Have you been longing to get behind the wheel of a Le Mans Hypercar? Well, you can finally get behind the wheel of your favourite Hypercar from the 2024 season thanks to Le Mans Ultimate.
As the 2024 Hypercar class debuts in the virtual world thanks to Studio 397 and its latest DLC releases, you can get behind the wheel of all nine LMH and LMDh cars that contested the 2024 World Endurance Championship (WEC) at iconic venues such as Circuit de la Sarthe, Circuits of the Americas and Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
With the Hypercar class growing by the season, it’s become known for its huge variety. There’s a lot to unpack, featuring hybrid powertrains, naturally aspirated engines, vehicles built to two different rulesets and independent entries that are all pitted against each other through Balance of Performance (BoP). Let’s understand Le Mans Ultimate’s Hypercar class.
What Is The Hypercar Class?
Hypercar is the premier class in the World Endurance Championship. It was introduced to the series for the 2021 season, taking over from LMP1 which had headed the championship since its inception in 2012.
As the prestigious Audi and Porsche pulled out of LMP1 in 2016 and 2017 respectively, entries to Le Mans’s top class slowly dwindled, forcing the FIA and ACO to build a more affordable category that aligned closely with manufacturers’ road-going platforms. Thus, Hypercar was born.
The Hypercar class marks a new era of convergence in prototype racing, made up of cars built to either the LMH or LMDh regulations that can run in the American IMSA championship alongside the WEC.
Sim racers have come to know and love LMDh cars such as the Porsche 963 and Cadillac V-Series.R from iRacing and Automobilista 2 which feature official IMSA licensing, but the cars currently exclusive to the World Endurance Championship have yet to be seen in the virtual world – until Le Mans Ultimate’s.
Now you get to experience every single Hypercar from the 2024 season, as Le Mans Ultimate brings the 2024 World Endurance Championship to life.
What Is The Difference Between LMH and LMDh?
When the initial blueprints for the Hypercar class were being drawn up, a golden opportunity for performance unification was presented as IMSA planned to update its premier category, DPi, at a similar time.
It was announced at the beginning of 2020 that a trans-Atlantic collaboration would allow the informally named DPi 2.0 class, now branded as Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh), to race in the WEC alongside LMH cars with a BoP, signifying a new era of convergence in top-flight endurance racing.
So history lesson out of the way, let’s dive into the key technical differences between the two rulesets:
- LMDh cars must use spec hybrid systems that deliver power through only the rear axle
- LMH cars are not mandated to feature electrification. If they do have a hybrid system, electric power must be delivered through the front wheels above a speed set by BoP
- LMDh monocoques and suspension must be from Oreca, Dallara, Ligier or Multimatic, whilst LMH offers much more freedom, albeit at an increased cost
But what does that mean for you? The most notable difference between the LMDh cars and the LMH cars in Le Mans Ultimate comes from their powertrains.
You will need to manage the usage of your electrical power differently when swapping between the two different rulesets as HY cars like Cadillac and Porsche LMDhs feature 50KW batteries, whilst the hybrid LMH cars have comparatively huge 200KW systems.
On the flip side, you will feel the differences in their two-wheel and four-wheel deployment styles, whilst the combustion-only LMH cars will offer a different experience on throttle and in strategy altogether.
The 2024 Hypercars in Le Mans Ultimate
All nine 2024 Hypercars from the WEC class are present in Le Mans Ultimate right now, offering a wide variety of form factors, powertrains and driving experiences.
LMH cars such as the history-making Ferrari 499P that won the 2023 and 2024 24 hours of Le Mans and the 2024 Championship leading Porsche 963 LMDh cars are particular highlights of the class, both of which handle just as good as they look.
These are the 2024 Hypercars that feature in Le Mans Ultimate:
- Alpine A424 LMDh
- BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDh
- Cadillac V-Series.R LMDh
- Lamborghini SC63 LMDh
- Porsche 963 LMDh
- Ferrari 499P LMH
- Toyota GR010 Hybrid LMH
- Peugeot 9X8 2024 LMH
- Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 LMH
Let’s learn a little more about each Hypercar car below:
Alpine A424
| Car | Ruleset | Engine | Hybrid? | Exclusive to LMU? |
| Alpine A424 | LMDh | 3.4-litre V6 Turbo | Yes | Yes |
After the team unveiled the Alpine A424 ahead of the centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023 and boasting a formidable line-up of drivers, the French manufacturer made a return to top-flight endurance racing in 2024 with a two-team entry into the World Endurance Championship.
