was announced June 10, 2010, when the ACO confirmed hybrid prototypes for Le Mans 2011. It was inevitable. Automakers were electrifying their road cars, and hybrid tech offered a connection between what car companies raced and what they sold.In 2012, Toyota entered the fray with the TS030, and Audi returned fire with an electrified prototype called the R18 e-tron quattro. It paired a turbodiesel 3.7-liter V-6 driving the rear wheels with a motor-generator unit powering the front axle.
With that win, the era of the hybrid LMP1 car had begun for Audi, Toyota, and, later, Porsche. The problem? It wasn’t cheap. As competition grew, development budgets ballooned to rival Formula 1. Audi threw down its weapons in 2016, its prototype program’s demise accelerated by fallout from Dieselgate. Porsche followed a year later, departing top-tier endurance racing for Formula E. Toyota remained the sole hybrid entrant until 2023.
The expense of the technical complexity ultimately ended up killing LMP1, but it left us with incredible cars. The first hybrid Le Mans winner was no exception.
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