To comply with new regulations introduced by the ACO for endurance racing, the 03 was cost-capped, along with all 2011 LMP2 cars, at a price of €345,000. Engines used in LMP2 cars for 2011 were production-based, offering a variety of options for teams to choose from. Most teams, including Oreca, selected the Nissan-powered 4.5 L V8 powerplant, similar to the engine used by Nismo in Super GT. Race Performance opted for a Judd BMW-powered 3.6 L V8 engine based on the BMW M3. Both engines produced a limited 460 bhp (343.0 kW). The 03 features a light carbon fibre monocoque chassis with open-top bodywork and double wishbone suspension with push-rods on all four corners.
The 03 utilizes the same body and aero package developed by Oreca’s chief-engineer David Floury for the LMP1 car campaigned during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. The blade-shaped roll-over structure is a direct descendant of the original Courage LC70 design.
Five Oreca 03s were built, with four competing in races. The first race for the Oreca 03 was the 2011 12 Hours of Sebring, the opening round of the American Le Mans Series and Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, where Signatech Nissan competed in the LMP2 class with drivers Franck Mailleux, Soheil Ayari, and Lucas Ordoñez. The team qualified on pole position at Sebring International Raceway, almost four seconds ahead of the next LMP2 car. However, the new car experienced gearbox problems, finishing 30th overall and second in class, with a limited number of LMP2 entries.
The 6 Hours of Castellet, the first round of the 2011 Le Mans Series season, saw three 03s entered by TDS Racing, Boutsen Energy Racing, and Race Performance. TDS Racing qualified on pole in LMP2, with Boutsen Energy Racing second and Race Performance fourth. Mechanical issues caused the TDS car to retire after 91 laps. The Boutsen Energy drivers finished fourth in class, while the Race Performance drivers finished sixth.
Many Oreca 03 chassis are now used in historic racing competitions in Europe and the USA. In the Masters Endurance Legends series, an ex-Sébastien Loeb Racing chassis, previously numbered 24 and now 74, competes, as does an ex-Thiriet by TDS Racing model, numbered 46.
In the USA-based Masters Endurance Legends USA, multiple Oreca 03 examples compete, including a Judd-powered chassis previously entered by Race Performance (No. 34), an ex-Boutsen Ginion Racing model (No. 40), an ex-Murphy Prototypes 03 (No. 48), and a fourth chassis (No. 8) with a Thiriet by TDS Racing livery.
The source for this article is a Wikipedia article titled “Oreca 03” as of April 29, 2026. Primary archives, autobiographies, period programmes, and specialist publications were not consulted.