For the first time in 20 years, Nissan->ke62 is set to compete in Australia's Supercar V8 Series and they're doing so with the 2013 Nissan Altima V8 Supercar.

The car was unveiled at a special event in Melbourne and marks one of the first vehicles that aren't Ford Falcons or Holden Commodores to compete in the V8 Supercar Series.

Together with its partner Kelly Racing, Nissan is planning to bring four of these models to compete in the 2013 season under the Nissan Motorsport banner. As far as modifications are concerned, the Altima V8 Supercar will get a NISMO-developed 5.0-liter VK56DE V8 engine. Incidentally, this Nismo-sourced V8 powertrain is the same engine that powered the Nissan GT-R->ke1592 FIA GT1 to the FIA GT1 World Championship title back in 2011. To comply with the V8 Supercar regulations, the engine's displacement was actually reduced from 5.6 liter to 5.0 liters.

Talking to Australia's Herald Sun, Kelly Racing co-owner and overseer of the Nissan Altima project Todd Kelly has high hopes for the Altima V8 Supercar leading up to its run in the 2013 season of the V8 Supercar Series.

"Factory support is the key to teams winning Bathurst and V8 Supercar championships," Kelly said.

"There's nothing more exciting for a drive than to unveil a car with a brand new chassis that takes it to a new level.''

UPDATE: 11/05/12: A week after Nissan pulled the covers off of the Altima V8 Supercar Racer, the automaker finished its first run of testing at Calder Park Raceway. At the end of the test session, the team seemed happy with the results, although they also cautioned that there's more work that needs to be done to make the Altima V8 Supercar racer up to speed. Check out the video of the car's test run by clicking on the photo above!

UPDATE 02/13/13: A few months after unveiling the Altima V8 Supercar Series Race Car, Nissan took it one step further with the debut of the actual race cars with their liveries in tow to go with the driver announcements for the two teams the Japanese automaker will be fielding in the V8 Supercar Series. Check out the fresh batch of pics in the gallery below!

2013 Nissan Altima V8 Supercar Series Race Car

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  • Model: 2013 Nissan Altima V8 Supercar Series Race Car
  • Engine/Motor: V8
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