DSC’s end-of-season awards series kicks off today with a big one, the 2024 Car Of The Year.
It’s always tricky picking a standout car in modern endurance racing when Balance of Performance governs practically every major category around the world, and this year was no exception. But there was one car which DSC feels stood head and shoulders above the rest in this area of the sport in 2024.
First off, the honourable mentions, starting with the Ferrari 499P. While the Prancing Horse continued to struggle with consistency in year two of its Hypercar programme – even with a mid-season Joker update – the 499P undoubtedly cemented itself as one of the best prototypes of the modern era this season.
For proof that it’s the real deal, look no further than the #50 trio’s victory at Le Mans in June. It scored the brand back-to-back overall wins in extremely tricky conditions in perhaps the deepest, most competitive, top class field of all time. The 499P also scored its first victory in a shorter WEC race this term, courtesy of the #83 privately-entered 499P at Lone Star Le Mans.
There is a Toyota on our list as well – but it’s not the GR010 Hybrid, rather the Toyota GR Supra GT500. Six wins in eight races, including four in a row to conclude the 2024 Super GT season, was a testament to the car’s overwhelming strength.
That success came in the face of Honda and Nissan making wholesale changes to their cars, but Toyota only needed to optimise the A90 GR Supra, which was a force in the hands of its six teams and a fleet of strong drivers – particularly the two from TOM’S.
The Porsche 911 GT3 R 992 also deserves real praise. This is a car which had real issues – primarily centred around its driver-aid systems – when it made its global debut at the Rolex 24 last year. But Porsche, to its credit, moved quickly to address the problems and as a result, can look back on year two of the current model with pride.
In 2024 the 992 was an absolute force in the FIA WEC’s LMGT3 class, with Pure Rxcing eventually winning the title in a season where Porsche won four of the eight races (including Le Mans) and claimed five further podiums with its Manthey-run cars.
Manthey also found success in DTM and the IGTC, winning the Bathurst 12 Hour at the start of the year, and a DTM race at the Lausitzring.
It was a similar story in IMSA too for the 911 GT3 R 992, with AO Racing’s ‘Rexy’-liveried 911 delivering a stunning championship with Laurin Heinrich in GTD Pro.
Porsche also claimed the Manufacturers’ Championship in the Intercontinental GT Challenge, the GT World Challenge America Pro Championship, and the GT World Challenge Asia Championship.
That wasn’t the only GT3 car which enjoyed a standout year though.
The Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 was dominant in the British GT Championship, winning six of the nine races with Barwell. It was a force in DTM with GRT and SSR Performance, with Mirko Bortolotti winning the title. It won half the races in SUPER GT GT300 as JLOC finally won its first series championship. And it claimed the ELMS LMGT3 crown by the narrowest of margins with Iron Lynx.
The Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO picked up some major honours. The IMSA GTD title went the way of Winward Racing after four victories, including Daytona, Sebring and Watkins Glen; and GruppeM Racing won the Macau GT World Cup.
Ferrari’s 296 GT3 continued to impress, winning the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona in January (though in controversial circumstances) as well as the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Overall and Bronze Cup Teams titles. It now has 100 victories globally in two years of competition.
The Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo also deserves recognition for its first season in competition.
Of the new GT3 cars/EVO kits this year, the Aston Martin stood out. The EVO kit has been a total success, addressing the previous iteration’s shortcomings, and AMR’s customer support and service has been well recieved by its teams.
The car got its first victory in Super GT, and in addition to winning races in the FIA WEC and IMSA, it also picked up perhaps the most significant race win of the season, with Comtoyou claiming a shock Centenary Spa 24 Hours win after late drama for the race-leading AF Corse 296 GT3 in the pit lane.
Dailysportscar’s 2024 Car of the Year
Porsche 963
But there can only be one winner, and in 2024 it can only be the Porsche 963, which finally made good on its immense hype and Porsche’s endurance pedigree.
The 963 struggled in its first season of IMSA and WEC competition, but by the end of both campaigns, there were signs that Penske and Porsche were going to turn things around. And in 2024, after a highly productive off-season which included significant staffing changes and the formation of a new base in Mannheim, they did.
It all started at Daytona, when Penske’s #7 car won the Rolex 24 Hours in January. The PPM team didn’t look back after that and eventually claimed a total of six race wins in Hypercar and GTP competition and major titles in both IMSA and WEC.
The only real blot on the page was the Le Mans 24 Hours, which eventually became a Ferrari vs Toyota duel once again.
Hertz Team JOTA also found success with the car, racing as a privateer in a sea of factory teams, winning the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and taking the Hypercar World Cup.
Of the LMDh-spec cars, the 963 became the cream of the crop in 2024, and looks set for more success in 2025. Porsche Penske Motorsport, with a tweaked driver roster, appears to be as eager as ever to add more titles and race wins to the programme’s roll of honour – including Le Mans win number 20. You’d be foolish to bet against it.
Bravo Porsche, bravo Penske, congratulations on a spectacular season.
