First held in 1923, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has always been a testbed for technological innovations. In the early days, teams developed features that we now take for granted, such as windshield wipers, just to be able to finish the race. Today, the equipment they design is a lot more advanced because cars need to race for 24 hours straight while using as little fuel as possible and fending off stiff competition.

Like most motorsport events, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is split up into different categories. The LM P1 (Le Mans Prototype) cars are the fastest racers out on the track, and the ones that require the biggest budgets to develop, build and maintain. This year, Toyota, Porsche, and Audi are the main – but not the only – teams that will battle for first overall.

Manufacturers go to great lengths to improve their car every season. The Toyota TS050 racer gets a new look this year, and engineers have ditched the TS040’s naturally-aspirated 3.7-liter V8 in favor of a twin-turbocharged 2.4-liter V6. Porsche has improved the 919 — which won last year’s race — with more powerful electric components, including a new generation of lithium-ion battery cells. The regulations haven’t drastically changed over the past 12 months, Toyota and Porsche are simply trying to make the most out of every single drop of gasoline.

Join us as we look at some of the technology built into this year’s crop LM P1 racers. As fuel economy and emissions regulations get stricter and stricter, the features found in LM P1 car will trickle down to the average family sedan in 10, 20 or 30 years.