Don’t get me wrong, the Chevrolet Camaro makes a great-looking Gen3 Supercar. It really is a stunning machine, in large part thanks to the Chevrolet design team creating a brilliant blend of retro and contemporary elements on the road car.
But I don’t want to see it in Supercars racing after the 2024 season. The bow tie brand announced earlier in 2023 that the final Camaros will roll off the production line in January 2024, bringing the curtain down on the V8-powered muscle car.
The Camaro was already making a mockery of Supercars claims of more ‘production car relevancy’ by not being sold in Australia, but without a production car anywhere in the world it simply doesn’t make sense to be racing it. If you’re going to race a car that isn’t on sale in Australia or even being built as a substitute for the Holden Commodore, why not just race the Holden Commodore…
READ MORE: Why the next Chevrolet Camaro could be very different
Obviously you wouldn’t because it would be a bad look for the sport to be racing what is, in effect, a historic vehicle. And that’s what the Camaro will soon be, a car consigned to history. Supercars cannot afford to be mistaken for Touring Car Masters, it needs contemporary models racing to ensure it remains true to its core ethos.
Which is where Cadillac enters the picture.
The American luxury brand is expected to return to Australian shores in the near-future, with General Motors Speciality Vehicles (GMSV) adding it to its local portfolio, alongside the factory-produced Chevrolet Corvette and locally-converted Chevrolet Silverados. As we’ve already reported, Cadillac’s return is expected to be spearheaded by factory-built right-hand drive electric models, most likely the Lyriq SUV.
READ MORE: Cadillac is coming to Australia
Obviously turning an electric SUV into a racing Supercar isn’t going to happen, but Cadillac does have an ideal candidate for a Camaro replacement on the track – the CT4-V Blackwing.
This is the brand’s compact sports sedan, an American rival to the likes of the BMW M3 Competition and Mercedes-AMG C63. It’s also the kind of car that will appeal to the Supercars audience, with strong connections to the once-popular Holden Special Vehicles Commodores that spun off the back of the Holden Racing Team’s on-track success.
The CT4 is Cadillac’s mid-size sedan, available with a range of powertrains, all the way up to the supercharged 6.2-litre V8 in the track-focused V-Series Blackwing variant. Importantly, though, it must be noted that it’s highly unlikely to be offered by GMSV in Australia, with Cadillac instead prioritising its electric future.
READ MORE: Five Cadillacs we want for Australia
But here’s the key – GMSV doesn’t really need any help selling Corvettes and Silverados, it basically sells every one it can get its hands on in right-hand drive.
Cadillac, on the other hand, is a new brand to Australia with unproven products. Sure, it’s a very famous brand with a long history, but it’s not an entirely positive heritage. The brand has had its ups and downs and will need to work hard to convince Australian luxury car buyers to take a chance on it. Which is where a high-profile motor racing program could help. Having the Cadillac name win the Bathurst 1000 would be a major publicity boost.
The CT4 would make a great looking race car thanks to its angular design and its dimensions aren’t too much bigger than a Camaro; the CT4 is only a few centimetres shorter, is actually slightly wider and has an almost identical wheelbase.
Crucially, the CT4 will be in production for the next few years, even if production isn’t confirmed beyond 2026 (when it’s likely to get replaced by an all-new electric sedan). Who knows what the Supercars and automotive landscape will look like by then? There may be an obvious solution to replace the Camaro/CT4? Or Supercars may have collapsed if Ford departs? Who knows, the future is hard to predict.
Is introducing the Cadillac CT4 a perfect solution? No. But, given Supercars narrow-minded focus on the GM v Ford dynamic, it arguably represents a better solution than racing the increasingly irrelevant Camaro for years to come.
Switching from the Camaro to the sport would get a fresh injection of interest from a new brand (even if it falls under the GMSV umbrella), GM would be more motivated to spend advertising dollars on the sport and it would add a more relevant model to the contest. And, as an added bonus, it would give Supercars a chance to refresh parity once again, perhaps do it properly this time with a windtunnel to end the arguments that have plagued this season…
What do you think – is Stephen onto something with Cadillac? Or should Chevrolet stick around? Let us know which brands you’d like to see in Supercars in the comments or on our social media pages
I disagree. These days, as it should be, motor racing is a show. Entertainment. Great looking vehicles, a good sound and hopefully close racing. Relevancy is less and less of an argument these days as it used to be. NASCAR has a V8 rear drive V8 Camry. F1 has a hybrid Aston Martin. Most racing series have vehicles a little or a lot removed from reality and I personally, as well as all my friends, don’t care as long as the racing is entertaining. Plus we tend to follow the driver more than the team anyway. No matter what they’re driving. It shouldn’t matter if the cars are no longer on sale but, yes, maybe not after 2-3 years of extinction. Although I agree we should get Cadillac on board sooner rather than later so as not to lose a longer on track window rather than the possible 3 years for the Camaro. Personally I would’ve liked to have seen it race for 5-6 years. As you said, it’s great looking. Especially after the dull ZB Insignia, er sorry, ‘Commodore’.
I disagree with you. Motorsport is about motorsport. Fast and Furious is about entertainment. Like Boxing is about Sport and Wrestling is about Entertainment.
Touring Cars in Australia has always been about the Motorsport of Cars I CAN BUY in Australia.
Your argument is fundamentally flawed due that fact. Why. Supercars calls it self the greatest Touring Car Championship IN THE world. Id that were the case then everyone would be in to it. That is an Entertainment mentality. A motor sport mentality id “What are we, Touring Car, Sports Sedan, GoKart etc. If the sport is good enough, then the entertainment vector will follow.
The fact is the Chevrolet wanted the Camaro just like in NASCAR as it’s their ‘Hero Car’. I assume Chevrolet will have a replacement for their ‘Hero Car’ that is not a Cadillac after 2024.
Got to love the claim of more relevance to production cars. Who are they trying to fool? No relevance to production cars at all. Just go to GT3 and put everyone out of their misery.
100% or GT4 anything other that the current joke
No GT3. Touring Cars should be aspirational, not elite.
There’s very little relationship between a supercar an the production vehicle it’s supposed to represent anyway, so you might as well drop the whole manufacturer relationship & just come up with pretend names for them. Personally, I’d like to see a modern, top level production car series in Australia again, with homologated models going round that you could actually buy in a dealership.
The Camaro looks like a muscle car, whereas this thing looks like a shopping trolly. Put it in the supermarket parking lot and most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between it and all the other boring sedans out there. A bit like the ZB.
Why can’t just use the last Manafactured FALCON or COMMODORE V8 like it used to be, isn’t that what the V8 Supercars are about. Falcon versus Commodore.
This series has not been relevant for a long time now they are just talking the p”*s GT3 / gt4 is the only way forward anyway the politics behind this sport is failing wake up!! Let’s get back to real racing , please.
Really? NOBODY is going to point out that the CT4-V Blackwing DOESN’T have a v8 option? The Blackwing trim gets the twin turbo charged 3.6L V6 rated at 472hp and 445tq. The CT5-V Blackwing gets the V8. Or is Australia getting a brand new variant for 2024?
Anything to let fords win eh!
Nice thought, but the Cadillac won’t easily fit the common platform/spaceframe used for the Mustang and Camaro. Its too tall – so would have to be “slammed” – and its also a four door. I guess it could be solved but, gee, achieving aero parity would be interesting…. Now the one other car that readily fits the Gen 3 platform is the BMW 4 series coupe. And BMW has V8 which could be adapted. Now I know that doesn’t solve the GM dilemma but Supercars really needs another marque in any case. Come on Supercars, its time to talk to BMW about the IP. Take control of your future.