The DP EcoBoost turbo is an evolution of the engine briefly used by Libra Racing in P2 last year, and with an increased capacity from 3.2L to 3.5L, Allison says the engine has now been developed specifically for GRAND-AM, rather than as a unit that could be used in either prototype class from 2014 onwards.

“It’s a small engine, and the block and the heads and throttle body are straight off the assembly line,” he said. “From a weight standpoint, it’s basically a push. It’s also fly-by-wire, and that’s new for DP. There’s a number of new things to DP, you could say, but I think sports car teams and sports car fans won’t be taken aback by these kinds of developments.

So far, General Motors has been the only taker with its Corvette DP body, but Allison also confirmed Ford will go up against its arch rival next year with a custom body—one that isn’t necessarily tied to an exact Ford production model--for its teams to use.

“I think the framework that I would share with you is that, obviously, what was done on the Corvette is directly applicable from the racecar from which it's formed, could apply to a DP form,” he said. “I think what we're looking at would be more of a primary brand, more of a Ford brand versus a specific name-plate brand. We’ll leave it at the fact that I think it's more directly applicable for the Corvettes to apply something to DPs, and we can focus on primary brand promotion without styling our body after any one car.”