Genesis is heading to Le Mans, and it’s getting there with a big ol’ V-8. Hyundai’s luxury brand previewed its racing intentions in December 2024 with the announcement of Genesis Magma Racing and the team’s first car, the GMR-001. It will compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship next year, followed by IMSA in 2027.
Now, Genesis is sharing some information on the heart of the GMR-001 Hypercar, which recently fired up for the first time.
The engine is a twin-turbocharged V-8 developed in-house by Hyundai Motorsport, the same entity responsible for the high-strung 1.6-liter turbo-fours used by Hyundai in the World Rally Championship. In fact, the V-8’s basic architecture is based on that very engine. Hyundai claims the new V-8 shares approximately 60 percent of its parts with the mighty four-cylinder.
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Source: Genesis
“The inline-four engine is a very, very sophisticated, very efficient engine,” says Hyundai Motorsport Technical Director François-Xavier Demaison. “It’s a proper race engine, so it’s a very good base for developing an engine for WEC. Rallying is a sort of endurance race, so for an engine to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it’s a good place to start from.”
Development on the V-8 actually began in June 2024, so it’s not exactly an overnight build. The design was finalized in October, and the first engine finally came together earlier this year.
“The assembly of the first engine always takes a bit more time, as we pay extra attention to the details because we don’t know the engine,” said Moncet. “We had to learn and build the documentation together. It took about three or four weeks, but we completed the first fire-up exactly as scheduled.”
Details of the engine are still under wraps, but LMDh regulations call for a maximum combined output of 630 horsepower, including the hybrid portion of the powertrain. Given the commonality between the V-8 and the 1.6-liter WRC engine, basic math suggests it probably displaces around 3.2 liters, though punching it up to a 4.0 liters is certainly possible.
In any case, Genesis Magma Racing is still deep in the testing phase. The engine isn’t even in the car yet—further bench testing will take place before it’s connected to a gearbox and the hybrid unit that all LMDh cars run. At that point, more testing will take place, including endurance evaluations and long-cycle runs before finally ending up in the car.
If all goes according to plan, the GMR-001 will be testing on track later this year.
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