Gen3 Supercars revealed at Bathurst 1000 ahead of 2023 racing debut

The curtains have dropped on the highly-anticipated Gen3-spec Supercars ahead of their racing debut at the first round of the 2023 Supercars Championship.

Cars are scheduled for testing throughout 2022, but new regulations seek to increase the link between the racing cars and their road-going counterparts, whilst reducing running costs and fostering closer on-track action by way of drastic aero reductions.

We will be bringing you a full technical deep dive on both cars, with racing engineer insight, in the January edition of MOTOR (on sale December 30), but there’s plenty more to get excited about.

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Visually, you can immediately see a closer relationship to their road-going counterparts (especially, the Mustang), sharing basic dimensions and architecture hardpoints.

Aerodynamics have been significantly cut for the new-generation, with shorter front splitters and a more conventional wing mounted in place of the current box-style units. Indeed, these cars are very different beasts that will be both more difficult to drive and more exciting to watch.

The Gen3 Ford Mustang’s homologation was carried out by Dick Johnson Racing in conjunction with Ford Performance, while Team Triple Eight is responsible for the GM Racing’s Camaro.

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Both racers bring new production-based engines with them, with Ford enlisting a 5.4-litre Coyote V8 while GM employs a 5.7-litre LTR V8. Development was carried out locally by Mostech Race Engines and KRE Race Engines, respectively.

Punters at Bathurst this weekend will be treated to the first sight of the Gen3 cars on track, with both cars due to perform a number of display laps, at the hands of current Supercars drivers, across Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

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“These are incredible looking race cars and it’s an historic occasion to be here today, unveiling them at the foot of Mount Panorama, our spiritual home of racing. Both the Mustang and Camaro give a nod to the Supercars of the past, with as much attention given to the design and appearance of the cars as the new technologies” said Sean Seamer, CEO of Supercars Australia.

“This is the first chapter of our new era that will be cost-effective for our major stakeholders and teams but remain the very core of our success – terrific and exciting Supercar racing, which is what our fans have been asking us for”.

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