The Triple Eight Holden team takes over the mantle of Holden’s flagship Holden Racing Team brand for 2017 after Holden ended its long-term arrangement with Walkinshaw Racing last year. With Holden, the Walkinshaw outfit founded the HRT in 1990.

While Walkinshaw Racing will continue into the new season effectively as a privateer Holden team, Triple Eight not only assumes the Holden Racing Team name but also takes on responsibility for developing the new turbo V6 Holden Supercar for 2018.

The team will be known as the Red Bull Holden Racing Team.

“It’s a big change for the team this year, but a very exciting one,” said Red Bull HRT driver and reigning Australian Supercars Champion, Shane van Gisbergen.

“The history of the Holden brand in Australian touring cars is pretty awesome, so to be a Holden manufacturer driver is pretty special, for it to tie in with Red Bull and Triple Eight is even better."

While there had been widespread speculation as to how the trademark HRT lion/helmet logo might be married with the Red Bull bull design, in the end it appears that the HRT logo has been dropped altogether.

“It is great to finally have the cover off the car and be able to show off what is, in my honest opinion, a superb livery,” said team boss Roland Dane.

“A lot of work has gone into this, not only with the Red Bull guys and girls in Australia and in Austria but also with Peter Hughes in the GM Holden design team and Simon McNamara. It's been a real collaboration, and I'd personally like to thank everyone involved across Holden, Red Bull and Triple Eight in creating this livery.”

Triple Eight is unequivocally the pre-eminent team in Supercars, its drivers having won seven of the last nine championships. Under the former Walkinshaw management, the Holden Racing Team last enjoyed championship success in 2002.

The Red Bull Holden Racing Team makes its debut in the opening round of the 2017 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, March 2-5.