New-generation Holden Commodore with a V-8? It may sound like a joke given that the new, Opel Insignia-based Commodore uses a V-6, but it's not. There's at least one that still uses a V-8 powerplant. Unfortunately, it's just a concept for now, and the final result will be a race car and not a road-legal production model. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm talking about Holden's new race car for the Australia Supercars Championship.

Redesigned for the 2018 season for obvious reasons, the new Commodore Supercar borrows styling cues from the latest-generation street Commodore, which is a slightly revised version of the European-made Opel Insignia as far as design goes. But while the road car ditched the GM-sourced V-8 in favor of a new turbocharged V-6, the race car will continue to use last year's V-8 engine. But, even though Holden successfully homologated the old V-8 for 2018, the naturally aspirated mill will be phased out starting 2019, when it will be replaced with a race-spec version of the Commodore's V-6.

Continue reading for the full story.

New V-6 Under Development in the U.S.

Penned by GM Design Australia manager Peter Hughes, the new Commodore race car is still undergoing rigorous development and testing, this being the reason why the actual car has yet to be unveiled. However, the vehicle will break cover just in time for the 2018 season, when it will be raced by Holden's official factory racing team, Triple Eight Race Engineering.

The Australian firm also announced that a new, twin-turbocharged V-6 engine, suitable for Supercars’ Gen 2 regulations, is currently undergoing development in partnership with the General Motors Performance and Racing Center in Pontiac, Michigan. Triple Eight Race Engineering will seek approval from Supercars to run a V-6-powered Commodore as a wild card entry at selected rounds in 2018 before a full rollout for the 2019 season.

The new V-6 engine will become available to all Holden teams via a "favourable leasing program," the brand added.

Needless to say, Holden's upcoming seasons in the Australia Supercar Championship will be crucial for the success of the new Commodore, the first iteration that was developed outside Australia.