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09 February 2012 - 14:00

Nissan Joins V8 Supercars

Ford and Holden fans, look out: Nissan has confirmed it will enter the V8 Supercar championship next year.

Announced in Melbourne this morning, the Japanese giant will take on our Falcons and Commodores with a full factory-backed effort, sponsoring V8 team Kelly Racing.

Led by brothers Todd and Rick, Kelly Racing will enter four Nissan V8 Supercars in the 2013 series, based on a yet-to-be-decided medium-sized passenger car. Which means no, not a GT-R (sorry to get you a bit excited there) - it will be something like an Infiniti sedan (pictured above) using a Nismo V8 from Japan, tuned to around 480kW to meet V8 Supercar rules.

Those same rules stipulate that it must look and sound like the current fleet of V8 Supercars, with wild wings, fat slicks and the distinctive Bathurst roar.

This is huge news for V8 Supercars, Australia's most popular domestic racing series. Faced with the impending disappearance of Falcon and Commodore in the coming years, V8 Supercar bosses invented the "Car of the Future", an initiative designed to lure more car manufacturers to the sport to insure its long-term future. And it's worked.

And Nissan mightn't be the only new manufacturer entering the series next year. Chrysler, too, is rumoured to be joining next year with V8 team Garry Rogers Motorsport.

There's a funny irony in all of this. In the early 1990s, Nissan's twin-turbocharged, all-wheel-drive monster, the R32 GT-R, dominated the Australian Touring Car Championship (the old name for V8 Supercars). The GT-R so fast that the V8 Falcons and Commodores couldn't possibly keep up. So they banned it.

And it was that very banning that led to the disappearance of all the other cars, leaving only V8-powered Falcons and Commodores in 1994, a formula that stood unchanged until today - and a formula whose days are now officially numbered.

Ford and Holden fans, what do you think of this? Good news or bad? Comment below.

Or join the debate currently raging on our Facebook page. Click here.

Nissan, Top Gear Australia

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Vetted commented on this article

at 08:00 am on 09 February 2012

The more the better and Chrysler especially is very welcome. However, your interpretation of the past Nissan irony is off base and biased. Check the real reasons. The R32 although a good car it had a lot to do with CAMS and limits on engine sizes. This is why the R32 GTR dominated. Many cars before the R32 GTR would have blown their doors off.

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blackdog commented on this article

at 04:28 am on 10 February 2012

Well its about time! as long as it is a proper rwd 4d gt car.

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combat-wombat commented on this article

at 09:38 am on 12 February 2012

I'm all for more competitors, it advances the competition. (More people to beat, you have to work harder). So long as the "Car Of The Future" doesn't end up becoming NASCAR. Generic chassis & panels, the only difference being the stickers on the outside. jamesmayjnr - the LAST thing Australian motorsport & Australia in general needs is to be more like America.

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jamesmayjr commented on this article

at 12:06 am on 22 March 2012

Probably Altima ( poor man's Maxima ), but wish they bring the real-deal Maxima over here and prep it for 2013 V8 Supercars. Haven't watch this event for years 'cause it's become mind-numbingly boring but this could change it for me with Nissan and Chrysler joining.. hoping for Hyundai and Toyota to change their minds. Have this gut feeling when Falcon and Commodore bows out of production we'll see some American-based cars ( maybe Impala and Taurus ) to replace them..

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MrQuattro commented on this article

at 03:20 am on 20 April 2012

I agree with Vetted, the more the better, its about time they put some more manufacturers in the race. How about some european cars similar to the Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz DTM race cars hey?, now that would be some real action.

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