Vanwall Planning 2026-27 Asian Effort With Upgraded Hypercar

Photo: MPS Agency

Vanwall has signaled intentions of returning to Hypercar competition in the 2026-27 Asian Le Mans Series season with an upgraded version of the Vanwall 680 Hypercar.

The Austrian-flagged team led by Colin Kolles, which has been out of action since the end of the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship season, is plotting an entry into the ACO and SRO-run championship in the debut season of the Hypercar class.

The non-hybrid LMH-based prototype completed a single season of competition, largely battling power-related issues, which has since been resolved with a change of engine supplier.

“The careful performance analysis from our initial WEC campaign clearly identified important areas to improve” said Kolles. “I am confident the actions taken following the technical review and the latest modifications incorporated will bring significant on-track improvement.”

The Vanwall’s powertrain architecture has been extensively revised, with its original 4.5-liter Gibson V8 swapped out for a 3.5-liter Pipo Moteurs twin-turbo V8 engine, the same unit that used to power the Glickenhaus 007 LMH car.

Other developments have included attention on the air intake environment and airflow volume, optimized radiator and intercooler performance and exhaust gas flow efficiency to complement the increased engine performance.

Kolles claims a return to the WEC could be possible for 2027, with the the Asian program to potentially serve as a proving ground for its upgraded car.

“We have had very constructive discussions with the WEC and ACO regarding rejoining the WEC in 2027 but as always participation is dependent on the team being invited to compete,” said Kolles.

“Our support for the new 2026 [Asian Le Mans] Hypercar category is a clear statement of our intent and commitment to the future.”

Vanwall is the second organization to publicly signal intentions of joining the new Hypercar class in Asian LMS, with BBM Sport revealing to Sportscar365 last month plans to run up to two wingless Peugeot 9X8s in the championship.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John