Having won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1979 they have one goal in mind, to repeat the feat in the modern era. The 2024 campaign has been a positive return, aside from the double DNF at Le Mans, they have managed to find themselves on the podium to currently be the best newcomer of the series.
In the manufacturer’s championship, they sit fourth overall, currently edging out the likes of the BMWs, Lamborghinis, Cadillacs and Peugoets, although they are almost 100 points away from the podium spots.
BMW M Hybrid V8
| Car | Ruleset | Engine | Hybrid? | Exclusive to LMU? |
| BMW M Hybrid V8 | LMDh | 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 | Yes | No |
The BMW M Hybrid V8 was another that rejoined the grid in 2024 and was also the first 2024 Hypercar to be included in Le Mans Ultimate for free.
BMW are previous winners of Le Mans, with the German outfit taking overall victory in 1999 season. Fast forward 25 years and BMW returns with two BMW M Hybrids entries in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship season.
The campaign hadn’t been the best with a season best result only being 6th place, until Fuji, where the team finally found themselves onto the podium, sealing a second place finish behind Porsche.
Cadillac V-Series.R
| Car | Ruleset | Engine | Hybrid? | Exclusive to LMU? |
| Cadillac V-Series.R | LMDh | 5.5-litre naturally aspirated V8 | Yes | No |
Perfectly representing what an American-made prototype should look and sound like, the Cadillac V-Series.R is a striking entry to the Hypercar class.
It was one of only two LMDh cars on the 2023 WEC grid, before Alpine, BMW and Lamborghini joined the party, although unlike Stuttgart’s 963, it utilises a Dallara-built chassis. However, what really sets it apart is its huge 5.5-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine, the largest displacement of any Hypercar, that produces a soul-shaking roar that sim racers simply fall in love with. And rightly so.
The V-Series.R is yet to taste victory in the WEC but claimed a podium with Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook at the 2023 24 hours of Le Mans. Across the pond, it won the IMSA title with Wheelen Engineering Racing, proving its potential.
Lamborghini SC63
| Car | Ruleset | Engine | Hybrid? | Exclusive to LMU? |
| Lamborghini SC63 | LMDh | 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8 | Yes | Yes |
Lamborghini is another Hypercar that joined the World Endurance Championship for the 2024 season, through the Iron Lynx outfit, who will be the sole team allowed to run the Lamborghini Hypercar.
Lamborghini’s Head of Motorsport, Giorgio Sanna, said that the manufacturer would be aiming to run a single car in the 2024 editions of the WEC and IMSA, with a double-entry planned for the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 2025 seasons.
The Lamborghini hasn’t had the best start to life in their first season back to the pinnacle of endurance racing, with only one top 10 result to their name at Le Mans. Whilst the WEC season has been hampered with problems and retirements, they have been able to score a 7th and 8th place finishes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Porsche 963
| Car | Ruleset | Engine | Hybrid? | Exclusive to LMU? |
| Porsche 963 | LMDh | 4.6-litre twin turbo V8 | Yes | No |
The Porsche 963 needs no real introduction to sim racers, but if you’re new to Hypercar, here’s what you need to know.
The 963 is built to the LMDh ruleset, running a Multimatic chassis mated with a twin-turbo V8 taken from the road-going Porsche 918 Sypder. Its debut season in was rocky, struggling with tyre wear, occasional instability – made apparent by multiple offs for Porsche Penske Motorsport during the 2023 24 hours of Daytona, its maiden entry – and reliability issues.
However, the 2024 season has been a different kettle of fish. Porsche have won outright at Qatar, Spa and Fuji, finished on the podium at Imola and Sao Paolo and just missed out on a podium at the 24 hours of Le Mans (finished 1 second behind Ferrari in a gigantic battle over the 24 hour race) to see them lead the overall championship with one round remaining.
