V8 Supercars "Car of The Future"

V8Supercars have unveiled the future of their series.

Faced with a limited number of elegible cars, and high development and running costs, the organisers put legendary driver Mark Skaife in charge of the next generation of Australian touring car regulations, known as the Car of the Future or COTF. 

Under the skin the cars are very different, while still being the same cars from the outside.

I had not realised this until now but the current V8Supercars still have live rear axles. The new spec cars will finally have modern independent  rear suspension. The cars also move to a transaxle at the back to help weight distribution. To aid safety a new stronger roll cage with improved side impact protection is mounted to a new floopan. The fuel cell also moves from the boot to inside the new rollcage, again a move to improve safety limiting the chances of the cell being damaged if the car is hit from the rear. The cars also get bigger wheels, now 18" instead of the 17's of the current race cars. Along with bigger wheels also come bigger brake discs.

To me the best thing about the new spec car is what stays the same. The cars will still have the same big V8 engines driving the rear wheels. The cars also look the same as they still have the same production based bodies.

What the V8Supercars web site is not making a big deal of, if I am right, is that the cars will be mechanically identical with the exception of the engines and bodies. This is to keep costs down and to keep competition close. The other big point of the new spec cars is to make it easy for other manufacturers to join the series.

Currently the series is based around cars from Ford and Holden (GM). Historically these have been the Falcon from Ford and the Commodore from Holden, both rear-wheel-drive sedans. However we all know that the vast majority of modern road cars are front-wheel-drive, and with the continued threat of the Falcon and Commodore going front-wheel-drive,  it looked tough for the series to ensure a rear-wheel-drive future.

The COTF regulations should ensure that top level touring car racing in Australia continues to be rear-wheel-drive and V8 powered as the chassis and mechanical package is standardised, regardless of whose body (Toyota?) is on the car.

The V8Supercars organisers seem to have a very good handle on equalising the aero packages across the Fords and Holdens while still basing the cars on production bodyshells. I hope this continues with the new spec cars and is as successful with any new manufacturers joining in.

Basically the series faced the same issues as NASCAR, with the COT, and BTCC, with the NGTC, those of cutting costs, improving safety, ensuring close competition, and encouraging  brand buy in.

NASCAR went for a standardised body and chassis, and have been developing and enhancing the identities of the cars ever since. COT mark 1 was not very successfull at differenciating between a Ford, Chevy, Dodge and Toyota. COT mark 2 or the Nationwide car to you and me, is much better, still standard bodies in terms of aero but with very different "faces". It will be interesting to see what COT mark 3, the next Cup car, due to be updated for 2013, looks like.

BTCC, with the NGTC, went for standardised mechanicals to keep costs down but still keeps the manufacturers happy by using road based shells to contain those mechanicals. The issue for me with the NGTC is that there appears to be a strange mix of front-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive, not always being based on the layout of the equivalent road car... rear-wheel-drive Audi anyone? 

I like the concept of the COTF, still V8 powered and to start with still Ford vs. Holden! I like that the series will be protected from the threat of front-wheel-drive road cars with the new standardised mechanical package. If the cars are safer and cheaper too, whats not to like?? 

Paying attention Mr Gow?