Lamborghini SC63 Hypercar unveiled at 2023 Festival of Speed

As has become the norm with the LMDh/GTP class, the nose very much reflects its parent brand. Lamborghini’s latest ‘Y’ shaped light signature, as seen on the new Revuelto, is present and correct, framing a battery of diodes set to bathe Mulsanne in light at midnight. Lamborghini’s aggressive design language blends well with the uncompromising function-first nature of a sports prototype. In all honesty and perhaps unsurprisingly, the Lamborghini it shares the most resemblance with is the Lambo V12 Vision Gran Turismo car.

There’s a bit of wheel arch influenced by the road cars and Lamborghini claims the NACA ducts on the side are a nod to the original Countach. Realistically, though, it’s fairly plain to see that rear of the corporate schnoz, it’s very much shaped in the name of aerodynamic and cooling performance, rather than in deference to Marcello Gandini. Still, the car is glazed in the kind of Italian flair that could put it in a different class to the likes of the BMWs, Cadillacs, Porsches and Acuras it’s been designed to defeat.

“From the beginning, my personal briefing to the design team was that the car needs to be highly functional, but we wanted to create a car that is immediately recognizable as Lamborghini,” said Mitja Borkert, Lamborghini’s Head of Design at Centro Stile. 

“The main recognition of the front and rear of the SC63 is driven by the y-shaped signature light. Integrated into the side panel of the body you can see a NACA duct that was inspired by the air intake of the Countach. When you look at the rear wheel arch, we gave the impression of acceleration towards the front, and this relates to the wheel arch design language of Lamborghini that can also be seen on the Revuelto.”

All that complex bodywork shaped to bully air around and through the car surrounds a Ligier chassis. Lamborghini is the first to partner with Ligier within the LMDh class. Bolted to the back of the chassis is a bespoke 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine. That works in tandem with a prescribed hybrid system and transmission per the LMDh class rules, which cap system output at 680PS (500kW), going to the rear wheels. Lamborghini has emphasised in particular that it is a ‘cold v’ layout, which positions the turbochargers outside of the V of the engine, in aid of serviceability and cooling, while also lowering the car’s centre of gravity.

Lamborghini Squadra Corse has partnered with the Iron Lynx team to campaign the cars in both the WEC and IMSA, with the driver line-up inducing a selection of F1 veterans, including Romain Grosjean and Danil Kvyat. They will be joined by Bartolotti Caldarelli, with other drivers to be confirmed before the end of the year. The car is set to begin physical testing in the coming weeks, with its first race set to be the Daytona 24 Hours in January 2024.

If you’re at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed, be sure to go and see Lamborghini’s Le Mans challenger on its stand, alongside the stunning new Revuelto and Huracan Sterrato supercars.

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