Ferrari 499P
| Car | Ruleset | Engine | Hybrid? | Exclusive to LMU? |
| Ferrari 499P | LMH | 3.0-litre twin turbo V6 | Yes | Yes |
Now we move onto the LMH catagory of car in the Hypercar class, starting with the Ferrari 499P.
Whilst the Ferrari 499P is only two years old, its name is already etched into the history books having taken Ferrari to its first Le Mans win in half a century as the marque returned to top-flight endurance racing.
With Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovanazzi taking to the highest step of the Circuit de la Sarthe’s iconic podium in 2023, the Scuderia’s Hypercar endeavour with the 499P couldn’t have started any better.
They repeated the feat in 2024 with another 24 hours of Le Mans victory, getting both cars onto the podium in another battle with Toyota, who were their closest challengers in 2023. They do however, sit behind Toyota in the manufacturers battle this season with one round remaining.
Toyota GR010 Hybrid LMH
| Car | Ruleset | Engine | Hybrid? | Exclusive to LMU? |
| Toyota GR010 Hybrid | LMH | 3.5-litre twin turbo V6 | Yes | Yes |
Toyota has a recent history of dominance in the WEC, winning the inaugural season of Hypercar in 2021, before scoring a second successive championship in 2022, all of which followed two years of unstoppable form in LMP1.
After running the GR010 for two WEC campaigns, Toyota made a series of upgrades to their mighty LMH car for the 2023 season, with it winning six of the seven rounds, losing only the 24 hours of Le Mans to Ferrari.
In 2024 they havent had it all their own way, with a number of new teams entering and a number of current teams stepping up, they sit second in the overall standings. They did win Imola and Sao Paolo outright and they sit 10 points behind leaders Porsche. Can they clinch the title again?
Peugeot 9X8 2024
| Car | Ruleset | Engine | Hybrid? | Exclusive to LMU? |
| Peugeot 9X8 2024 | LMH | 2.6-litre twin turbo V6 | Yes | Yes |
Peugeot are not new to the World Endurance Championship but their 2024 challenger is. After they realised the previoius car was limited in its development curve, they had to change their tune and introduce a whole new concept. They said goodbye to the wingless Hypercar and introduced a new beast.
The 2024 campaign has been openly addressed as a testing season to gather data ready for a full challenge in 2025. They have still managed to get a season best result of 4th place from Fuji, with a number of other top ten results through the year.
They do currently sit above Cadillac and Lamborghini in the manufacturers standings and they could still challenge BMW at the final round of the season, which would see them finish 5th overall.
Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6
| Car | Ruleset | Engine | Hybrid? | Exclusive to LMU? |
| Isotta Fraschni Tipo 6 | LMH | 3.0-litre V6 Turbo | Yes | Yes |
The final peice of the 2024 Hypercar puzzle is complete with the Isotta Fraschini machine making its way to Le Mans Ultimate. The indipendant marque joined the 2024 Hypercar grid with passion and enthusiasm and thanks to Le Mans Ultimate, the legacy of the Tipo 6 will live on even if it is no longer on the grid.
The team struggled through the entire 2024 season with a season best result of 14th at Le Mans, although most rounds saw the team multiple laps down due to major underperformance. Ultimately the team pulled out of the WEC before the season hit COTA.
Other disputes away from the race track also hampereds the teams visions but they do hope to return in 2025 when all of that is resolved.
Drive All The Hypercars Today
Thanks to the release of DLC pack 1 and DLC pack 2, you can drive all of the 2024 Hypercars right now. DLC pack 1 saw the 2024 Peugeot and Lamborghini enter the frey, whilst DLC pack 2 introduced the 2024 Alpine and Isotta Hypercars. They joined the free 2024 BMW M Hybrid V8 alongside the Ferrari, Toyota, Cadillac and Porsche Hypercars already in the game.
The Le Mans Ultimate Season Pass is also an option for you if you are thinking long term, as you will save yourself roughly 30% on buying all of the DLC packs individually. The Season Pass allows you instance access to all four DLC drops currently scheduled, which will include all of the LMGT3 machines and even more circuits at a later date in the year.
