Volvo Shows 2014 Engine
Volvo has confidently declared the engine powering its V8 Supercars Championship contenders is on track to deliver competitive performance when it debuts in 2014.
A mock-up of the V8 5.0-litre engine that will power the Volvo Polestar Racing S60 was unveiled this morning at the Sydney NRMA Motoring & Services 500, six months on from the announcement the Swedish manufacturer would enter the V8 Supercars Championship.
The new factory Volvo team is an amalgamation of Garry Rogers Motorsport, Volvo’s global motorsport partner Polestar Racing and Volvo Car Australia.
Polestar Racing is conducting the development of the engine in Sweden and is currently in the final stages of dyno tuning.
“By the end of this month we will have completion in test rigs and then Garry’s team is going it put it into the car mid to late January,” Volvo Car Corporation motorsport technical director Martin Persson told v8supercars.com.au.
“The results from the test rigs so far, we are very happy with those. We think this is an excellent engine for Australian racing.”
The double overhead camshaft B8444S engine is unusual technically because its cylinder banks are splayed at a narrow 60 degree angle, rather than the 90 degrees usual for a V8.
If Volvo does deliver a competitive package from the start of testing in January it will be step ahead of Nissan and Erebus AMG, which have both endured performance and fuel economy issues in their debut 2013 seasons.
Persson said he was confident the fuel economy of the engine would be competitive.
“Right now the tests show we won’t have any problems with fuel consumption. We are quite happy with the results as they are.
“But the engine has to be mounted in the car and run in the car, but we won’t have those results until next year.”
Click here for the official release from Volvo Car Australia on the unveiling.
