Cadillac is Roaring Back into the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans

The race cars have new names but the same Cadillac determination to win the prestigious race.

Cadillac will have three race cars in the field at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The first thing you’ll notice is that the three sleek electrified vehicles have a new much easier name to identify with and remember. The vehicles are now named the Cadillac V-Series.Rs. They were formerly the V-LMDh race cars. They are stunningly powerful hybrid vehicles that will continue to influence the V-Series Cadillacs like the powerful 2023 Escalade-V.

“We are thrilled to return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the full Cadillac Racing team,” said Global Vice President of Cadillac Rory Harvey. “Over the last 20 years Cadillac Racing has built a legacy of winning on the track and we feel very privileged to return to Le Mans during this exciting new electrified era in racing.”

The V-Series.Rs Will Compete in the Hypercar Class

The three Cadillac V-Series.R race cars already had their first outing. They competed at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, back in January. The Cadillac V-Series.Rs placed third, fourth and fifth in the grueling Daytona race. The teams were disappointed, but they were racing newly designed vehicles and all of them finished the race, which is a feat in itself. Cadillac is hoping for better outcomes at Le Mans.

“Cadillac is excited to build on its racing legacy by competing against the very best internationally and at one of the world’s toughest races,” said GM sports car program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser. “We’re proud to be representing the United States and the Cadillac V-Series.R is a great continuation of our racing heritage.”

Sleek Cadillac Race Cars Signify Cadillac Design

When you look at the Cadillac V-Series.R race car, you can clearly see Cadillac design elements, such as the vertical lighting and floating blades found in the LYRIQ and the CELESTIQ. The race cars also resemble the Cadillac Project GTP Hypercar race car.

The Cadillac V-Series.R has been in development since 2020. It has an all-new Cadillac 5.5L DOHC V-8 engine developed by GM’s Performance and Racing Propulsion team based in Pontiac, Michigan. The hybrid energy recovery system was developed by Bosch, Williams Advanced Engineering (now WAE) and Xtrac.

“We are all looking forward to Cadillac returning to Le Mans and challenging for the overall victory. It has been decades since an American manufacturer has achieved this and we will be strongly pushing to achieve our goal,” said Earl Bamber, a V-Series.R driver. Bamber has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice in the past.

“It’s been special to be a part of this from the beginning,” Bamber added. “We started this journey nearly two years ago testing in the simulator. It’s been an awesome journey and the adventure is only just beginning. It’s going to be incredible all the way up to Le Mans.”

Cadillac at Le Mans

Cadillac last raced at Le Mans in 2002. In that race, two Cadillac LMP02 competed, with one finishing in 9th place and the second race car placing 12th.

The 91st 24 Hours of Le Mans will take place Saturday, June 10 – Sunday, June 11 in Le Mans, France.

Cadillac Photo

Mary Conway is a professional automotive journalist and has decades of experience specializing in automotive news analysis. She covered the Detroit Three for more than twenty years for the ABC affiliate, in Detroit. Her affection for the Motor City comes naturally. Her father ran a gas station while Mary was growing up, in Wisconsin.

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