SB83 wrote:.
I can't remember but wasn't there another manufacturer supposed to enter V8SC? I think I remember seeing a car all liveried up and ready. Was it Chrysler?
There has been a lot of rumour and talk regarding several manufacturers.... first there was Mitsubishi, who actually went to the trouble of making up a V8 powered whatever the car model was, and ran it on track in some tests, and maybe a Bathurst 12 hour in the early days. I think it came down to their market share at the time was only about 5% in Aus, and was never going to justify the investment required for a V8SC programme. Then they closed down all manufacturing in Australia and that V8 idea fizzled out.
Toyota have also been an ongoing rumour, and it has certainly been discussed, but I think that Toyota no longer manufacturing over here (but still doing assembly of imported components) However Lexus have been involved in very recent discussions apparently.... that seems to not only be their sporting brand here now but also have V8 powered cars in their range. Toyota seem to have done ok in the market without any racing programme, easily outselling both Holden and Ford in Australia. Ford are barely hanging on to third in the market share
I knew I had piccies of the Mitsubishi V8 Future Tourer, and I found them, so have displayed them below. It was built c 2002 by Sydney car preparer Peter Muir, and is basically a Magna (future tourer) It is prepared to TEGA regs - 5.0-litre V8, rear-wheel drive, double wishbone front-end and live rear axle. It is pictured here running at the 24 hour Bathurst race (as opposed to the 12 hour I initially said it appeared of that year,.
Click for larger.
In terms of European brands BMW came VERY close to joining up with an announcement at the start of the season that they already had enough in the way of race programmes around the globe to enter V8SC. Mercedes arrived after a fashion with the Mercedes Erebus entries, which have never been works entered despite being helped out with some parts and panels etc. Erebus Team owner Betty (Saunders-)Klimenco, the colourful, eccentric, tattooed blue and pink haired girl born dependent on drugs and soon to be abandoned to an orphanage, was the daughter of a junkie hooker, who was to get adopted by a holocaust surviving, one time penniless immigrant Hungarian Jew refugee, who arrived in Australia with $20.... A few years later in 1958, Saunders set up Westfield with another immigrant. Westfield was the start of the Australian Shopping centre or mall, and is now the largest owner in the world, with well over 100 shopping centres in Europe, the US, Australia and New Zealand. When John Saunders died he had become a multi billionaire. The company now has assets under management in excess of $63 billion.
Sadly but interestingly, Betty was conceived in Cell No.3 at Kings Cross police station, where her drug addicted prostitute mother was being held (and yes, her biological father was the arresting police officer
) has, following a lack of any real factory support, funded the team from her own personal finances, spending $40 million last year of her personal money provided from the family trust following the death of billionaire Stepfather John Saunders. However in a style that reminds me of Lord Hesketh, it seems she has milked her own finances into her team to the point of now being on the way to being broke, so hopefully they can find some decent sponsors over the season break, to save the team which went from three cars in 2013 to two in 2014.
Grandmother and Erebus Racing owner Betty Klimenko celebrates emotionally with her driver, Lee Holdsworth after scoring the team's maiden win earlier in the season (2014) at Winton.
This year, with no one of note stepping up to the plate with sponsorship she was forced to sell off her 4 or 5 properties, and take out a personal loan for a further $10 million purely to fund the sponsor lacking team for the balance of this season just finished. Walkinshaw Racing pinched the one sponsor she did have, HHA, to fund and run Nick Percats car this year. For next year though, there is going to be a reduction of even the minimal current Mercedes factory assistance they received.... the local branch of Mercedes and AMG have said categorically that V8SC is not of any interest to them as it is basically followed by fans who are 'bogans' and others far from their middle aged exec type target. I wish Betty the best for the future, a future that may well not be with Mercedes badged cars.....
Anyway I digress, having got sidetracked by Betty (but I thought her story is interesting and one not all would have known) So back to more on the expansion or future of V8SC
Nissan of course returned a couple of years ago with a V8 powered Maxima, run by the Kelly brothers with decent levels of backing from Nissan, Jack Daniels, and Norton AV / Symantec. Of course with Ford no longer manufacturing cars for the local market from the end of next year, and having announced their withdrawal from V8SC racing in reality for 2016, will leave a gap
Hyundai, now allegedly the Worlds fastest growing car manufacturer, have been mentioned in line with their launching of their V8 engined Genesis.
Of course the overall V8SC concept and regs are in for a massive change at the end of 2016, when the formula and make up of the cars will go from 5 litre V8s with 4 door bodies to a less restrictive format that will allow 2 door cars, and engines from 4 & 5 cylinder turbos and non turbo V8's
Gen2 Supercar opens the sport to new engine and body configurations, alongside V8 engines
- Increased relevance to manufacturers, race fans, teams and sponsors
- DNA remains front engine, rear wheel drive, four seat configuration
- V8 Supercars reveals refreshed master brand as the sports’ identity from 2015.
V8 Supercars has set out the next phase of growth for the sport, with the release of details contained in the 2017 White Paper. This next phase is designed to allow for the possibility of a greater range of brands and models from 2017.
The first phase opened the garage to the cars we see today. Five manufacturers now feature on the grid – Erebus Motorsport with their customer AMG E63 program, Ford, Holden, Nissan and Volvo – with all makes tasting success with race victories, pole positions and podiums.
The Gen2 Supercar is the next stage of the CotF
The V8 Supercars’ Board unanimously approved the blueprint, to be introduced at the start of the 2017 season, which opens the way for additional engine and body configurations to compete alongside current V8 engines and four door sedans.
The 2017 blueprint means the current V8 Supercars could be joined by turbo-charged six or four cylinder engines from 2017.
The Gen2 Supercar model is designed to be more relevant to more manufacturers, race teams, sponsors and fans while continuing V8 Supercars’ promise of providing fans with the ultimate in high octane entertainment.
The top-line guidelines dictate that the car must be publicly available for sale in Australia, is front engine, right hand drive and a full four-seat configuration. The race car must be rear wheel drive and accurately reflect the look of the road car, retaining the essential DNA of the sport. All cars will use the existing Car of the Future chassis and control components, and be subject to engine and aero parity rules.
In 12 months of planning, V8 Supercars consulted with the major manufacturers, participating and otherwise, race teams, sponsors, stakeholders and fans in the process of developing the 2017 direction.
In the next 12 months two working groups – one focussing on engine configuration and the other body configuration – will draft technical specifications and rules to ensure parity across the field, and in turn the highly competitive racing the sport enjoys. The rules will ensure no engine or body configuration has any advantage or disadvantage over another.
Re Chrysler not sure I had heard of that name in terms of entering the racing side of V8s, although they have supplied a number of the Chrysler 300 to use as Safety Cars in the V8SC over the years.