It’s been fourteen years since Cadillac last fielded a racing prototype in the top tier of American sports car racing. But now the luxury automaker is returning with the slick new racer previewed here for the first time.

Called (somewhat awkwardly) the DPi-V.R, Cadillac’s new racing prototype is built to the new Daytona Prototype international standards and will compete starting next season in the Prototype class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

It’s based on a Dallara LMP2 chassis, but features distinct bodywork designed by Cadillac, and fitted with a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine based on the same block as those you’d find in the Escalade and CTS-V.

“It is not possible to overstate how thrilled all of us at IMSA are to officially welcome Cadillac, one of the world’s most respected premium automotive brands, back to Prototype racing in the WeatherTech Championship,” said IMSA president Scott Atherton. “This is exactly the type of program we had in mind when we announced the Daytona Prototype international concept last year.”

The DPi-V.R is set to debut at Daytona for the first test session in just a couple of weeks. A month later, three examples will be on the grid for the season opener in the Rolex 24 late in January. Two will be fielded by defending three-time champions Action Express Racing and another by longtime GM motorsport partner Wayne Taylor Racing.

They’ll have to beat Mazda and Nissan, both of which have also developed prototypes under the new DPi regulations, as well as the Ligier, Dallara, Oreca, and Riley/Multimatic LMP2 chassis powered by Gibson V8s.

It will mark the first time Cadillac will be active in prototype racing since the Northstar LMP competed with limited success in the American Le Mans Series and at Le Mans between 2000 and 2002.

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