New cars at Australia’s V8 Supercar meets?
Could it be that in the near future we might see some other rivals vying for Australia’s V8 Supercar honours? I, for one, kind of hope so!
It has been recently reported that the German carmaker, Mercedes Benz, may introduce a weapon to tackle Australia’s great racing circuits as soon as 2012.
The Ford and Holden battle is a great thing. And maybe it should be left alone for the sake of tradition. But some others would say that the V8 Supercar series could do with a boost of new interest and new designs to take on the best from Holden and Ford. Australia V8 Supercars is becoming a global phenomenon that attracts hundreds of thousands of very loyal fans – viewing the races from around the globe. Perhaps it would be very fitting, and timely, to see representations of other car marques added into the ingredients because the race is a multicultural affair! It most certainly has been in the past too. Who remembers Jaguar’s feat of taking out Bathurst back in the eighties? I, for one, have always enjoyed viewing top motor racing that has included a wide range of motor racing vehicles in its competition.
The rumble of a racing engine is something pretty special. There are some beaut sounding engines out there, but the roaring of a racing V8 has to take top spot. Shattering the silence and exciting the crowd, the thunder of a Ford or Holden V8 racing engine captures attention like few other racing cars can. But can you imagine a Mercedes Benz V8, BMW V8 or even a Toyota (Lexus) V8 added into the racing hub-bub! I’m not saying that they would be superior, but they would sure be a thrilling addition.
One thing is for sure: any new V8 Supercar marque would need to be quick. Not only are the new Ford and Holden Supercars very quick, they handle and brake superbly. An Australian V8 Supercar must behold a front engine design that feeds the rear wheels and resembles their production cars. So, Mercedes Benz would need to comprise a racing vehicle that could deliver the goods to perform as well as Ford’s “Boss 302” SVO or Holden’s 5.0 L Chevrolet Small Block race engines, which typically pump out well in excess of 450 kW. It would be great to see how any newly invited V8 engine could compete, as the Supercar engines are also electronically restricted to 7500 rpm. Generally the V8 Supercar engine has a capacity of 5 litres, with 2 valves per cylinder; and the compression ratio is regulated to 10:1.
Having to weigh in at over 1355 kg and boast bodywork that resembles a production car, I wonder what performance package Mercedes Benz would put together? Wow, what a stirring thought!
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