Cadillac today announced the 6.2L V-8 engine that powers the Cadillac Dpi-V.R prototype race car is undefeated at mid-season in the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The Cadillac race engines have secured 11 of the first 15 podium placements, including all five victories, during the company’s first year of IMSA competition.
The Cadillac 6.2L V-8 engine has been installed in three prototype race cars: the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R, the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, and the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R. Each team has used two engines in competition, enabling the newest generation of Cadillac race cars to collectively cover more than 15,500 miles under IMSA sanction.
The race-equipped Cadillac 6.2L V-8 engine, which shares internal architecture with the Cadillac 6.2L V-8 engines in the Cadillac CTS super sedan and Escalade, is naturally aspirated and outputs nearly 600 horsepower at a maximum allowable 7,600 RPM. The race car engines are modified, built, and maintained by ECR Engines.
“As in the Cadillac CTS-V and Escalade, the Cadillac 6.2L V-8 in the race car produces … power and responsiveness,” says Richard Brekus, Cadillac’s global director of product strategy. “This season we exchanged engines only once for each car, each receiving a fresh engine after the Rolex 24 At Daytona. We disassembled the first engines and found no issues, problems, or anomalies after the Rolex 24. The three cars have each run the engine we installed after the 24-hour race, taking the green flag on the first practice at Sebring, running and winning at Sebring, Long Beach, and the Circuit of the Americas and Detroit with no major issues.”
In addition to power, the engine is a vital part of the Cadillac Dpi-V.R’s design and the structural rigidity of the car. As a semi-stressed member of the chassis, the engine takes some of the load delivered from the chassis, acting as the spine for the carbon fiber monocoque. The design feature was on display during the 12-hour race at Sebring International Raceway, which includes 3.27 miles of varied surface terrain, including cement that was originally used as a runway in World War II.
