Genesis Magma GT3 Concept Looks Awesome — And Ready To Go Racing Very Soon

Genesis shocked the world back in November when it unveiled the Magma GT concept, a mid-engine supercar that was created out of the brand's desire to potentially enter GT3 racing, now that it has entered the top Hypercar class in the FIA WEC series with the GMR-001. The Magma GT looked shockingly production-ready, and Genesis said that it designed from the outset with a race car in mind, instead of the road car being developed first and the racer coming later.

Now, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Genesis has revealed the Magma GT3 concept, which it says "reflects an exploration of GT3 category technical regulations through a performance-first design approach." The company is just calling this "a potential future vision" for how it wants to evolve its racing programs beyond LMDh, but this seems even more real than your typical race car concept — I mean, the regular Magma GT already looked production-ready, so I wouldn't expect the eventual real thing to change that much.

Full disclosure: Genesis flew me to France, put me up in a chateau and fed me lots of croissants so I could attend the 24 Hours of Le Mans, its first 24-hour endurance race.

The Magma GT3 has been developed by the Genesis Magma Racing team along with Hyundai Motorsport, and though there are no real technical details, the company says it has "advanced thermal management strategies" and "a race-focused rear structure" that "support[s] durability under endurance racing conditions." It seems most likely that the car will be powered by the same V8 engine as the GMR-001, which is two of Hyundai's turbocharged four-cylinder rally motors stuck together.

Genesis

While the design sticks closely to the regular Magma GT — no surprise given how both have been designed in parallel, and GT3 racing requires homologated race cars — the GT3 is definitely more extreme. It has a wider track and center-lock wheels, with a large carbon-fiber fin added onto the front of the doors. The hood has huge center vents and large louvers over the front wheels, and the bumper features twin canards, a bigger mouth intake and a bunch of new lights that look pretty cool. The engine cover also has bigger vents, there's a massive swan-neck rear wing. The rear end has a different twin-taillight design, horizontal grille lines instead of the road car's mesh, a serious diffuser and a pair of round exhaust tips.

The automaker didn't provide any photos of the interior before the reveal, but expect a pared-down design compared to the super-luxe road car's cabin that has also been revealed for the first time at Le Mans. All we can see are plexiglass racing windows, a safety net and the presence of a racing bucket seat. 

Genesis

Genesis says the Magma GT3 is part of its long-term motorsport strategy, reflecting "the growing relevance of GT3 competition and its potential to strengthen the connection between Genesis' road cars and racing activities." In a roundtable back in November, chief creative officer Luc Donckerwolke said it only made sense if Genesis did both the road car and race car, and outlined the company's plans for a full lineup of Magma GT models, including customer racers. At the Le Mans reveal on Friday, he also both cars will enter production "very soon." Hell yeah.

In addition to its plans to expand its motorsport ambitions, Genesis also announced it's entering France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, and is preparing to also start selling cars in Austria, Denmark, Poland and Portugal. The company also showed off two new versions of the G90-based X Gran Convertible concept that are actually drivable, with both being used in the Drivers' Parade at Le Mans.