Apeksas school · WEC

How a WEC hypercar works

Tap any part of a 2026 Hypercar to learn what it does, what it costs, and why you can't win a 24-hour race without it. Written for beginners — no jargon.

~1 040 kg
min. weight: ~500–520 kW
combined power: ~330–345 km/val.
top speed: €3–5 mln.
car value*

* All figures are estimates from public sources, not official manufacturer or FIA numbers.

Porsche 963 LMDh · Porsche Penske Motorsport

Tap a dot on the car or keep scrollingPhoto: Porsche AG / Porsche Newsroom · 963 LMDh

01 of 12

Hybrid powertrain

What it is: A turbocharged V6 or V8 combustion engine works together with an electric motor. Every LMDh car shares one spec hybrid system (a Bosch motor with Xtrac parts); LMH manufacturers build their own.
Why it matters: Combined power is capped around 500–520 kW, and a rule set called Balance of Performance levels the cars further — which is why Ferrari, Toyota and Porsche race almost as equals.
What it costs: €2–3M per season; A public estimate for the full engine-plus-hybrid package per season.
Remember this: Porsche, Cadillac, BMW, Alpine and Lamborghini all run identical hybrid hardware — with completely different engines.

02 of 12

Energy recovery system (MGU)

What it is: Braking energy isn't wasted: a motor-generator (MGU) turns it into electricity, stores it in a battery and feeds it back to the wheels. In LMH cars the electric axle sits at the front, in LMDh at the rear.
Why it matters: The rules limit when and how much electric power can be used, so the hybrid never becomes an unfair advantage. The team that manages the battery smarter wins the straight-line duels.
What it costs: €500k–1M; A public estimate for the battery-and-MGU package.
Remember this: When the front electric axle engages, an LMH car briefly becomes four-wheel drive.

03 of 12

Carbon brakes

What it is: Carbon discs that work at up to ~1,000 °C. At the rear the pedal is read by electronics (brake-by-wire) that blend the hydraulic brakes with energy recovery.
Why it matters: Nobody swaps brakes mid-race at Le Mans — a worn-out set ends your race. Endurance matters here as much as stopping power.
What it costs: €15–25k per set; A public estimate for a full set of discs and calipers.
Remember this: Over 24 hours at Le Mans a single set sometimes doesn't survive — so the crew practises changing one in just a few minutes.

04 of 12

Tyres

What it is: Spec 18-inch Michelins: slicks for a dry track, intermediates for a damp one, wets for standing water. A fixed number of sets per weekend.
Why it matters: Tyre economy is half the strategy: one set sometimes lasts several stints — the runs between pit stops — in a row, which means fewer stops.
What it costs: ~€700–1,000 per tyre; One car gets through dozens of tyres across a weekend.
Remember this: At Le Mans a single set sometimes covers four stints in a row — roughly 800 km at racing speed.

05 of 12

Bodywork aerodynamics

What it is: The body shape and wings press the car into the tarmac so it corners faster. LMDh rules allow one bodywork package per year, and moveable (active) wings are banned outright.
Why it matters: Over 24 hours stability beats maximum downforce: the car must stay predictable at night, in the rain and with a tired driver at the wheel.
What it costs: €50–150k per part; Developing the aero itself, in wind tunnels, costs millions.
Remember this: The Peugeot 9X8 debuted with no rear wing at all — the rules let it make downforce from bodywork alone.

06 of 12

Carbon-fibre monocoque

What it is: A carbon-fibre cell — the safety capsule the driver sits in and every other part bolts to. LMDh chassis come from one of four approved builders: Dallara, Multimatic, Ligier or Oreca.
Why it matters: It must pass FIA crash tests and protect the driver even in a 300 km/h accident. In a crash every other part is sacrificed — the cell is not.
What it costs: €300–500k; A public estimate for a bare chassis.
Remember this: The Porsche 963 hides a Multimatic chassis under its bodywork, the Lamborghini SC63 a Ligier — the rules offer four builders to pick from.

07 of 12

Suspension

What it is: Each wheel is held by double wishbones — two triangular arms, top and bottom — with adjustable dampers. Ride height and stiffness are tuned for every track.
Why it matters: Over 24 hours the wheels jump the kerbs thousands of times. A suspension failure means not a lost position but a long repair in the garage.
What it costs: €100–200k; A public estimate for the complete suspension package.
Remember this: In one race the dampers compress hundreds of thousands of times — and must work in hour 24 exactly as they did in hour one.

08 of 12

7-speed sequential gearbox

What it is: Gears change one at a time — up or down — via paddles at the wheel. Every LMDh runs the same Xtrac unit; LMH manufacturers build their own.
Why it matters: The box must survive thousands of kilometres with no rebuild — nobody opens it during the 24 hours. One ruined gear can cost the win.
What it costs: €100–150k; A public estimate for the complete gearbox.
Remember this: Across Le Mans the driver shifts more than 10,000 times — without ever letting go of the wheel.

09 of 12

Enclosed cockpit

What it is: Unlike Formula 1, the cockpit is closed, with doors, and shared by 2–3 drivers. It even has air conditioning — a human simply wouldn't last 24 hours without it.
Why it matters: Drivers swap in tens of seconds during a pit stop, so the seat and pedals adjust instantly. One cockpit has to fit three different body shapes.
What it costs: €50–100k; A public estimate for the cockpit equipment.
Remember this: A hypercar is one of the very few racing cars with air conditioning — required by the rules, not a luxury.

10 of 12

Lights

What it is: A powerful LED package for running 300 km/h in complete darkness. Coloured number panels tell the classes apart at night — Hypercar numbers sit on a red background.
Why it matters: A third of Le Mans runs in darkness, and the lights double as a language: flashes to the car ahead mean “I'm coming through”.
What it costs: €30–60k; A public estimate for the full lighting package.
Remember this: Le Mans has no floodlights — at night the whole 13.6 km lap is lit only by the cars' own headlights.

11 of 12

Renewable fuel

What it is: The tank holds a 100 % renewable fuel (the TotalEnergies Excellium type), made from waste rather than crude oil. Tank capacity is capped by the rules.
Why it matters: Fuel maths sets the pit-stop rhythm: the less you burn, the less often you stop. Over 24 hours a saved minute becomes a whole lap of advantage.
What it costs: €50–100k per season; You can't buy this fuel at a pump — the figure is a season estimate.
Remember this: It's made from winemaking leftovers — in effect, the Le Mans winner runs on what the wine industry throws away.

12 of 12

Magnesium wheels

What it is: Light magnesium rims held by a single centre nut instead of a road car's five. The crew spins them off with powerful pneumatic wheel guns.
Why it matters: One nut means a wheel change in about 3 seconds. With a full day of racing, the last pit stop must be as precise as the first.
What it costs: €2–4k per wheel
Remember this: A single centre nut holds the wheel tighter than a road car's five — and comes off in a second.

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The whole: €3–5M for 1,040 kg

Added up, a hypercar costs several million — yet it must win twice: against its rivals on track and against time itself, because 24 hours expose every weakness. Now see who's leading the WEC.

* All figures are estimates from public sources, not official manufacturer or FIA numbers.

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