V8 Supercars has released images of the car that will lead the 2013 V8 Championship field – and it's not a Ford, Holden, Nissan or Mercedes-Benz.
Chrysler returns to the V8 Supercars fold after the Fiat Chrysler Group (FCG) has announced the Chrysler and Jeep brands will be the official sponsors of the Pedder STP safety and course cars for the 2013 and 2014 V8 Supercars Championship.
Chrysler has previously held the rights to the V8 Safety Car, with their most recent deal concluding in 2008.
Since then, Nissan, Audi, Ford and Holden have all provided the Safety and course cars to the championship.
The Chrysler 300 SRT8 sedan is powered by its 6.4-litre Hemi V8 engine, while the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 – again powered by the SRT8 6.4-litre Hemi V8, will be employed as official course car.
While Chrysler was linked to a potential V8 Supercars entry early last year, the firm will get a taste of what on-track action is like, and director of marketing at the Fiat Chrysler Group Sam Tabart says he is looking forward to seeing the Chrysler and Jeep at Australian race tracks.
“We're excited to add V8 Supercars to our brand's sponsorship portfolio,” Tabart said.
“The Chrysler brand has a rich heritage of racing across the world which makes the partnership such a great fit.”
The Chrysler 300 SRT8 and the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 vehicles will make their debut tomorrow at the season launch Test Day at Sydney Motorsport Park.