Chalk up another conquest for spec engines, always at the expense of innovation, competitive spirit and the livelihood of independent engine builders.

Gibson Technologies just delivered the first four all-new GK428 V8s that will be the sole engine supplied for the 2017-20 LMP2 teams in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as the European and Asian Le Mans Series. The UK-based engineering firm says the initial batch will produce 20 engines. These first four will go to constructors such as Dallara and Riley Multimatic for testing. Six more engines will be made available by the end of October with 10 more engines ready for private testing in early December.

GK428 engine as it was unveiled for the first time at the last 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Design and development has been underway since August 2015. Not much has been revealed about the 4.2-liter engine, other than costs were kept low by not using direct injection. Also, it is based on the architecture of the company’s 3.4-liter P2 V8 used up to 2011 with some 70 percent all-new components. The goal was to produce an engine with running costs of about $1,400 per hour.

The naturally aspirated 90-degree DOHC V8 weighs just under 300 pounds and is rated at 600 horsepower with 410 lb-ft peak torque. A Cosworth ECU will control fuel and spark.

Rear view of the GK428.

Gibson says dyno-based endurance, calibration and performance testing started in December 2015, and the prototype engine completed some 57 hours of simulated Le Mans duty cycle durability tests. That approximates 10,000 kilometers or 6,200 miles.

The Gibson V8 will also be eligible to run in the IMSA series and compete against other engines approved for the Daytona Prototype class.