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We may have to wait another year to see the stunning novelty Prototype Genesis will hit the track in full force, but judging by the images released Wednesday morning, the GMR-001 is going to be a stunner. Set up for break-in WEC hypercar class worldwide in 2026 and GTP IMSA in North America in 2027. the sleek prototype represents Genesis’ first foray into world-class endurance racing.
The GMR-001 will run under the Korean automaker’s new Magma sub-brand, hence the Genesis tying their racing efforts to their high-performance street cars. In effect, this means that Genesis is declaring war on its direct rivals, not only on the luxury passenger car front, but also in motorsport. Depending on the series, it will compete with Acura, BMW, CadillacPorsche, Toyota — and even Ferrari and Peugeot.
Not much was revealed at the unveiling event in Dubai, and it’s even more puzzling that Genesis didn’t bring a full-scale show car to its own party. The unveiling included showing off the renderings you see here, as well as a scaled-down model of the GMR-001—perhaps the size of a test mule in a wind tunnel—and placed it on a table for all to see.
Oreca will provide the chassis, but it’s not yet clear what type of engine Genesis will choose, although there are several options. Its opponents run everything from naturally aspirated and turbocharged V8s to twin-turbocharged V6s, so it will be interesting to see which way the Koreans go. According to Fred Smith on Road and trackthe automaker hinted at its future choice by mentioning an existing “turbocharged V8 based on the turbo-four found in its WRC car.”
The brand’s chief creative officer, Luc Donkerwolke, is responsible for the stunning design — no surprises here, though I’m curious to see how well the concept translates into reality. Ultimately, crash designs and other important racing components will matter more than aesthetics. Even if the race-ready shape of the car retains 75% of what I see here, it will be awesome.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from today’s announcement is who will be piloting the GMR-001 on race day. Two heavyweight racers were declared; three-time overall Le Mans winner Andre Lotterer and IMSA star (and multiple race winner) Pippa Derany. Their experience will be vital to getting this new program up and running, especially given that Latterer has worked at Audi and Porsche Penskeand Derany’s stay at Cadillac. More drivers are sure to be announced in due course, although they will all work under team principal Cyril Abiteboul.
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