Ford to Return to Le Mans 24 Hours Top Class Next Year with 5.4-Liter V8 Hybrid Engine

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Ford will return to the top class of the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race next year, previewing its new LMDh hypercar and engine. The car's engine is based on the Coyote V8 from the Mustang lineup, with displacement increased to 5.4 liters, naturally aspirated, and equipped with a hybrid powertrain. Ford stated that the engine's sound is highly aggressive, nearly rivaling the captivating V8 roar of the Cadillac hypercar.

Visually, it is too early to judge the final design of the Ford hypercar, but it can be observed to feature a high rear wing, a shark fin, a roof air intake, and an elongated front end, similar to the typical aerodynamic characteristics of other competitors in the same class. Ford plans to begin testing the new car at multiple European tracks next month. The two cars competing in the championship will be driven by Matt Campbell, Nick Yelloly, Tom Blomqvist, Mike Rockenfeller, Logan Sargeant, and Sebastian Priaulx.

Ford is one of several new entrants joining the LMDh class next year. McLaren also plans to launch its MCL-HY hypercar at the same time, featuring a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine and a hybrid system. This year, Genesis has joined the class with the GMR-001, competing alongside existing participants from Lamborghini, Alpine, Porsche, Cadillac, BMW, and Acura. These cars also race alongside those in the LMH class, which includes participants such as Toyota, Glickenhaus, Peugeot, Ferrari, Vanwall, Isotta Fraschini, and Aston Martin.