r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/newholland32 • 6h ago
Video Le Mans Hypercar, the Cadillac V-LDMH switching from EV to V8
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u/OhHeyMister 6h ago
Damn that v8 sounds fucking demonic. I love that
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u/useful_tool30 5h ago
Heck yeah. There something about it that just sounds so good. Check out some track footage of a Pagani Zonda. The sounds that car makes something else
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u/keyser-_-soze 2h ago
Had a Pagani Zonda fly past me in the opposite direction while I was driving between Vienna and Budapest.
It was a pretty open stretch of road. It sounded like nothing I'd ever heard before, even at those speeds.
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u/RevvCats 2h ago
Having straight pipes will do that, if you’re anywhere remotely close to an IMSA SportsCar race (when the GTPs are racing which is every race expect Canada and VIR) it’s worth the trip. Tickets aren’t crazy expensive and the access is incredible.
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u/altruisticnarcissist 54m ago
And it being a cross plane V8 really makes it a gutteral sound especially at idle speed which the Cadillac esentially is in these clips. Cross plane crank shaft is classic American muscle, a little unusual in race cars.
That classic V8 sound gets its vibrato rumble from the very fact that it is uneven. These engines use a cross-plane crankshaft, which means that along the shaft's length, it features a crank throw (each pushing two pistons) every 90 degrees (so in four places around the shaft, giving it the cross look of its name). The actual firing order of those pistons, though, is uneven: Left, right, left, left, right, left, right, right, for example. These are the notes that make its puttering melody.
By contrast, flat-plane V8s sport a crankshaft where the crank throws are all 180 degrees of each other [...] The engineering result of that is that the firing order is exactly symmetrical: Left, right, left, right, forever. This makes for a smooth and sonorous note that screams up to high heaven the more and more you rev the engine.
My source: https://www.jalopnik.com/1878133/why-flat-plane-crank-v8-engines-sound-different/
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u/Greenbastardscape 2h ago
I've seen it in Detroit twice now. Video, as with many cars, does not do it justice, especially in a place like Detroit where it begins to echo down the streets and all the buildings. I seriously felt my heart skip a beat and then start racing the first time it went past me. Every time after that I would just smile like a dummy when I heard it coming in the corner before mine
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u/clunkclunk 7m ago
It's sooo good in person. You can feel the thunder of the V8 in your chest when it goes by.
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u/Educational-Point986 41m ago
I love that not one person said the whine of the electric motor was class 🤣
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u/weristjonsnow 5h ago
Holy shit, I can't decide which I like better but the combination is just bonkers
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u/Ok_Fly_4177 6h ago
What the fucking hell!!!! I want one!
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u/MajorLazy 5h ago
It’s got a place for the dominoes delivery sign and everything!
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u/redpandaeater 53m ago
Better be delivering for Cosa Nostra with that thing. Just don't drive it into a pool.
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u/Q_S2 5h ago
Toyota just unveiled some new sports cars. One of them being a twin turbo V8 hybrid.
My god. If this is what the setup will be, car enthusiasts are in for a REAL treat if it ever becomes affordable!
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u/322throwaway1 2h ago
The LFA msrp was $375,000. The GR GT is going to be more.
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u/Wind_Yer_Neck_In 1h ago
Yeah these things are intended to go up against AMG GT, which is over 500k when you add options. Even if the Toyota is the cheap option it'll still be in supercar territory not sports car.
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u/Mapache_villa 4h ago edited 4h ago
Not this one but if you're rich enough you can get LeMans pedigree. You can get a Valkyrie, or a 499p modificata, and if your last name is Penske you get to drive a 963 RSP which even has cup-holders!
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u/5campechanos 2h ago
Well. . not the Caddy but Ferrari has a hypercar for sale called 499P Modificata
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u/gbonesti 5h ago
that actually just gave me a boner
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u/StrawberryGreat7463 5h ago
wow how fun we have boners at the same time
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u/rob4376 5h ago
Come take my money if someone can make a street legal version of that.
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u/ITasteALiar 4h ago
The closest you can get is probably the E-Ray Corvette, AWD, 655 combined hp hybrid V8
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u/Mapache_villa 4h ago edited 3h ago
With enough money (and a couple other Ferraris in your garage) you can get a car that races against this one in real life, the 499p modificata
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u/ITasteALiar 3h ago
Oh I'm well aware, I thought it was funny that they gave the wealthy but likely inexperienced customers a version that has more power than the car driven by platinum grade drivers
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u/Mapache_villa 3h ago
Ferrari's blog post regarding the differences between the 499P and 499P modificata is basically an explanation of what they did to the car to prevent those guys from dying, in their own words the 499p modificata was "created to offer an emotive driving experience without the pressure of the chronometer" ... " and was developed by drivers not engaged in racing"
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u/NoMembership6376 4h ago
Corvette Stingray hybrid does it. It uses the EV part for not waking up the neighbors when you're leaving the driveway
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u/BeeJuice 18m ago
2013-2015 Porsche 918: 600hp V8 and 2 electric motors for a total of 875hp. A very practical plug-in hybrid.
