Dallara: Key Task of LMDh to “Understand the DNA” of OEMs

Dallara CEO Andrea Pontremoli says that ‘understanding the DNA’ of Cadillac and BMW has been key in the company’s work developing two stylistically different LMDh cars.

Cadillac and BMW last month revealed the designs of their respective top-category prototypes that have been built on the Dallara spine and are due to debut next year.

While the Cadillac ‘Project GTP Hypercar’ was presented in high-resolution renders, the General Motors brand has expressed that these are “pretty close” to the final look.

The BMW M V8 Hybrid, meanwhile, was shown on an actual car model. The two vehicles appeared extremely different despite being developed on the same Dallara base chassis.

Pontremoli said that the “beauty” of the LMDh platform, which is now being viewed in terms of produced and running cars, is that it has required Dallara to closely understand the wishes of each manufacturer to enable those branding differences to stand out.

Dallara has already worked with Cadillac in this way on the American brand’s DPi car, however BMW is entering prototypes for the first time in more than two decades.

“We are almost at the same level on the two cars, and I think we have cars that are almost ready,” Pontremoli told Sportscar365.

“In the coming weeks, we will see the two cars on the racetrack to test.

“It’s a very interesting project because our job is not only to produce a car that is competitive on the racetrack. It’s also to try to understand the DNA of the brand and to transfer this onto the car, through the shape.

“We have the stylists from Cadillac and BMW working here in two different departments, working with our aerodynamic people to try to accommodate the performance and style of the car.

“If you see the two cars together, you cannot believe they come from the same spine, but they are both competitive with these very different styles and shapes.

“The beauty of our job is that we can build up the DNA of our customers, to try to transfer to the fans the real DNA of their brand.

“From the technical point of view, we are almost done in production. Then, we start the competition. It is interesting and I am looking forward to seeing these cars on the racetrack very soon.”

Pontremoli explained that Dallara has needed to closely understand each manufacturer’s ethos so that Cadillac and BMW can access the potential marketing value of LMDh, which is valid in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Cadillac is racing in both series while BMW is set for IMSA only next year.

“It is an enormous marketing tool where you can explain to the world which kind of innovation you have in your brand,” Pontremoli said.

“This is why it’s important for us to interpret and understand the DNA of the brand and try to have a car that represents this DNA.

“The cars are equally good, but they are different in terms of expression on what they want to represent.

“It’s why I think endurance [racing] is closer to the real-life world.

“Because when you see the new Cadillac or the new BMW, you can see styling points that you can also see on your everyday car.”

Dallara Not Rushing for More OEMs

According to Pontremoli, Dallara received “several requests” from other brands wanting to use its chassis as the base for an LMDh car, but the company is currently reluctant to expand beyond its two customers.

“I don’t want to work on quantity, but I want to work on quality,” he said.

“So I want to assure our customers that we are doing the right things in the right way, with the right kind of resources. So I’m not following the money or business on this.

“For 2023, we will stay there [with two manufacturers]. In the next years, could be [more]. It is something that we have to look forward to in 2024, 2025 and 2026.”

As it focuses on supporting Cadillac and BMW in LMDh, Dallara is also busy working with NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports to modify a Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 that will enter next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as an experimental Garage 56 entry.

“We have been involved to adapt this car for this kind of different [renewable] fuel,” Pontremoli said.

“We have some small changes from the actual car. I think that they will announce what they want to do, and how to do it, in the next months.

“We are doing simulation to understand the performance of the car at Le Mans.

“It cannot be competitive with LMDh, but we are working to have something that is a good compromise.”