The Australian Supercars Championship series is relatively unique in the motorsports world as it’s one of the few places where four-door sedans are turned into track-stomping monsters. Aussie Supercar, as it’s better known, is home to the Land Down Under’s most technologically-advanced machines, and the atmosphere is similar to that of NASCAR in that the vast majority of the research and development takes place in laboratories and testing facilities that are hidden far away from the public eye — which makes this video that much more special.
With a 5.0-liter engine limited to 7,500 rpm, 10.0:1 compression, and E85 fueling requirements, these cars produce anywhere from 620 to 650 horsepower. The Bigmate Racing VF Commodore seen here — raced in the Supercars Dunlop Super2 Series — has been built by Matt Stone Racing and is driven by 21-year-old Todd Hazlewood, who is in his fourth year of competition in the Super2 Series.
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The block and head castings under the hood of this Aussie Supercar are wrapped around a rotating assembly filling a 102.7 mm bore and 75.3 mm stroke. With an octet of throttle bodies on top and the MoTec engine management system controlling the whole works, the throttle is immediately responsive to input. As the car is rolled up and down the powerband, the result is massive flames forced out the exhaust tips.
As the car is taken through the gears on the chassis dyno, the team captures the necessary data to ensure that the car performs properly on the track. Although the teams are typically tight-lipped about their setup, thanks goes out to the Bigmate team for sharing this video clip so the rest of us can get up-close-and-personal with the Holden’s rumblin’ V8. Listening to it crank up and down the dyno with its engine wailing away is an excellent early-morning pick-me-up. Check out the video and prepare for an aural assault!