Competing as a factory and customer racer, as per the regulations the Glickenhaus 007 will also be homologated for the road
Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus will sit alongside Toyota and ByKolles in the forthcoming World Endurance Car hypercar class, with its new, but decidedly retro-styled 007. As one of the first racing teams to confirm its involvement in the new flagship WEC class, the American brand has now thrown the gauntlet down for rival teams as the 2020/2021 season approaches.
Though details have been scarce up to this point, the manufacturer has now announced that it is partnering with Pipo Moteurs for the development of the power plant in its new racer. SCG had previously disclosed that it would use an in-house 829bhp 3-litre twin-turbocharged V6. However, the recent news sees the addition of two cylinders.
Although power figures for the new unit are yet to be announced, a bespoke twin-turbocharged V8 will be what you’ll find under the 007’s skin. In order to deliver at Le Mans, it will be required to operate flawlessly for 30 hours straight, and so a rigorous testing schedule has already begun ahead of its racing debut.
Preliminary wind tunnel tests are already complete, with more in-depth analysis to take place later this month. By summer 2020, Glickenhaus expects to have engineering finalised, and subsystems assembled ahead of the start of production in August, making way for the first shakedown in September 2020.
Though it’s still not clear if the 007 will adopt hybrid assistance, regulations stipulate that electrical motors can produce no more than 248bhp, combining with a combustion engine for a maximum output of 740bhp. The hybrid system itself is only able to be deployed via the front wheels at speeds of over 128kph to even out any traction advantages four driven wheels will have at low speeds.
The SCG007 will also adhere to the minimum weight ruling of 1100kg, which together with the power deployment and mechanical and aero grip calculations, should give all racers in the hypercar class the capability of lapping the Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe in 3min 30sec. Moveable aero has also been ruled out.
Fears as to whether a relatively small team will be able to compete with larger manufacturers and their even more significant budgets is not a worry for Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus. The new rules limit race development budgets to €20million, all of which Glickenhaus has already secured through sponsorship, according to comments on the firm’s official Twitter account. The brand seems rather confident too, commenting: ‘An American car hasn’t won First Overall at Le Mans since 1967. It’s time.’
So far, two other manufacturers have confirmed their entries into the hypercar class, namely Toyota Gazoo Racing, which has enjoyed two years of unchallenged success, and ByKolles. Of course, Aston Martin was also a promising addition to this line-up. However, due to its recent financial woes it pulled out earlier this year. SCG will have its own road-legal version too, as per class regulations, with a minimum of 20 units required to be produced within two years of the race car.
This article originally appeared at evo.co.uk
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