The new-shape Commoore bodywork was developed for Supercars competition by Triple Eight Race Engineering in conjunction with GM Holden.  
 
Mechanically the ZB race machine will be similar to the existing VF Supercars, and will start the 2018 season running the existing 5.0-litre Chevrolet V8 engine Holden has used in touring car racing since the ‘90s.  
 
Later in the yearthe new 3.5-litre turbo V6 engine will make selected ‘wildcard’ appearances.  
 
The ZB Commodore replaces the current, locally designed and assembled VF model, and will be the first full imported Commodore in the model’s history as Holden shuts the doors on local manufacturing this October.  
 
Triple Eight Managing Director, Roland Dane, said developing the new body shape for racing has been challenging.

 
“The overall look of the car is quite different from anything we’ve had before,” he says, “so it’s been a big but exciting task, and we’re relishing the opportunity to get on track to see how we’ve done.

“The team’s had to work incredibly hard this year in order to compete on track with the current VF Commodore, but also work flat out on the new car. By the time we get to the end of this year, the development process will have taken up about 20,000 hours.

“We are very privileged to have been given the responsibility for developing and producing the new Commodore as a race car. We’re excited to see the results of the work that we’ve been carrying out.”

Six-time Supercars champ Jamie Whincup drove the new Commodore in its initial test run and said it felt ‘fantastic’ so far.  
 
“The team’s been burning the midnight oil behind the scenes for this moment when we finally get to bring the brand new Commodore to the track and test it for the first time,” he said.

“So far it feels fantastic. The work that they’ve done behind the scenes to this point, in my opinion we’re 99 per cent there. There’s just some fine-tuning that’s got to go on in the next few weeks and the next few months until we unleash the full version in 2018.”

Triple Eight will conduct three full test days before the aero package is finalised and the car is homologated for its competition debut at the Adelaide 500 next March. The 2018 Supercars series opener will coincide with the Commodore road car’s public release.