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I think they've slowed the LMPs, perhaps legitimately (read on safety grounds) but now they have the problem that the GT1s are almost as fast - so they need a way of slowing them by the same amount to (hence the 3:55 rule).
Now, IMO, a prototype should be fundamentally faster than a GT (no matter how much money has been thrown at it, provided it is a 'proper' GT, like the Astons and 'Vettes and 550s etc) and the GTs should be allowed to go as fast as they can.
Future manufacture involvement IMO is in GTs, but the ACO will be shooting themselves in the foot if the manufacturers think that they won't be allowed to flex any muscle anyway.
The ACO have very probably been a little too conservative with their proto safety efforts. I don't think it was necessary to reduce power for instance to prevent flips. But then there are other valid points to consider; like the fact that prototypes are inherently stiffer in their construction - so if you were to allow them to become as fast as F1 then comparable accidents in F1 and sportscars (speed, angle of impact, type of impact etc) then the results would probably be more serious for the driver in the prototype case. I think Martin Brundle made that point quite well in 'working the wheel'.
I personally think that the protos need more power, more grip, but retaining features such as the deep endplates, undertray rules etc which presumable prevent flips and things. A few seconds a lap faster than current cars, around the 2002 pace is probably fast enough to allow them to place much fewer silly laptime restrictions on the lower classes.
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