical officer at Lamborghini. “The development of our internal combustion engine, aerodynamically efficient bodywork and the overall technical package is a process that has pushed us to constantly raise our own standards. As we develop our LMDh car, we are also mindful of the technology transfer opportunities. We will take our learning experiences from motorsport and apply them where possible to our future production cars.”
For the development of the vehicle’s monocoque, Lamborghini partnered with Ligier, marking the first time the company has worked on an LMDh project. The Italian manufacturer specified certain requirements, however – including the design of the pushrod front suspension, the vehicle’s overall weight distribution and ease of service for vital components.
Another key focus was the cooling, with several versions of the air intakes on the sidepods behind the cockpit being tested before a final design was chosen. There are eight radiators on the SC63: two intercoolers, a gearbox radiator, an air-conditioning condenser, a radiator for the energy recovery system, one for the energy storage system (ESS) and two water radiators.
LMDh rules state that only one body kit configuration is allowed. This resulted in Lamborghini’s design team choosing an exterior design that would provide the ‘widest operating window possible’, ensuring the car can deal with high ambient temperatures while managing thermal efficiency and looking after its tires.
In 2024, one SC63 will compete in the full FIA World Endurance Championship, while the other will enter the North American Endurance Championship races of the IMSA series. With Iron Lynx responsible for running both cars, drivers will include Bortolotti, Caldarelli, Grosjean and Kvyat. Additional drivers will be confirmed later in 2023.
“Being involved in such an ambitious project is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Iron Lynx team principal and CEO Andrea Piccini. “We are honored and extremely excited to be part of it and to 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 is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges we’ve ever faced as a team, and we are now looking forward to seeing the SC63 on track.”
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