Triple Eight's Dutton open to developing future Supercars Camaro
Triple Eight team manager Mark Dutton says he's open to his squad developing a Supercars version of the Camaro to compete against the Ford Mustang

Thanks to Ford's confirmation that a Mustang will be developed and homologated for the 2019 season, two-door bodyshapes are a hot topic in the Supercars paddock.
The news has already sparked discussions regarding other two-door models, such as the Chevy Camaro and the Nissan GT-R, being introduced alongside the Mustang in the near future.
Should General Motors decide to go down the path of a Camaro, a whole new development and homologation programme would be required due to the Supercars regulations.
As it stands, Triple Eight is GM's Supercars homologator through its status as Holden's factory team, and spent last season developing the new-for-2018 ZB Commodore alongside its racing programme.
While it is not quite ready to jump back into a parallel development and racing programmes just yet, T8 team manager Dutton says once his crew has briefly paused he'd be more than open to developing a Camaro Supercar.
"I reckon it'd be great," he told Autosport. "Not [with] the workload right now - we need a bit of a sleep, we haven't had that yet.
"But I've always liked Camaros and Corvettes and things like that, I reckon they look fantastic.
"We like having fun. I reckon [with] the Mustang on track, next year will be pretty exciting, it'll look cool. I've always liked two-door cars myself.
"I reckon bring it on."
One major sticking point over a short development of the Camaro is that the ZB is just four race weekends into its life-span.
In Supercars, a four-to-five year life cycle is common - the VF was first introduced in 2013 before being replaced by the ZB for '18.
The Nissan Altima also debuted in 2013 and is still in service, while the Ford Falcon FG-X will have completed four seasons by the time it is retired at the end of '18.
That would mean any short-term arrival of a Camaro would mean either cutting the lifespan of the ZB short, or running two GM products simultaneously.
"What would be cool is if you could run different models of the same manufacturer," said Dutton.
"There's 14 ZBs on the track - imagine if there was seven ZBs and seven Camaros - that'd be cool."
According to series CEO Sean Seamer, even just the Mustang's entrance has helped with discussions regarding overseas races.
"It's garnered a lot of traction and attention here locally," Seamer said.
"Because it is a cultural icon, not just in Australia but globally, it's raised eyebrows in a positive way and has already had an impact on the discussions we're having internationally."
Seamer has already said he'd love to see GT-Rs in the category, but the likelihood of that is complicated by ongoing questions over the brand's post-2018 Supercars future.

Scott McLaughlin claims maximum Supercars points at Phillip Island
Perth Supercars: McLaughlin takes surprise double win

Latest news
Ellis named as replacement for injured Auer in Bathurst 12 Hour
DTM race-winner Philip Ellis will make his Bathurst 12 Hour debut this week as a stand-in for the injured Lucas Auer.
Winning MSR Acura "super lucky" with Daytona 24 gearbox scare
The Meyer Shank Racing Acura team was "super lucky" to win the Daytona 24 Hours despite its malfunctioning gearbox for most of the race, according to team boss Michael Shank.
Bourdais “surprised” Cadillac was beaten on pace in Daytona 24 Hours
Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac driver Sebastien Bourdais said he was surprised that the victorious Acura ARX-06 outperformed his new V-LMDh in the Daytona 24 Hours IMSA SportsCar Championship season opener.
Daytona 24: MSR Acura opens GTP era with win, Proton snatches LMP2 by 0.016s
Meyer Shank Racing scored its second consecutive victory in the Daytona 24 Hours in the first race for the IMSA SportsCar Championship's new GTP regulations, leading an Acura 1-2 finish.
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
When Nissan ruled Australia with its 'Godzilla' Group A special
The Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R was the fastest Group A touring car ever. It cleaned up at the Bathurst 1000 and in the Australian Touring Car Championship, and is fondly remembered by the drivers who monstered it to success on the world-famous Mount Panorama
Ranking the top 10 Supercars drivers of 2021
It may have been a one-man title fight in Supercars this season, but behind dominant champion Shane van Gisbergen were some fascinating performances. Autosport picks out the best drivers of the 2021 campaign.
The well-travelled racer now Supercars' elder statesman
James Courtney has been around the block in his motorsport career it's fair to say. After a single-seater career cut short, he's won everything there is to win in Supercars. Following a rocky ride recently in the Australian category, he's found a happy hunting ground with Tickford Racing, as Andrew van Leeuwen explains
How taming his temper shaped Supercars' slow-burn star
His decision to leave Brad Jones Racing was the biggest shock of the Australian Supercars silly season so far. But for Nick Percat, it comes as the culmination of a personal journey that has made him into one of the most rounded drivers in the series, now in search of a seat that can make him a champion
Why replacing Supercars' GOAT with a teenager is worth the risk for T8
On the face of it, picking an 18-year-old rookie to replace arguably the greatest Supercars driver of all time is a risky move. But as Jamie Whincup takes up a team principal role and hands his car to Broc Feeney, it's one that he is confident will be rewarded in the fullness of time - time which wasn't afforded to Whincup in his early days
Can DJR still be a Supercars powerhouse after Penske?
OPINION: Roger Penske's operation helped lift Dick Johnson's faltering Ford team back to the top of Australian tin-tops. But, despite The Captain's departure, along with star driver Scott McLaughlin, there's no reason to expect an imminent decline from DJR
Why Whincup's next move is no calculated gamble
Supercars' most successful team of the past 15 years is set for a radical shakeup next year when Jamie Whincup retires from driving and takes over the reins at Triple Eight. But the team's outgoing boss Roland Dane has full faith that he'll be up to the task
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.