Cadillac Project GTP Hypercar Has LeMans In Its Sights, Previews Brand’s Racing Future

Cadillac is out to show the world that it has not gone soft when it comes to racing. While the current DPi car has certainly generated its fair share of success out on the track, Cadillac is a brand that’s always striving for perfection, and it aims to come one step closer to achieving this topic ambition with a preview of what its latest racer will look like the Cadillac Project GTP Hypercar.

 

Wild Exterior Styling Showcases Project GTP’s Race Ready Intent

We had our chance to get a sneak peek of the Project GTP Hypercar at GM’s historic Design Dome in the firm’s massive Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. The warm lighting of the dome as well as the massive amount of space inside gave us plenty of room to take in and soak up all of the car’s lines. Cadilac reps and project leads stressed that this is not the final design and that the car is still a work in progress.

There are some nods to their road-going cars in the design but you have to look very closely to spot them. The lightweight bronze alloy wheels are similar to the hoops you can get on the Blackwing sedans, while the vertically mounted taillights (one piece for now) are also reminiscent of Cadillac’s recent street entries as well. However, the matte paint and the massive swaths of carbon fiber accents in its one-piece monocoque structure reveal a car that’s wilder than those cars. The completed versions will eventually sport sponsor mandated livery, but the lack of those visual baubles does reveal a design that’s clean, organic, and surprisingly simple for such a function-oriented machine.

We were not allowed to see the interior (Cadillac promises a state-of-the-art cabin for their drivers) but Cadillac did confirm that the car will be powered by an all-new 5.5 liter DOHC V8 which shares some of its core DNA with GM’s small-block V8 family. However, this is not a Corvette-related engine and GM claims that the engine is all-new from the ground up and will be mated to the same LMDh common hybrid system that all of its rivals will use.

 

When Will We See it, Can It Influence Production Models?

Cadillac revealed that the car will be ready in time for the 2023 Rolex 24 event in Daytona, Flordia and that it will be a potent symbol of the triangle style development process that went into its creation with Cadillac Design, Cadillac Racing, and Dallara all contributing to the project. Cadillac will begin formal testing this summer and Cadillac even released a snazzy teaser video of the car in action which can be seen below.

As for whether it will influence production models, we think that it could play an influence on the brand’s future EV offerings. The front fascia’s headlights in particular could perhaps appear in a modified form on a production model while select pieces of tech that were created on the track could potentially contribute greatly towards creating EV systems that are more than ready for the rigors of performance driving.

 

Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.

Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.

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