The 2023 American motorsports season begins this weekend with the 24 Hours of Daytona, the opening round of the IMSA Sports Car Championship schedule and the premier endurance racing event on this side of the Atlantic. The grueling race will see Acura, Cadillac, Porsche, and BMW battle it out at the top of the class for overall victory, with around 50 other cars competing among the four lower classes for their own trophy. Along with the action on the track, several automakers are here in Daytona Beach, Florida showing off their latest sports cars. We’ve rounded up all the must-see vehicles at this year’s 24 Hours of Daytona below.
New Corvette Race Car
The Chevrolet Corvette is already competing in this year’s 24 Hours of Daytona in the form of the Corvette C8.R GTD, but the Bowtie Brand is also using the event to showcase an updated version of the race car. Called the Corvette Z06 GT3.R and first revealed in 2021, the new track missile complies with the FIA’s GT3 technical regulations and will make its debut at next year’s 24 Hours of Daytona.
Power comes from a DOHC 5.5-liter flat-cranked V-8 that shares more than 70 percent of its components with the engine in the street-legal Z06, which hails from the same production line in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Z06 GT3.R also gains a stronger crash structure and revised cooling, aerodynamics and suspension. The race car’s bodywork also mimics the standard Z06.
Acura Integra Type S
We drove a prototype version of the 2024 Acura Integra Type S last year in Japan, but the high-performance Acura will make its North American debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Although it will still wear a dazzling camouflage wrap, the Type S will serve as the lead vehicle at the start of the race, along with the rear on display in the paddock at Daytona International Speedway.
The Integra Type S will be officially unveiled this summer, but we already know that it will use a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine with over 300 horsepower, mated to a six-speed manual transmission and routing power through a limited-slip differential.
BMW M3 CS
BMW just revealed the M3 CS, a tougher version of the venerable sports sedan, earlier this week. Now the M3 CS makes its first public appearance at the 24 Hours of Daytona, where BMW competes in the top GTP class with the M Hybrid V8 and in the lower GTD with the M4 GT3. The M3 CS brings an extra 40 horsepower over the 503 horses in the M3 Competition while also shedding about 75 pounds. Other highlights of the limited-production M3 include Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 high-performance tires, no-cost options and striking Signal Green paint.
Racing, Of course!
The biggest attraction of all is the race itself. The 2023 season saw new rules for the top class of racing cars, renamed GTP. Acura and Cadillac are back, while BMW and Porsche have now developed their own entries, and nine GTP cars will challenge for top honors. Behind it are four more classes: LMP2 and LMP3 use prototype racing cars while GTD Pro and GTD use touring cars. The racetrack also features some of the biggest names in motorsport, from six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon and two-time champion Josef Newgarden to former F1 driver Romain Grosjean and Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric. The race starts at 1:40pm tomorrow and ends at the same time on Sunday, with coverage on NBC and USA Network and streaming on Peacock.