V8SC: Nissan unveils Altima V8 Supercar

Nissan has revealed its Altima V8 Supercar that will take on the entrenched Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons – and later, Mercedes-Benz E-Classes – in the 2013 V8 Supercar Championship.

The aggressively styled Nissan race cars will make their competitive racing debut at the Clipsal 500 event in Adelaide, South Australia, from March 2, 2013, with four cars to be fielded by Nissan Motorsport.

Nissan Motorsport and partner Kelly Racing lifted the wraps off the Altima V8 Supercar at an official unveiling ceremony in Melbourne's Docklands precinct, with top brass from Nissan Australia, Kelly Racing and Nissan Motorsport attending. The event is a pivotal moment in the sport's history – the first time in 20 years the traditional Falcon and Commodore will have a new rival.

Powered by a high-revving 5.0-litre motorsport version of the new Nissan Patrol's V8 quad cam engine, codenamed VK56DE, the Nissan Altima V8 Supercar will stand out from its Ford and Holden rivals not only due to its bold looks.

"The look of the Altima and sound of the VK56DE engine are second-to-none," said 2005 Bathurst 1000 winner and team Racing Director Todd Kelly. "Once V8 Supercars has homologated the aerodynamic package on the Altima, we will begin our testing to ensure it drives as fast as it looks and sounds."

Nissan, V8 Supercars and Kelly Racing made the official announcement the racing team would campaign the Altima in the 2013 season back in February and two months later Mr Kelly's brother, Rick, was on hand at the New York Motor Show for the global premiere of the new Altima. Now the results of the team's hard work behind the scenes is plain to see – all $1.5 million worth.

"This is the proudest day in the relatively short history of our team, as well as one of the most significant days in recent times for the sport of V8 Supercars," said Todd Kelly. "Our team has done a tremendous job to design and build an all-new V8 Supercar, including a new engine, in roughly nine months."

The significance of the occasion was not lost on Nissan CEO Bill Peffer Jr either, whose company is believed to have invested 10s of millions of dollars into the project.

"Unveiling our Nissan Altima V8 Supercar, the first new V8 Supercar model in two decades, brings Nissan’s special brand of ‘Innovation and Excitement’ to the V8 Supercars Championship," said Mr Peffer.

"2013 will be an enormous year for Nissan in many ways, with several important new models set to launch next year. One of those will be the all-new 2013 Nissan Altima, the first time the Altima nameplate has gone on-sale in Australia, and what better way to introduce Altima to Australia than to have it on-track in the V8 Supercars Championship from the start of next season.

"Everyone at Nissan is right behind our team, led by Todd and Rick Kelly, and we are excited about hitting the track next season with this spectacular Altima V8 Supercar," said Mr Peffer. The Altima production car goes on sale here in the second half of 2013.

The last time a Nissan competed in an Australia in the national touring car competition was in 1998 at the Bathurst 1000 in the 'Super Tourer' category, where it came second, driven by Steven Richards and Matt Neal. All told, Nissan has won 28 Australian Touring Car Championship races, which is the most of any manufacturer if you remove Ford and Holden. You can also add two Bathurst 1000 wins to the list.

With new 'Car of the Future' rules coming into effect in 2013, designed to make it easier and cheaper for manufacturers such as Nissan and Mercedes-Benz to go racing, the Kelly brothers explained that grafting the Nissan Altima's body panels onto the control chassis wasn't a difficult job. They started at the rear axle and moved their way to the front of the car, the result being what you here, in the gallery.

It's a big shift for Kelly Racing too, which will become Nissan Motorsport from January 2013. And as the 2006 V8 Supercars Champion, 2003 and 2004 Bathurst winner, and team Commercial Director Rick Kelly explained, the team will be looking to launch out of the blocks strongly in 2013.

"Our entire team is working harder than ever to ensure that we rise to another level as we transform into Nissan Motorsport for next season. This is the most exciting time in our sport for two decades and it is amazing to think that our team is at the forefront of this change.

"2013 will be the first time in my career that I will be a factory driver and it’s a responsibility that I am not taking lightly," said Mr Kelly, who added that “A lot of hard work still lies ahead" but that Nissan Motorsport will be a strong competitor and "a force to be reckoned with in the not-too-distant future".

The next step before real-world testing begins on the Nissan Altima V8 Supercar is to homologate the race car and ensure it adheres to the rules, which is expected to involve lots of aerodynamic tweaks to "ensure a fair playing field with the competition" as Nissan puts it.

Note: Nissan is hosting a Google + Hangout On Air chat with driver and team Racing Director Todd Kelly at the Nissan Motorsport headquarters from 5:00pm AEDST today.