KEY POINTS:
Kiwi Greg Murphy hopes motorsport fans like the new look of his VE Commodore-based V8 Supercar.
The red, white and blue race car will be seen for the first time at Hamilton this weekend.
It replaces the black and orange livery used over the past four years.
Naming
rights prevented team sponsor Sprint Gas Racing from introducing the new colours earlier in the V8 Supercar season.
"I think the car looks fantastic - it'll help us stand out a lot better," said Murphy.
"It's definitely the best looking Tasman car I've seen, but I suppose I am a little biased.
"It's a vast improvement on what we've had so far this year and we look more complete.
"I think we look pretty sharp - hopefully the fans will agree."
Murphy's team-mate, Jason Richards, was equally impressed with the new colours.
"I think it gives us an identity," he said. "You can't go too wrong with red, white and blue. It will look great on my new car." Richards will drive his car at the upcoming Sandown race.
Tasman Motorsport has been building the new Holdens over the past five months at a custom-made plant outside Melbourne.
The cars not only get new paint but new everything ... almost.
"There's not a thing on or in the car that is a carry-over from the old [2007] car other than the front upright," said project manager Jeff Grech.
"We're not just talking about a completely different bodyshell, we're talking about everything that goes on to the bodyshell.
"It's not an evolution, it's a revolution ... as far as Tasman Motorsport is concerned. It couldn't be more different."
The new facility gives Grech and his team the ability to build their own cars and own engines.
"This time last year, we had none of our own equipment," he said. "When it came to building new cars, we had to outsource.
"We also had to test our engines on someone else's equipment. This has all changed. We now have absolute control over our own destiny."
Grech says that in building the new race cars the team relied heavily on input from people who have worked on championship-winning teams.
"That and some fresh thinking," he said.
"The most significant change is the ability to better engineer the car for the driver so that changes are tangible.
"In the old car, when we made changes the drivers had difficulty in feeling any difference. We've improved this significantly.
"During the test pretty much every change we made Greg could feel.
"This will enable us to better engineer the car and make it faster and more competitive."
Grech says it will take a while to work out what the car will and won't like. "It could take four rounds, it may take longer.
"Remember, we're starting with a blank page. Gains made through adjustability could take months.
"With this car, we're all pioneers. It's a cautious approach, that's for sure."
The team's first goal is to finish the Hamilton race.
"If we can do this I'll be satisfied," said Grech. "Firstly, we need to tune the car. We've got no useable data because the car is so different from last year's.
"It'll be a challenge for the drivers and engineers. In some ways, though, it's good to debut the car at a first-time event. We're all learning together."
