Wherever you find General Motors and Ford going at it, Chrysler is seldom very far behind. Except in Australia. The Land Down Under has its own unique touring car championship in the form of its popular V8 Supercars series, but the only contestants these days are Ford (with its FPV Falcon) and GM subsidiary Holden (with its HSV Commodore). That, however, could change in the near future.

Word on the Aussie street is that Chrysler Group Australia is entertaining the possibility of jumping into the popular series, likely with a vehicle based (however loosely) on the 300. Because V8 Supercars teams – which budget around million to run two cars for the season – are by regulation independent of any manufacturer, Chrysler would need to woo a few away from their current Ford or Holden partners, but several have reportedly approached the Pentastar automaker about the possibility.

The addition of a third manufacturer to challenge Ford and Holden would mirror a similar move made this season by BMW to challenge Audi and Mercedes-Benz (which was also rumored to be considering a V8 Supercars entry) in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM). Chrysler previously supplied the V8 Supercars series with the first-gen 300C SRT8, which serves as the pace car for several years.

According to Australia’s The Age, SRT brand CEO Ralph Gilles reportedly likes the idea, but stopped short of committing to any impending program. The prospect, however, could be made more feasible by a new, more cost-effective “Car of the Future” being implemented in V8 Supercars, much as the “Car of Tomorrow” was in NASCAR and the “Next-Generation Touring Car” was in the British Touring Car Championship. Another plus is the expansion of the series outside of Australia to locations like India, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa and – most crucially – the United States as a support race for the upcoming U.S. Grand Prix Formula One race in Austin, Texas.

Chrysler considering entry into Australia’s V8 Supercar series? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve ever taken a good long look at the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and wondered just how tough the leather-lined SUVs are compared to their military-grade counterparts, Inside Line has the answer for you. Corespondent Alistair Weaver joined up with a Mercedes-Benz convoy in a G of his own as the company took off across Australia’s infamous stock route. The trail is little more than a dusty path scrawled across the outback. Weaver braved vicious washboard roads, insects, snakes, dead camels and heinous heat to make the trek. How did his G Wagen handle the rough roads and deep sands? Let’s just say there were a few issues.

For starters, the washboard dirt tracks made short work of the AMG’s Bilstein rear shocks, forcing mechanics to pull the pieces altogether for one short stint before replacements could be flown in. Likewise, the spare tire carrier and both side-view mirrors suffered cracks along the way. Not surprisingly, the military-spec edition suffered no ills over the course of the trek. Hit the jump to check out the video for yourself.

If that’s not enough fun in the Australian sun for you, click back and take a look at Motor Trend’s trek across the continent in a Subaru Outback.

Continue reading Traveling across Australia’s Outback by Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Traveling across Australia’s Outback by Mercedes-Benz G-Class originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Talk to most car fans about V8 supercars and they’ll probably start talking Ferrari and Corvette. But to Australians, V8 Supercars is a racing series – one of the most popular touring car series in the world, and one that is only gaining popularity.

The championship pits race-spec Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores against each other on road courses around Australia and New Zealand, but has been known to travel abroad as well. This year’s calendar kicked off in Abu Dhabi, after previous seasons included trips to Bahrain and China. But coming years could see the Aussie series making the trans-Pacific voyage to North America.

Recent developments have given the predominantly Australian championship a more international profile. For one, the FIA has promoted it to international status, as opposed to a national series. For another, a steady stream of world-renowned racing drivers (like multiple Indy 500 winners Dario Franchitti and Helio Castroneves, four-time Champ Car champ Sebastien Bourdais, multiple touring car champions Andy Priaulx and Yvan Muller, and former F1 world champ Jacques Villeneuve) have been flying Down Under to take a crack at it. Speed‘s coverage of some of the series’ marquee events hasn’t hurt either, and the series’ new owners – a private equity firm who bought it from a consortium of promoters and teams – may be eager to capitalize on their investment.

While the series’ organizers have previously rejected the notion of coming to North America, with all these factors aligned, they’re suddenly singing a different tune. General Motors is apparently keen on the idea, which could come to fruition as early as the 2013 season if all the stars line up just right. Just where such a race might take place remains to be seen, but a West Coast venue would be the smart bet. Organizers could, meanwhile, opt to hold a race as part of a stand-alone three-day weekend event like its home races in Australia, or pair it with an existing spectacle such as an IndyCar or ALMS race.

Australia’s V8 Supercar series coming to America? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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