Glickenhaus may enter LMP1 class at Le Mans

James Glickenhaus, the man who brought you the Ferrari P4/5, is working on a new car to be used in top-level endurance racing such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, possibly as early as 2014. Recently, sketches of the car—currently called the P4/5 Competizione LMP—have made their way to the Internet.

Glickenhaus made his money in the stock market and film industry, but he became a household name among car guys when he commissioned the one-of-one Ferrari P4/5 Pininfarina. Though Ferrari didn't sanction the build, once they saw the car, they gave the OK for the P4/5 to wear a Ferrari badge.

Later, Glickenhaus developed a Competizione version which was piloted to a 6 minute, 51 second lap around Germany's Nurburgring with help from a kinetic-energy recovery system, or KERS. That's the fastest recorded time for a Ferrari-powered car, though it was wearing race tires, which makes comparing it with any street car an apples and oranges affair.

He will return to the 'ring on Oct. 27 with another evolution of the P4/5, this time with better brakes, new Dunlop tires, better weight balance and a motor bored out from 4.0 to 4.4 liters. The aim is to beat the previous record while competing for the FIA World Championship Alternate Energy Cup.

The new LMP car will not be a Ferrari in any way. After Glickenhaus' Competizione car, he and the Prancing Horse went their separate ways. He is currently looking for some media buzz and an engine manufacturer, and it looks to be going well. Glickenhaus says he already has interest from one manufacturer and is hoping to garner more. He hasn't ruled anything out. Glickenhaus says they could use a diesel powerplant or a smaller turbocharged gas engine. There is also a new technique for recovering wasted turbo energy, which Glickenhaus says is also not out of the question. He's currently working with endurance racing's governing body, the ACO, to understand the rules that he would have to adhere to if he competes.

These are obviously the very early stages of the effort, but if the Internet buzz is any indication, this upcoming year could be an extremely busy one for Glickenhaus et al.

The LMP car is loosely based on the Glickenhaus P4/5.

Glickenhaus will challenge Audi and Toyota in the LMP1 class.

By Jake Lingeman