The BMW M Hybrid V8 has been revealed

The debut of the BMW M Hybrid V8 is planned for the 24 2023 Hours of Daytona, before participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024. Two copies will be in the running in IMSA from next season via Team RLL (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) in the new GTP category. Its V8 is based on an old engine originally developed for the DTM, while its chassis is manufactured by Dallara.

ALSO READ > Maurizio Leschiutta: “BMW plans to go to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024”

“My team's job was to make the BMW M Hybrid V8 feel like a BMW and take every opportunity to make it perform just as well on the race track, explains Michael Scully, global automotive director of BMW Group Designworks. The design is rooted in BMW's DNA of efficient, focused performance, and the bold, purposeful character of the exterior evokes BMW's pioneering spirit of turbo power, now combined with a hybrid-electric powertrain. optimized. The camouflage livery celebrates 50 years of M by recalling the great cars of BMW's history in IMSA racing, while uniquely concealing the exterior geometry and future technologies of the BMW M Hybrid V8 during the phase development review on the project track. If you look closely, you'll see several 24 Hours of Daytona winners, as well as the very first purpose-built IMSA GTP car in 1981, the BMW M1/C. We will follow this camouflage with a factory livery that illustrates the dynamism and excitement of hybrid-electric competition. »

The design of the BMW M Hybrid V8 is characterized by typical BMW M elements, such as the 50th anniversary logo embedded on the hood. The livery in which the BMW M Hybrid V8 will complete its testing contains numerous elements from five decades of North American motor racing history. Images of iconic racing cars like the 3.0 BMW 1976 CSL, 1 BMW M1981/C, 320 BMW 1978i Turbo, 1986 BMW GTP, BMW M3 E36 GTS-2, BMW Z4 GTLM and BMW M8 GTE create a graphic mosaic as camouflage.

The BMW M Hybrid V8 from all angles