Australian touring-car racing has never really needed much encouragement to start an argument. Ford versus Chevrolet. Blue versus red. Families divided. Sunday barbie ruined. Hot tears and cold beers.
The AUS V8 EVO cars in the V8 Power Pack now bring that argument straight into the modern era.
Introduced in 2023, this new generation of Aussie V8s was designed to move away from ever-increasing aero dependence and put more emphasis back onto mechanical grip, braking, throttle control and—yup, you guessed it—the driver.
The cars became lighter, aerodynamic load was reduced, and both manufacturers arrived with new naturally aspirated V8 race-engine packages producing around 600 hp, without TC or ABS.
The two engines, however, take very different routes to the same performance target: Chevrolet with a 5.7-litre pushrod V8, and Ford with its smaller but more complex 5.4-litre quad-cam Coyote, all within a formula built around technical parity.
Get to know the latest generation in Aussie argument settlers in this blog.
2023 Chevrolet Camaro AU
The Camaro arrived in 2023 carrying a lot of responsibility. Not the least of which was replacing the iconic Commodore badge.
Underneath the ZL1-inspired body sits a purpose-built racing chassis with a 5.7-litre naturally aspirated GM V8, developed by KRE Race Engines. And while its main rival, the Ford Mustang, uses four camshafts and 32 valves, Chevrolet decided to go old-school here: a single-camshaft, two-valves-per-cylinder architecture producing around 600 hp and revving to 7,500 rpm.
Yup. Pushrods. In 2023. Thanks, Chevy.
2023 Ford Mustang AU
The Mustang approached the same engine problem from almost the opposite direction.
Its 5.4-litre Coyote V8 uses four camshafts, four valves per cylinder and an aluminium block, producing the same ballpark 600 hp and revving to 7,500 rpm.
Australia was also the first place in the world to put Ford’s then-new S650-generation Mustang into competition. And where the Camaro brought pushrod simplicity, the Mustang arrived with quad-cam sophistication.
Same destination. Very different path. Choose yours wisely.
Same Rules. Different Answers.
That is what makes the AUS V8 EVO rivals in the V8 Power Pack intriguing. These aren’t two identical cars wearing different plastic noses.
The Camaro brings a 5.7-litre pushrod V8. The Mustang brings a 5.4-litre quad-cam Coyote.
Both make around 600 hp and send that power to the rear wheels without TC or ABS. Both sit inside a tightly controlled modern racing formula designed around parity and a driver-first mentality. Both are also very happy to get sideways when 600 horsepower meets an impatient right foot.
So your choice is simple. Chevy or Ford? Yours to experience in Project Motor Racing with the V8 Power Pack.
Pick a side. And take it to Bathurst to prove you’re right.