MOTORSPORT: Mercedes-Benz V8Supercar revealed

Here they are, perhaps the most widely anticipated and controversial touring cars to ever race in Australia; Erebus Motorsport’s three Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG V8Supercars.

Unveiled last night in front of 280 invited guests at All Phones Arena in Sydney, the Benz-badged racers were bolted together in a frantic 109 days.

On Saturday they will run in public for the first time at a joint test for all 28 V8Supercar championship entries at Sydney Motorsport Park.

The four-car factory Nissan Altima squad will also appear for the first time, as will the new Holden VF Commodore. And while the fourth member of the grid, the Ford Falcon FG, looks the same as last year, it will also be new under the skin because all V8Supercars are now built to Car of the Future technical regulations.

To comply with CotF all cars, including the Benzes, must fit their sheetmetal over a control wheelbase, chassis and rollcage. Intentionally, the appearance is a close facsimile of the road car, apart from obvious race car aerodynamics including an end-plate rear wing.

The closest link the E63 V8Supercar has to an AMG road car is under the bonnet where a specially-developed 5.0-litre version of the 6.2-litre M159 V8 engine sits. Getting competitive power numbers out of the engine has, reportedly, been a challenge and there has been talk of parity concessions for both it and the VK56DE Nissan engine.

Engine homologation is completed next week.

While little information was issued about the E63’s technical detail, it is known class-leading safety was intrinsic to the development program, including the adoption of a driver ‘safety cell’ similar to that employed by Mercedes-Benz in its DTM (German Touring Car Championship) C-class coupe racers.

The project has been backed by the Sydney real estate millionaire Betty Klimenko, who not only paid Benz’s performance arm AMG and its motorsport partner HWA to develop the car, but also bought former factory Ford team Stone Brothers Racing to campaign it.

Her plans appeared to have been scuppered in August last year when Mercedes-Benz Australia-Pacific refused to give its blessing to the project. But six weeks of behind the scenes negotiation brought a reversal of that decision and the start of a hectic build program.

However, Mercedes-Benz here and internationally makes it clear it is not investing in the V8Supercar project. It is a ‘Customer Sports’ arrangement with AMG, similar to the deal Mrs Klimenko has to run two AMG SLS GT3s through another arm of her Erebus operation.

That team won a thrilling Bathurst 12-hour last Sunday, making it a big week for Mrs Klimenko.

"It’s not often in life you get to touch your dream,” she said in a press release. “Having tonight’s launch in the same week as winning the Bathurst 12 hour, is like the icing on the cake.”

The three E63 AMG V8supercars will be driven by Lee Holdsworth (with naming rights sponsorship from SP Tools), Tim Slade (Heavy Haulage Australia) and new recruit, German Maro Engel (Irwin Tools).

Engel, 27, replaces Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen, who quit SBR and supposedly the championship at the end of a last year – despite a freshly signed three year contract – saying he’d had enough of V8Supercars.

However, within two months van Gisbergen popped back up driving for the Tekno Autosport Holden Commodore team, which is basically a satellite of all-conquering Triple Eight Race Engineering.

Ross Stone, the SBR co-owner who has been retained by Erebus as general manager, is known to be livid about van Gisbergen’s actions and issued a statement in early February confirming he was considering legal options.

Not that Stone would have had much time to consider such things given the team worked flat out to get ready for aerodynamic parity testing conducted in January and February, the launch, Eastern Creek and the championship opener in early March at Adelaide’s Clipsal 500.

“Everyone at Erebus Motorsport V8 has worked so hard and because of their passion for building these cars, they have worked the required hours necessary to get them here tonight. It’s just a phenomenal effort by all,” said Mr Stone.

“Now we are looking forward to getting the cars out on track on Saturday at the first test day and really seeing what they can do”

EREBUS Mercedes-Benz E-63 AMG

Engine
Mercedes-Benz M159, 5 litre engine
Built to V8 Supercar specifications

Gearbox
Albins 6 speed Transaxle
Control specification for V8 Supercars

Differential
N/A

Suspension Front
Bespoke Erebus Motorsport V8 design
Double "A" arm

Suspension Rear
Independent rear suspension designed by V8 Supercar as a controlled specification

Brakes Front
Control specification AP, 6 piston caliper
Control specification AP brake disc

Brakes Rear
Control specification AP, 4 piston caliper
Control specification AP brake disc

Wheels
V8 Supercar control specification 18" Aluminium Alloy

Tyres
V8 Supercar control tyre, Dunlop 18"

Fuel Capacity
120 Litres

Vehicle Weight
1400 kilograms including Driver

Top Speed
Dependent on final drive ratio
Top speed on Con-Rod straight Bathurst 292Kph

0-100 kmh
Dependent on final drive ratio (approximately 3.4 seconds)