Introducing the BMW LMDh Racer With Hybrid V8 -- IMSA GTP Race Car

[Mani59]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

• The prototype that will be competing for BMW M Motorsport in the 2023 IMSA series is called the BMW M Hybrid V8.
• The design of the car makes it uniquely identifiable as a BMW, and is the result of an intense collaboration between BMW M Motorsport, BMW Group Designworks, and Dallara.
• A camouflage livery developed specifically for the test car references the rich motor racing history of BMW M Motorsport in North America while visually obscuring performance-critical geometries.

Munich. Ahead of the testing phase for the LMDh prototype for the 2023 season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, BMW M Motorsport announces the name, the design, and an exciting camouflage livery for the car. The BMW M Hybrid V8 will sport a look designed by BMW Group Designworks, and celebrates the history of BMW M Motorsport in North America while defining a dynamic hybrid electric future. Key information for fans is that the prototype is clearly recognizable as a BMW M car.

This message is echoed by Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M GmbH: “The most critical task and the greatest challenge for the design team in the LMDh programme design team was that the prototype must be clearly recognisable as a BMW M Motorsport car. And I can say this to all the fans, just one look is enough to confirm that the BMW M Hybrid V8 is a BMW. It clearly carries the genes of BMW M. I also love the camouflage livery with its references to the great history of the brand in North America. Congratulations to the design and aerodynamics departments at BMW M Motorsport and Dallara on their great work. I can hardly wait to see the BMW M Hybrid V8 on the track soon."

The hallmark of the design for the BMW M Hybrid V8 is the wide kidney. In addition, it boasts typical BMW M design elements such as the nested 50th anniversary logo on the hood, twin BMW icon lights, dynamic body side, Hofmeister kink window graphic, M ‘hook’ mirrors and the tail-lights. The camouflage livery in which the BMW M Hybrid V8 will complete its testing, contains many elements from five decades of motor racing history in North America. The images of iconic racecars – the 1976 BMW 3.0 CSL, the 1981 BMW M1/C, the 1978 BMW 320i Turbo, the 1986 BMW GTP, the BMW M3 E36 GTS-2, the BMW Z4 GTLM and the BMW M8 GTE – create a graphic mosaic which obscures the shape of the BMW M Hybrid V8 to maintain competitive IP during development testing.

“My team's job was to make the BMW M Hybrid V8 look like a BMW, and embrace every opportunity to make it also perform like one on the race track,” said BMW Group Designworks Global Automotive Director Michael Scully. “The design is rooted in BMW’s DNA of purposeful, efficient performance, and the exterior’s bold, determined character invokes BMW's frontiersmanship of turbo power, now united with an optimised hybrid electric powertrain. The camouflage livery celebrates the 50 Years of M by commemorating the great cars of BMW’s storied history in IMSA racing while uniquely cloaking the BMW M Hybrid V8’s future-facing exterior geometry and technologies during the critical on-track development phase of the project. If you look closely you’ll discover multiple winners of the Daytona 24 Hours, as well as the very first purpose-built IMSA GTP car from 1981, the BMW M1/C. We’ll follow-up this camouflage with a works livery that exemplifies the dynamism and excitement of hybrid electric-powered competition.

Source: https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/globa...mw-m-hybrid-v8

[37b]

Love this thing so much. The Pug still looks the best but this is my favorite LMDh car (obviously)

[Holset]

Nice! But go and build a street legal version of it NOW BMW!

[Chihuahua]

love it, can't wait to see it in action.

[playswcars]

Looks badass!

[xmanpro]

Looks fast

[GOLFFRR]

dang that thing looks sick!

[dezzracer]

I love the grill

[///393]

Yeah but where will it be manufactured? Also, I didn’t see the option for a carbon roof and carbon buckets so this is a hard no for me. Especially because no manual.

I’ll hold out for the G87 M2 CSL.

[CanAutM3]

[JoeyBananaz18]

Finally a recent bmw design I love right off the bat. In all honesty this car looks incredible. I'd love a 1:18 of this when it's available

[khoa@x-ph.com]

[ellipsis212]

Phwoar! 🤩

[sahajesh]

Will it have iDrive 9?

Also I'd like to see driving aids working on the track

[chicagofan00]

This thing looks badass!

[bunker]

would love a photo not dressed in the livery so we could see the lines of the car

[swagon]

I suspect it's got a modified/hybridised version of the P63?

[mbanck]

Originally Posted by swagon

I suspect it's got a modified/hybridised version of the P63?

Yeah, look at all those M badges and then it doesn't even have an S engine, M is further diluting the brand...

[Germanauto]

This is sick AF. Good job BMW, now make more road cars that are this focused and true to the brand.

[JRobUSC]

Note to BMW: this is what the paint scheme should have looked like on the Jeff Koon's 8-Series.

[cncmastr]

This is actually pretty cool

[TheBingoBalls]

So this is going be the basis of what the next-gen M5 is going to be powered by? Can't wait to see its first race.