Chrysler reveals high price tag for entry into local racing series.

Want to put your favourite car brand's badge on the front of a V8 Supercar?

You'd better have a spare $12 million sitting around if you do.

Chrysler Australia has revealed a tantalising glimpse into the behind-the-scenes battle to get more car makers to join the previously two-make series from next year, including revealing the price of admission to Australian motor sport's most exclusive club.
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The US brand's Australian chief executive, Clyde Campbell, revealed to Drive that talks with an unnamed V8 Supercars team about entering a Chryster-branded vehicle in the all-new competition starting next year had involved a funding injection of “about $12 million”.

Nissan, the only new car maker so far to confirm its entry on the V8 Supercars grid next year, has refused to elaborate how much it paid to Kelly Brothers Racing to develop a race car wearing the Japanese brand's badge, other than to say it was a “substantial investment”.

According to V8 Supercars boss Tony Cochrane, from next year the starting grid has room for up to five makes to compete alongside traditional rivals Ford and Holden. So far only Nissan has committed to the series.

Its backers claim the series is currently worth about $135 million a year, however adding more brands to the competition is expected to generate more interest as it attracts fans of other makes that have not featured since the mid-1990s.

According to Chrysler's Campbell, the car maker has not yet seen a compelling business case that will attract it into motor sport in Australia.

He says Chrysler's performance tuning arm, Mopar, had not been part of the discussions.

Jesus $12,000,000 - that's alot of Zero's just to play - a bit over the top I think..........

Zero's are free!

Just bang it on the GE Creditline, see if they can give you any interest free terms..

$12,000,000.00 is actually small bikkies and would simply buy you the naming rights sponsorship . Still plenty of revenue to be gleaned from all the lesser sponsors . HRT's budget 7 years ago purely from Holden was $13,000,000.00. Cat paid $8,000,000.00 purely to be naming rights sponsor on Brights FPR Falcon BA .

V8 supercars is going to greed itself out of existence the way they are going...I mean, now they're just about a basic one size fits all deal with holden or ford panels screwed on ( an exaggeration, maybe, but not too far from the truth..) now, look at NASCAR - `toyotas' etc with small block V8's - only thing toyota about them is the badge on the nose. I highly doubt nissan's going to rock up with - oh, I don't know, a nissan....to play V8 supercars....what do they currently have with a V8 anyway?

.

Uuuummmm.....this is what Nissan have for a V8.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_VK_engine .....but, when you look at what Ford use for the V8SC, a pushrod V8.....when the production engine is OHC's......???????.....haven't a clue what they will actually use.

I had a chat with Lucas Dumbrell the other day about the money you need for a V8 team and he came up with approx $5,000,000 per year for starters.

His team only has the basics for $5m per year and that will blow out next year with a new 888 built COTF coming online for them race 1 2013.

If I was the owner of a race team, I would want any naming rights sponsor to back up their bid for my team with at minimum $12m, probably more as you don't want to be going into the unknown not knowing if your going to see any sort of light on the other side.

Bad enough everyone will be back on a level playing field next year.

Cheers Damo