Racing Holden reveals more VF Commodore flesh

ANOTHER piece of the Holden VF Commodore puzzle clicked into place with today’s unveiling of Holden Racing Team’s all-new VF V8 Supercar for the 2013 racing season.

After yesterday’s unveiling of the Calais V luxury flagship of the new Holden large sedan in Melbourne, the racing version has exposed the upper grille shape of sports Commodores such as the SS-V, SS and SV6.

In place of the dominant chrome snout of the “luxury sport” Calais is the narrower chrome-rimmed black-mesh grille of the “sport luxury” models.

The lower air opening is somewhat faithful to the production car, with a trapezoidal shape in the bumper mimicking the upper grille, and a black-painted bumper across the middle.

However, the lower part of the large air inlet is all V8 Supercar, with big brake cooling ducts and an aerodynamic splitter across the bottom.

The new 2013 Commodore SS-V is due to be unveiled this Friday ahead of the V8 Supercar testing day at Sydney’s Eastern Creek on Sunday.

The event will also coincide with the unveiling of the North American export version of the VF, the Chevrolet SS Performance, just before that model takes to the track in its NSACAR racing form at the Daytona 500.

The new Commodore will go on sale in June, with the American export version hitting the market in the second half of the year.

The HRT V8 Supercar shown today – 2007 V8 Supercar champion Garth Tander’s Commodore – was revealed at Holden headquarters in Melbourne by Tander and teammate James Courtney.

The car had only just completed its first test laps at Calder Raceway this morning before being loaded on to the team transporter and taken to Holden for the reveal.

Big Holden decals and the VF Commodore body shape of the car – including the headlights, tail-lights, bonnet and boot – are among the few things genuinely Holden about the racecar.

The VF body sits on the category’s new one-size-fits-all Car of the Future platform that will also be common to Ford, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz entrants in Australia’s most popular racing series.

The new design, developed under the guidance of former HRT champion Mark Skaife, has been introduced to cut costs and improve racing.

The HRT racer’s Chevrolet 5.0-litre engine will again be sourced from the United States, but the gearbox – mounted for the first time at the back as a transaxle – is Australian, made by Ballarat company Albins.

Holden has stepped up its support of the traditional factory team this year, with its logo dominating the bonnet of the car in place of the energy drink advertising signage of last year.

Holden has increased its marketing budget by 40 per cent for 2013, with V8 Supercar teams being among the beneficiaries.

Garth Tander told GoAuto that V8 Supercar fans would be delighted to see the Holden lion back on the HRT car’s bonnet.

“They (Holden) have recognised that V8 Supercar racing is still Holden heartland, and I reckon the fans will love the new look,” he said.

Holden’s other factory team, Red Bull Triple 8, is expected to draw back the covers from its new Commodores for reigning champion Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes this week, while Kelly Racing will show its racing Nissan Altimas in their full racing livery tomorrow.