Vanwall Vandervell 680
The Vanwall Vandervell 680 is a sports prototype racing car designed and built by Vanwall Racing Team. It is designed to the Le Mans Hypercar regulations and made its debut in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship at the season-opening 1000 Miles of Sebring.[3]
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| Category | Le Mans Hypercar | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Vanwall Racing Team | ||||||||||
| Designer(s) | Julian Thiele (Head of Design) Edgar Refenius (mechanical design engineer) Eric Zenner (aerodynamicist) Felix Nöcker (composite design engineer) | ||||||||||
| Predecessor | ENSO CLM P1/01 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||||
| Chassis | Carbon fibre composite monocoque | ||||||||||
| Engine | Gibson GL458 4.5 litre V8 naturally-aspirated, 90° cylinder angle mid-engined, longitudinally mounted | ||||||||||
| Torque | 410 lb⋅ft (556 N⋅m) | ||||||||||
| Transmission | 7-speed | ||||||||||
| Power | 511 kW (695 PS; 685 hp)[1][2] | ||||||||||
| Weight | 1,030 kg (2,270 lb) | ||||||||||
| Fuel | TotalEnergies | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Michelin | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | |||||||||||
| Notable drivers | |||||||||||
| Debut | 2023 1000 Miles of Sebring | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Teams' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
History
In June of 2019, Vanwall Racing Team, then known as ByKolles Racing, announced that they would commit to the new Le Mans Hypercar regulations in the FIA World Endurance Championship that would come into effect in the 2021 season.[4]
On 18 September 2020, the team officially unveiled renderings of their new hypercar, initially dubbed the PMC Project LMH.[5] ByKolles Racing intended to debut the car during the 2021 season, however, the project was delayed for the 2022 season.[6] The team later acquired the rights to use the Vanwall name and the car was rebranded as a Vanwall LMH.[7] ByKolles Racing officially applied to race in the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship, however, they were rejected by the FIA and ACO due to the car not completing the homologation process.[8]
In 2023, ByKolles Racing officially rebranded to become the Vanwall Racing Team, and the car's name was officially revealed as the Vanwall Vandervell 680, named after Vanwall founder Tony Vandervell. On 12 January 2023, the team was approved by the FIA and ACO to race in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship.[3]
Road car
Vanwall also intend to sell a road version of the hypercar, called the Vanwall Vandervell 1000.[9]
Development
The car was designed and developed entirely in-house at the Vanwall Racing Team base in Greding, Germany.[5]
Complete World Endurance Championship results
(key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap.
| Year | Entrant | Class | Drivers | No. | Rds. | Rounds | Pts. | Pos. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ||||||||
| 2023 | Hypercar | 4 | All All All |
SEB 30 |
POR |
SPA |
LMN |
MON |
FUJ |
BHR |
6* | 8th* | ||
* Season still in progress.
References
- Lloyd, Daniel. "ByKolles to Retain Gibson LMP1 Engine for Hypercar – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com.
- "Gibson Technology's New GL 458 LMP1 Engine | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com.
- Smith, Fred (January 12, 2023). "The ByKolles Vanwall Hypercar Will Race at Le Mans". Road & Track. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- "ByKOLLES Racing | official by motioncompany - ByKOLLES Racing announces its programmes". www.bykolles.com. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- "ByKOLLES Racing | official by motioncompany - ByKOLLES confirms PMC Project LMH for 2021". www.bykolles.com. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- "ByKolles unlikely to race in WEC in 2021 but is pushing on with LMH project". www.autosport.com. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- "ByKolles-built Vanwall Le Mans Hypercar rolled out". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- Lloyd, Daniel. "ByKolles Hypercar Entry with Vanwall LMH Rejected – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- "ByKolles Show 'Vanwall Vandervell 1000' Roadgoing Hypercar | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
