Ford's next Le Mans contender finally turned real laps in public view this week, wrapped in camouflage and running hard around a French circuit as the automaker races toward a 2027 return to the sport's biggest endurance race. The prototype, still without an official name or finished livery, underwent its first on-track testing at the 3.6-mile Paul Ricard Circuit before that, and its dyno testing back in the United States simulated the demanding Le Mans circuit itself.
According to The Detroit News, the car broke cover for the first time this week wearing a camouflage wrap, with Ford Motor Co. confirming the hypercar's name and livery will not be revealed until later in 2026. Before heading overseas, the car underwent engine and dyno testing at Ford's Dearborn Proving Grounds as well as additional testing in North Carolina, according to the same report. As Motorsport.com reported, the on-track running at Paul Ricard yesterday followed initial shakedown runs that began August 5, with factory drivers Matt Campbell and former Formula 1 driver Logan Sargeant handling the first laps.
Why a French Circuit, and Why Now
The choice of Paul Ricard wasn't random. The car's chassis is built by French constructor ORECA, and the circuit sits close to ORECA's headquarters in Signes, France, according to the same Motorsport.com report. Under LMDh rules, manufacturers must pick one of four approved chassis builders — ORECA, Multimatic, Dallara, or Ligier — and Ford went with the French firm for its hypercar program.
The car itself is powered by a hybrid 5.4-liter V-8, per the Detroit News report, and Ford Racing has said that engine is a naturally aspirated, Coyote-derived design being developed entirely in-house in Dearborn — the first time the company has built an endurance competition engine completely in-house rather than farming it out to an external builder. Ford is working with Red Bull Ford Powertrains to integrate the high-voltage hybrid system into that package, per Ford Racing.
A Return to Le Mans After Nearly 60 Years
Ford is aiming to make its FIA World Endurance Championship debut at the season opener in Qatar in March 2027, then contest the 95th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans that June, according to The Drive. That 2027 entry would mark Ford's first attempt at an outright Le Mans victory in nearly six decades. The company won the race overall four straight times between 1966 and 1969 with the GT40 — a rivalry with Ferrari later dramatized on film — and took a class win in 2016 with the Ford GT on the 50th anniversary of that first triumph, per Ford Racing.
Ford has also locked in its full driver roster for the two-car WEC entry. Sargeant, Mike Rockenfeller, and Sebastian Priaulx were announced back in January, and the lineup was rounded out in June with the additions of Campbell, Tom Blomqvist, and Nick Yelloly, according to Ford Racing. To get the operational side of the program road-tested before the hypercar's debut, Priaulx and Rockenfeller were assigned to race in the LMP2 class of the European Le Mans Series throughout 2026, giving Ford's pit crews and engineers real endurance-racing reps ahead of 2027.
An Engine Choice That Stands Apart
Ford's decision to stick with a naturally aspirated V-8 sets it apart from most of the Hypercar field. Per DailySportsCar, Ford is one of only three manufacturers in the class — alongside Cadillac and Aston Martin — running a naturally aspirated V8, while rivals like Ferrari, Toyota, and Peugeot have gone with turbocharged six-cylinder units. LMDh rules allow for that kind of open engine design as long as total output lines up with Balance of Performance targets.
Those targets are strict. FIA WEC regulations cap combined Hypercar output at 500 kW, or 670 horsepower, and set a minimum vehicle weight of 1,030 kilograms, according to TotalEnergies Competition's technical regulations. The Balance of Performance system adjusts weight and power across the season to keep such different engine and hybrid concepts — turbocharged sixes, naturally aspirated V8s, and everything in between — competitive with one another.
What's Still Unknown
Ford hasn't said what the car will be called or shown its final livery, leaving those details — along with how it will actually perform against established rivals like Ferrari, Toyota, and Porsche — for later in 2026. The bigger picture stretches out further still: the FIA, ACO, and IMSA announced in June that top-tier Hypercar racing will shift to a single unified technical platform with standardized rear-wheel-drive hybrid specs starting in 2030, a move meant to cap development costs and stabilize the rules across both WEC and IMSA for years to come. Ford's camouflaged prototype is, for now, just the opening lap of that longer story.
