No full-time 2013 V8 Supercars seat for Greg Murphy

The 40-year-old New Zealander's Kelly Racing team will spearhead Nissan's new programme next year, but Murphy was keen to remain in the Holden fold.

Unable to find a Holden drive for the full championship, he will only be a co-driver in the endurance rounds next season, in the hope of making a fully-fledged return for 2014.

"While the option to consider another manufacturer presented itself, I was always going to remain loyal to Holden, who have been incredibly supportive of my career since I first entered the series as an enduro driver with Craig Lowndes back in 1995," said Murphy.

"The facts are that the right full-time Holden seat has not appeared for me despite some encouraging discussions along the way.

"I'm certainly not retiring from the main game. Bathurst and Sandown have been very kind to me over the years and with the right enduro seat in 2013, I have no doubt that I will be able to show pitlane and the fans alike, that I still have what it takes to be competitive as a full-time racer."

In addition to his four Bathurst wins, Murphy finished runner-up in the 2002 and '03 championships.

His 2012 season was disrupted by surgery for a back injury following a crash in Adelaide. 1997 Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve deputised during Murphy's lay-off.