Holden twin-turbo V6 Supercar engine test

Holden’s 475kW twin-turbo V6 Supercar engine is upon us.

Though it won’t be locked in as the engine of choice until 2019, Red Bull Holden Racing is planning on introducing it early as a wildcard entry to the 2018 season.

But first, they have to make sure it works properly. Enter Lowndes and the Triple Eight Holden Sandman.

At Norwell Motorplex, half way between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, one of Australia’s most likeable motorsportsmen gave the new motor a rundown. And filmed it.

It’s the first time we’ve had a proper listen to the new donk, and we’re actually impressed.

First impressions are that the thing sounds like engineers had a go at making it sound as much like the original cars without trying to ‘mimic’ the unbeatable sound of a V8.

There’s barely any turbo sound, which is probably going to be a disappointment to the few who were keen for whistles and whines.

For comparison, here’s some of Scott McLaughlin’s recent onboard footage. The V8 rumble is unmistakeable.

Of the recent V6 testing, Red Bull Holden’s boss Roland Dane says an incredible amount of work had already been done before the engine even made it to Australia.

“A huge amount of work has been done already, both at GM Racing in Pontiac, Michigan and also here in Queensland,” Dane says.

“There’s still plenty more to do, but we’re now going to crack on with the development behind closed doors.

“There aren’t any advantages or disadvantages to running the engine in the Sandman for what we’re doing at the moment.

“It’s about getting kilometres on the engine and understanding what it needs at this point to prepare it for racing in Supercars.”