Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG's to race in 2013 v8 supercars

[zorog]

CarAdvice writes:

The Mercedes touring cars will be powered by a modified, 5.0-litre version of the 6.3-litre V8 currently used in the SLS AMG GT3 race cars. Erebus is paying AMG to develop the engine and other parts of the car.

Insiders familiar with the Mercedes project claim the E-Class V8 Supercars contender will set a new benchmark in terms of engineering and safety within the rules, and be highly competitive.

“This will probably be the best-funded team [on the grid],” a source told CarAdvice. “Erebus is investing significant amounts of money [into the V8 Supercars project].

http://www.caradvice.com.au/191998/mercedes-benz-amg-racers-enter-v8-supercars/

[Cam]

This also comes with news (although it's been out for a while) that Nissan will also be competing alongside GMH, Ford and Mercedes in 2013.

http://www.v8supercars.com.au/championship/newsarticle/nissan-unveils-2013-v8-supercar-engine/tabid/70/newsid/12864/default.aspx

V8 Supercars have made great progress to introduce the 'car of the future' which is a perfect combination of big noise, big action, international races and, are we listening F1 fans, road relevance - which actively attracts manufacturers.

Put simply, the 'DNA' of V8 Supercar racing will not change from 2013 when this new generation of cars takes over from the Falcons and Commodores that currently make up the grid.

The cars will still feature V8 engines, rear-wheel drive and four doors. They'll also continue to make the same roar and be just as fast, if not actually faster. Currently, the chassis beneath the skin of the Falcon and Commodore are all extremely similar, with the next step being a control chassis — it's cheaper and is also aimed at making it easier for other potential manufacturers to build a V8 Supercar.

A Commodore will still have the DNA of a Commodore, ditto for a Falcon or any other type of car that joins in. The doors will still open and close, the panels are the same shape and style of the road car, and the badges are real, too!

A manufacturer wanting to join the V8 Supercars Championship could even come along with their own V8 engine, used under a parity system to ensure it's on par with the current units in the class, or use a 'category' engine if they wish to go with already-established technology.

http://www.v8supercars.com.au/technical/carofthefuture/thenewgenerationofv8supercars/tabid/1418/default.aspx

Kudos V8s. Are we learning from this F1?

[Tim.Wright]

Finally, I can watch the V8's without first having to be a bogan

Tim

[Hail22]

I'm thoroughly looking forward to the 2013 season

E-Class Mercedes AMG Is my flag!

If Nissan was running a GT-R then I would be supporting the reliable Japanese...but no dice...its the new Altima "Yawns".

[mx_tifoso]

This is another series that dies for me. I've enjoyed these cars but with the control chassis it's no longer interesting as I don't want to see clones.

[Cam]

This is another series that dies for me. I've enjoyed these cars but with the control chassis it's no longer interesting as I don't want to see clones.

At first I was thinking the same thing. But then I saw the light. Any racing series is a business. It has to make money or it dies. To make money, you need Entrants (cash) + Venues (cash) + TV for sponsorship (cash) and the amount of cash is determined from the total Audience.

V8 has grown from an Australian only 2 make domestic series, to what will be in 2013 an international 4 make series. As a business model, they're growing from strength to strength, widening their market share and manufacturers have recognised this and are getting on board.

Yes, they're essentially clones. But they were before hand. Ever since that famous rainy day in October many moons ago, only the engine and shell were different (for all intents), so nothing really has changed here. Unlike F1, V8 isn't trying to be a premium prototype series. Far from it. They want road relevance and they want to grow a larger audience and they're doing a good job.

Once I have embraced that V8 is a business - I've come to terms with a lot of the changes and I agree with almost of all of them.

[mx_tifoso]

I completely understand Cam, but this is just the Aussi version of modern DTM and I just don't enjoy it. It's not raw or "individual" anymore, which makes the entire make and model designation pointless. As a business it's definitely growing, but I'm not on for the ride anymore.