{"id":32704,"date":"2024-05-10T08:36:38","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T12:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=32704"},"modified":"2024-05-10T08:36:38","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T12:36:38","slug":"motown-muscle-cadillac-documentary-lights-off-detroit-assault-on-24-hours-of-le-mans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/motown-muscle-cadillac-documentary-lights-off-detroit-assault-on-24-hours-of-le-mans","title":{"rendered":"Motown muscle: Cadillac documentary lights off Detroit assault on 24 Hours of Le Mans"},"content":{"rendered":"

Get ready to ruuuuuuumble.<\/p>\n

Motor City muscle is going to France this June to take on the world\u2019s best in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world\u2019s greatest endurance race. Cadillac on Thursday announced a feature-length, 90-minute documentary, \u201cNo Perfect Formula,\u201d that will debut May 31 detailing the past year\u2019s development of its wicked-fast, V8-powered Cadillac V-Series.R LMDh hybrid prototype.<\/p>\n

Cadillac will be joined in its Le Mans pursuit by Motown brands Ford and Chevrolet. They will be duking it out in, respectively, Mustang and Corvette sportscars for GT-class supremacy against Euro-icons like Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin. And then there\u2019s The Captain. Detroit\u2019s best known racing boss, Roger Penske, has teamed up with Porsche\u2019s LMDh hybrid prototype program to try to win one of the few trophies the 19-time Indy 500 winner doesn\u2019t have on his mantel.<\/p>\n

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No Perfect Formula, a documentary about Cadillac’s quest to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, airs may 31.Cadillac, GM<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cFor more than a century, racing has provided a test-bed for Cadillac to transfer knowledge and technology between race cars and production vehicles, and a way to build a fanbase for the brand around the world,\u201d said Cadillac Global Vice President John Roth. \u201c2023 was a pivotal year for Cadillac Racing, and \u2018No Perfect Formula\u2019 captures the emotion.\u201d<\/p>\n

The massive racing investment comes at a tricky time for automakers as governments in Europe and the United States are forcing their production models to go all-electric. Yet, the American race cars entered in Le Mans June 15 are all powered by bread-and-butter V-8s drinking gas and rattling French windows. As electric powertrains go quiet, racing is more important than ever to define performance brands.<\/p>\n

\u201cMotorsport still doesn\u2019t believe that there\u2019s much interest in electric vehicles,\u201d said Stephen Cole Smith, veteran racing writer for Hagerty. \u201cThe industry has misread the demand for EVs. I don\u2019t know of anyone in motorsports who thinks there is a fan market there. The V8-powered race cars are an indication of what people want to see and hear.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The #31 Cadillac GTP and Porsche Penske GTP racers battled to the finish at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in January. Both will vie for a win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. HZ, Porsche \/ Juergen Tap<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

French fans will hear plenty from Detroit\u2019s thundering V-8s married to hybrid powertrains. The Cadillac and Porsche Penske prototypes exit pit lane under electric power before the V-8s thunder to life for 200 mph racing. \u201cThe hybrid gives manufacturers plausibility for governments who want to push EVs,\u201d said Cole Smith.<\/p>\n

The two Cadillacs entered at Le Mans sport 670-horsepower, 5.5-liter V-8s, the three Porsche Penskes a twin-turbocharged, 4.5-liter V-8. The GT cars are non-hybrid. The Ford Mustang LMGT3 features a 5.5-liter V-8, and the Corvette a 5.5-liter V-8 that screams like a Ferrari.<\/p>\n

After its debut at 7 p.m. May 31, \u201cNo Perfect Formula\u201d will repeat at 7 p.m. each Friday leading up to the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 15\u201316. Viewers can find it on the Samsung TV Plus app, then navigate to Hagerty\u2019s FAST Channel 1194.<\/p>\n