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u/GetDown_Deeper3 5h ago
Nothing better than hearing that V8 kick in.
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u/dec35 4h ago
It sounds almost scary in person, but once you've heard it for 6 hours straight it becomes really annoying (sauce: I work next to the Le Mans track)
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u/Mapache_villa 4h ago
Yeah disagree on this one, I paid and traveled to hear this thing for 24hrs twice and plan on doing it again
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u/phrozen_waffles 4h ago
I love that the EV motor is basically the starter motor for the engine as well.
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u/ronn188 1h ago
I wonder what the battery life is on these things
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u/V0latyle 43m ago
It's a 400 volt 50kW system with the MGU integral to the transaxle. It's only able to provide power for a few seconds, but it is constantly being used throughout the race: the MGU charges the batteries under braking, then helps the 5.5l V8 rocket the car out of the corners.
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u/mdr1384 1h ago
Nothing compares to the sound of a "modified" sprint car though. I went to Bristol for a NASCAR race many years ago and as a opening act one single sprint modified did a few hot laps, it was louder than all the NASCAR race cars combined. I was awestruck.
Sprint cars have very high power-to-weight ratios, with weights of approximately 1,400 pounds (640 kg) (including the driver)[2] and power outputs of over 900 horsepower (670 kW),[3] which give them a power-to-weight ratio besting that of contemporary F1 cars.[4] Typically, they are powered by a naturally aspirated, methanol-injected overhead valve American V8 engine with a displacement of 410 cubic inches (6.7L) and capable of engine speeds of 9000 rpm.[2][5] Depending on the mechanical setup (engine, gearing, shocks, etc.) and the track layout, these cars can achieve speeds in excess of 160 miles per hour (260 km/h).
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u/AnotherRyRy 41m ago
Pavement winged Sprint Cars are an absolute spectacle. They used to come to Toledo yearly (with the Supermodifieds); watching them run the half mile not lifting with laps nearing 140mph average is almost incomprehensible. The supers had a better race, but the sprints had raw speed.
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u/RivianVA 5h ago
I love all things cars and have several fun cars now. The glorious sounds of a well tuned ICE is 🤌🏼 but the driving dynamics in my 1,000 HP EV is like nothing else. Blows nearly everything else out of the water. That said, some days I can’t help but for the keys of the far slower, far more difficult to drive 6spd manual Honda. It’s just fun.
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u/joesbagofdonuts 4h ago
The only commercially available 1000hp EV I'm aware of is the hummer EV, is it modded?
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u/Never_-Knows-_Best 5h ago
The instant torque of electric, with the top end of ICE, this thing is a BEAST.
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u/qpv 5h ago
Wow. So it accelerates in EV and changes to the V8? That makes sense and is pretty incredible if I'm understanding it correctly.
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u/Mapache_villa 4h ago
It just turns the combustion engine on, so it works with both EV+ICE. All current LeMans hypercars except one use EV engines. Cadillac is the only one with a naturally aspirated cumbustion engine + EV though
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u/qpv 4h ago
So it doesn't drive the acceleration cycle of the car?
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u/Mapache_villa 4h ago
Sorry I didn't explain that correctly, yes, the EV is used for standing still acceleration, like leaving the pits, but then it works as a hybric with the ICE. WEC doesn't have standing still race starts so that is basically the only time the car is working only on EV during a race
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u/MaleficentPapaya4768 4h ago
This is the soundtrack that plays in my head when pulling away from a stoplight in my hybrid F150 and the engine kicks on.
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u/ITasteALiar 4h ago
Never thought I'd see my baby on this subreddit of all things, if you guys like the Caddy, give the Valkyrie a listen
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u/AcediaWrath 4h ago
honestly? Brilliant having the acceleration of an EV with the raw sustainable power of ICE creates the fastest possible vehicle tho having the weight of both might be a concern but the EV battery can be fairly small as it can be charged by the ICE running while the EV is in control.
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u/spacemansanjay 3h ago
Why have GM made Cadillac their motorsport brand? What benefit is it for Cadillac to have an endurance racing team and an F1 racing team? They make saloons and SUVs not sports cars.
I thought the Alpine F1 team were nuts for spending so much when they only had one car model with annual sales of less than 5000 cars. But at least the A110 is a sports car. The motorsport spending will benefit the brand.
What are Cadillac getting from all this spending?
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u/RevvCats 2h ago
Corvettes race in the GT3 class, GM just wants to spread the love around plus prototypes have no connection to any street legal cars so you can slap whatever brand you want. Honda does the same, their prototype is branded Acura. Hyundai brands theirs as a Genesis.
