The ACO has previously stated that any Hypercar entrant wishing to enter Le Mans must enter the full WEC season also, but Glickenhaus says that has not yet been specified for this potential new entry.

“If they said you had to race the rest of the WEC season, that would add to the cost,” he says. “If they didn’t, it could be closer to six million euros.”

The new-for-2023 LMDh class has been introduced in part as a more cost-effective top-level alternative to Hypercars, but Glickenhaus thinks he believes his offer could be even cheaper — based on the rumoured price he’s heard quoted to run one of Porsche’s cars from 2023.

“We wouldn’t mark it up, beyond what we would need to build the car,” he says. “I’m not going to sell a car for exactly what it cost me to build it, but on the other hand…

“The numbers that I’ve heard from Porsche on the LMDh are that the car and the budget that you need to commit to is over 10 million euros.

“The 007 is a much more sophisticated car, it’s a battle-proven car, it’s much lower running costs to be honest with you, especially with the non-hybrid engine.”

The entry list for this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours should have been published last week but Le Mans organiser, the ACO, announced earlier today that there were now spaces available as a result of the FIA restrictions which require Russian drivers to race under a neutral flag. G-Drive announced the withdrawal of its LMP2 entry at the weekend, saying that the requirement was “discriminatory”

“Recent measures taken by international sporting bodies following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops affect motorsport teams and drivers,” the ACO said in a statement. “The selection committee has therefore decided to invite new applications for the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans for a limited 48-hour period.”

Glickenhaus believes his Hypercar, which finished fourth in last year’s race, combined with the Balance of Performance (BoP) tweaks to level the top playing field, makes his £5m asking price an attractive proposition.

“I think the things you will see in a couple of days when the BoP changes, is that we’re gonna have a real chance to win this thing,” he says.

Glickenhaus warns that entrants have to be serious, and drivers need to be up to a certain standard, whilst saying the exact requirements have still not been specified. He adds that he thinks it may be unlikely any other Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) manufacturers will make their cars available to buy.

“The ACO is not gonna let someone buy one of our cars and show up on their own and race it like they would an LMP2,” he says.

“In terms of drivers, I think that if you had a really serious AM [Le Mans-level driver], who had raced in LMP2, a guy like Ben Keating, for example, they certainly might let him drive and have others drive with him, but they’re not going to let someone in who’s going to be 10 seconds a lap slower – right? They’re not gonna let my son drive!

“Look, we’re all in uncharted waters with this thing – I don’t think anybody knows. If you want an LMH, I think we may be the only one you can buy [now or in the future]. Toyota certainly aren’t gonna sell Hypercars.

“We will sell one of our cars to anyone who wants to race it, pays a fair price for us and wants to join us. And I think you can see that they [the ACO and Le Mans] need cars [for a bigger Le Mans field.”

Time to raid the piggy bank.