Nissan Following Holden's Lead In Supercars' Move Away From V8 Engines

Nissan is "looking to join Holden in Supercars' delayed move away from racing exclusively with V8 engines," which as of now is not happening until '19, according to Mark Fogarty of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Holden is the only manufacturer "committed to switching to the smaller turbocharged V6s now allowed alongside the traditional V8s," but has "decided against making the change next year as originally planned." Replacing the existing five-liter V8 with a 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged V6 as Holden's main Supercars motor has been postponed until '19, when Nissan "may also move to a twin-turbo V6." Engine configurations other than V8s "are eligible under this year's new Gen2 technical rules, but no manufacturer or team was ready for the change." Gen2 also "allows two-door coupes to race alongside the traditional four-door sedans, but again, there have been no takers yet." If Nissan continues beyond '18, it would "also adopt the look of a new model to replace the V8 racer's discontinued Altima body shape" (SMH, 6/17).