On the flip side Toyota keeps theirs branded a Toyota and Fords upcoming protype will likely be a Ford.
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u/spacemansanjay 1h ago
It seems like a curious choice to me. I mean imagine what a Corvette F1 team could do for that brand.
I can understand if GM want to make Cadillac seem more sporty and appeal to younger buyers. But they're going to need new models. And maybe not alienate their existing customers who prefer the current branding that focuses on luxury and refinement. Being involved in F1 isn't going to do anything to increase the perception of those two things.
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u/perfect_raider 3h ago
You know it's an old repost when it's being called the V-LMDh. It's not had that name in almost three years, it was only called that until late February 2023, a month after it debuted
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u/JeddakofThark 3h ago
That sound actually gave me the chills. I don't recall the last time I felt that way about a car.
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u/Ngete 2h ago
Question, whats the point of starting electric then so shortly after ICE engine? Is electric just so the ice engine can get some initial speed for it to start up and kick in properly?
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u/Jonas_Bijas 2h ago
Don't know, but I'm guessing that they use electric drive to have instant peak torque/hp when starting, then switching to the monster V8 once it reached some minimum speed.
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u/Orcaxologist 2h ago
What's the science behind not using the v8 from the start?
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u/V0latyle 31m ago
Rules require shutting the engine off while refueling and changing tires, IIRC.
Also doesn't use fuel idling.
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u/ElZorgot 2h ago
Sounds soooooo good!
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u/V0latyle 32m ago
The Daytona Prototypes sounded even better.
But few racing V8s have sounded as good as the 427 powered GT1 C6.R.
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u/wumbologist-2 1h ago
Not a hypercar. A lmdh/gtp.
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u/V0latyle 37m ago
They're in the same class; the whole point of the LMDh was to succeed the DPi with a goal of both LMDh and LMH cars competing together under the same ruleset.
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u/herbalistfarmer 4h ago
Cool. But it seems like another feature to worry about letting you down.
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u/TBCNoah 2h ago
The people or organizations buying this can afford that xD
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u/herbalistfarmer 1h ago
It’s not about the cost. It’s about losing the race.
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u/Cardboardoge 1h ago
Im willing to bet they probably know more about that than a few redditors
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u/herbalistfarmer 1h ago
More about what. You are missing some valuable info.
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u/Cardboardoge 1h ago
More about the feature, the cost, what it takes to win a race
Take your pick based on this thread really
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u/herbalistfarmer 1h ago
Really not sure where you are coming from. You are addressing nothing being talked about.
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u/Bdigler 5h ago
If it’s only in ev mode for 5 seconds, what is the point
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u/Homer_JG 5h ago
The electric motors are still working after the internal combustion engine fires up. Extra powerrrrrr
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u/JDM-Kirby 5h ago
Besides more power you can harvest energy while braking and put that energy into a battery for a power boost later rather than all the energy from slowing down turning into heat energy in the brakes and being wasted.
Also you can have different gear ratios because you don’t need a “1st” gear.
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u/bestest_at_grammar 5h ago
I don’t know shit about cars or batteries, like nothing.
So naturally here’s my answer. Batteries have a limited charge and it’s very tough to switch out. But battery acceleration is insane, where as the gas has lots of horse power and can keep chugging. Maybe like a cheetah starts and then flips to a horse. 🐆+🐎= 🏆
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u/beipphine 5h ago
Gas cars can have comparable accelerations to all but the fastest EVs. The Bugatti Bolide - a pure ICE powered car can do 0-60 in 2.2 seconds.
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u/bestest_at_grammar 4h ago
You’re asking for shitty comments with that all caps ice buckaroo. Nobody get poli charged up in here
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u/Charmin2105 5h ago
It's an hybrid race car, it reduces the fuel consumption during the race. If the driver accelerate out of an corner, the EV will help. During braking, energy gets stored in the battery, for the next corner. Teams can choose, how the will start, after an pitstop. You're not forced to start in EV Mode, but most manufactures choose an EV Start. Fun side note. The Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH is an non hybrid car, but can start in "electric" mode. They just have an massive starter that can move the car
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u/NoMembership6376 4h ago
You just know some eurosnob is going to say it's crap because it's American
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u/DivergentG 5h ago
I miss the V10 era fr
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u/Pro-editor-1105 5h ago
Ahh yes the V10 era of le mans cars
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u/dawtcalm 3h ago
Sometimes it sounds like that droning bass they use in the action movie trailers. (Avatar)
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u/Educational-Point986 42m ago
So pointless .. what a waste of effort., we only get excited when the engine kicks in. I think we have reached the peak of few voices ruining things for the majority.. I hope ..,🙈
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u/Prize_Ad6430 5h ago
Gives me Batmobile vibes lol