Video: V8 Supercars look to the past for Car Of The Future (COTF)

Today the V8 Supercars unveiled their Car Of The Future (COTF) concept, in the hope of attracting new manufacturers into the sport.

Since 1993, the Australian Touring Car Championship has been contested by just two manufactures, Ford and Holden. The fear has always been that if one drops out, the sport is in the shit.

Interestingly, this promotional video opens with the line “To know where you are going, you need to know where you have been.” and takes a fond look back at the days when Australia’s premier racing category featured a plethora of brands.

Leader of the project Mark Skaife, today outlined his belief that the current Ford and Holden duopoly has run its course.

“Australia is a very different place in 2011 than in 1993,” he said

“Today Ford and Holden combined have roughly 20 per cent of the market. The other 80 per cent of the market needs to be embraced by V8 Supercars.

“The reality is you can’t have your whole sport based on 20 per cent of the car market.”

The COTF represent an evolution of the regulations first introduced into the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1993, and see the cars move to an independent rear suspension, transaxle gearbox, mid-mounted fuel tank and control rollcage, in addition to a new 18-inch wheel and tyre package.

This morning’s launch included a graphic of a potential future V8 Supercars ‘garage’, which saw Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai and BMW vehicles showcased alongside the Ford and Holden.

There is no doubt the additional of a new manufacturer into the sports would be a great boost for the fans. Those of us bored with the Ford vs Holden battle have been waiting a long time…..