With the SC63, will Lamborghini be up to the category?

On May 27, 2022, Lamborghini announced their participation in the WEC and IMSA championships; the Lamborghini SC63 was presented at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 13, 2023.

History: from Lamborghini tractors to Squadra Corse

Lamborghini’s story begins with a completely different car from the SC63; in fact, in 1963, the Italian manufacturer produced tractors (Lamborghini tractors). For many years, Lamborghini remained distant from sporting competitions; even after changing its name to Lamborghini Automobili, the company was not interested in competitions but only in the market for "comfortable" cars.

Customers were in fact the first to hit the track with the Lamborghinis. A French customer named Paul Rilly was the first to sign up for the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a Lamborghini in 1973, although he could not race because of his qualifying lap that wasn’t enough to allow him to be qualified for the race. Even if he was later "fished out" the customer did not know the news before his return to France, as he was already on the road.

This is how the history of the Italian brand in endurance begins. The first competitions with official cars began in 1985, which then continued with Formula 1 in 1989 with Team Larousse. In 1996, they debuted in the first single-brand championship of covered-wheel cars. In 2019, Lamborghini arrives in the WEC with GTE cars together with the Italian team, Iron Lynx, with an all-female car. The #85 goes on track with Manuela Gostner, Michelle Gatting, and Rachel Frey with a slightly different livery from their sister cars, characterized by pink, and with a different team name: the Iron Dames.

With the SC63, a new chapter begins at Lamborghini: this car is in fact the first hybrid racing prototype, thus marking the entry of the House of Sant'Agata Bolognese into the highest levels of motorsport with covered wheels.

A Name and a Number that tell a story

The name SC63 is composed of the acronym that refers to the Squadra Corse department, while 63 is the year of the foundation of Lamborghini. The number with which the car is registered in the championship is 63, always to remember the year of birth of the House of San'Agata Bolognese.

SC63 Lamborghini WEC — Copyright FIAWEC.com

The Engine

The engine of the SC63 is the first engine designed and developed entirely by the Squadra Corse; this is a hybrid V8 biturbo with a maximum power of 500kw (630hp) as per regulation LMDh. The electric part is developed by Bosch Advanced Engineering, while the 7-speed gearbox is designed by Xtrac.

The Chassis and the Livery

The chassis is a monocoque made by Liger in carbon fiber, while the other carbon elements are supplied by HP Composites. The car is 5,100m long, 1,170m high, and 1,6m wide (average front and rear ndr), with a standard weight of about 1030 kg.

The livery is dominated by the Mantis green, paired with the Noctis black, with the detail of the tricolor that crosses the bonnet, continuing on the roof. The headlights are built with a particular Y shape, which is going to emphasize even more the strong lines of the chassis.

The team and the drivers

Iron Lynx is the team that is managing the SC63 in both the WEC and IMSA. The Italian team from Cesena, founded in 2017, Iron Lynx, has been racing in the world of covered wheels with GT cars and, since 2021, also with Formula 4 in the Italian championship. After 4 24 Hours of Le Mans, 4 seasons in ELMS, and one year in IMSA, the team from Cesena prepares for the Endurance World Championship with a new car: the Hypercar 63. After an agreement with Lamborghini in 2022, Iron Lynx becomes the official team to manage the LMDh project in IMSA and WEC. At the wheel of the green Iron Lynx, in the WEC will be Mirko Bortolotti, Danil Kvyat, and Edoardo Mortara.