2023 Ford Mustang and 3 Chevrolet Camaro Gen 8 Supercars Unveiled: How Close Are These New Race Cars To Their Road Models?
The new Ford Mustang GT V8 supercar will take part in the races in 2023.
Australia's new generation of V8 supercar racing was unveiled at Bathurst on Friday and is taking the sport back to its roots. In particular, the new Ford Mustang GT and Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 are much closer to the road model they are based on.
The dimensions of the new chassis and engines have been developed in collaboration with Supercars Australia, Ford Performance and Chevrolet Racing.
The cars with the new look are much closer to what you'll find on the street, many of the panels are effectively interchangeable between them - which is not the case with today's heavily modified Mustangs and Holden Commodores.
Although all panels are made of composite materials to reduce cost and weight, the doors, hood, trunk and roof, as well as headlights and glass, are identical in size to road counterparts.
For a more aggressive and purposeful look, both models feature beefed-up front and rear guards, as well as a racing-style front spoiler and rear wing.
Under the hood of both models are completely new engines, replacing the 5.0-liter V8 used in current racing cars. Ford will use a 5.4-liter V8 based on the same Coyote architecture as the road-going Mustang, while the Camaro is powered by a 5.7-liter V8 LTR.
The Camaro uses a higher horsepower engine because it uses older technology than the Ford, with only two valves per cylinder and one camshaft. By contrast, the Mustang engine has four valves per cylinder and four camshafts, which means the two engines deliver the same performance despite their different sizes.
This move to more stock cars helped revive interest from both Ford and GM, not only in Australia but also at their US headquarters. Ford Performance Global Director Mark Rushbrook was on his way to Bathurst for the launch, only to be stopped in a 72-hour quarantine, while GM global racing boss Jim Campbell sent a recorded message to the opening.
“When you look at the Mustang GT Gen3 supercar, there is no doubt that this is a Mustang,” said Rushbrook. “This is absolutely in line with the part that was the focus for us during the design and development phase of this car,” said Rushbrook.
“The icing on the cake is the fact that it has a stock Ford engine,” he added.
Also in attendance at the launch of the Gen3 were Ford Australia President Andrew Birkick and GM Australia and New Zealand Managing Director Mark Ebolo.
The introduction of Chevrolet Racing will become an umbrella brand for all of General Motors' local track operations, allowing for heritage elements from GM Specialty Vehicles, AC Delco and Holden.
GM's decision to continue racing locally after Holden's closure, and despite the fact that the Camaro is not going to be sold here under the GMSV name, is a big boost for Supercars organizers.
"I think it's important that we make a deal with the US, they've just launched their Camaro in NASCAR," Ebolo said. “We are starting to see this alignment between our brands and our markets. We believe the look, feel and passion of this car will create incredible excitement for all of our brands.”
He added: “[Motorsport] is very important, we know how strong motorsport is in terms of the passion and support it brings to all of our business units. We believe this is the absolute backbone of our business going forward.”
The Gen3 cars will be tested and homologated under the supervision of Supercars Australia throughout 2022, with testing taking place at various tracks to ensure equal competition between the two new cars. The teams will then present the cars at the first round of the 2023 season scheduled at Newcastle's street circuit.
