The foundation of the modern championship's technical identity was established in the early 1990s when Australian touring car racing authorities developed a formula built around 5.0-litre V8-engined Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores. The new class structure was announced in November 1991, with rules designating Class A status for V8 Australian-built cars and separate classes for 2.0-litre international touring cars. Both the Ford Falcon EB and Holden Commodore VP used American-derived engines restricted to 7,500 rpm and a compression ratio of 10:1.
The 1993 season introduced all three classes simultaneously, though the 2.0-litre Supertouring cars departed from the Australian Touring Car Championship from 1995 to contest their own series, leaving the V8 cars as the championship's sole category. The distinctive aerodynamic packages and power outputs gave the new generation significant performance advantages and established a visual identity that would define Australian touring car racing for decades.
In November 1996 the Australian Vee Eight Super Car Company (AVESCO) was formed as a joint venture among the Touring Car Entrants Group of Australia (TEGA), promoters IMG, and the Australian Motor Sports Commission, providing a new commercial structure for the rapidly expanding series. The category simultaneously adopted the V8 Supercars name. Television deals with Network Ten and Fox Sports expanded the championship's reach, and subsequent seasons brought rapid geographic growth.
From 1998 the series added rounds in the Northern Territory and on Australian street circuits, with the Adelaide Grand Prix circuit hosting events from 1999. New Zealand joined the calendar in 2001 at Pukekohe Park Raceway. International expansion followed: Shanghai in 2005, Bahrain in 2006, Abu Dhabi in 2010, and Circuit of the Americas in 2013. The FIA granted the series International Series status in 2011.
Ownership of the championship changed hands multiple times. In 2011, Archer Capital acquired a 65 percent shareholding with the teams holding the remainder. In December 2021 both parties sold their stakes to Race Australia Consolidated Enterprises.
The parity-based approach has always been central to the series philosophy. The Project Blueprint regulations of 2003, developed by Paul Taylor and Wayne Cattach over two years, standardised chassis pick-up points, wheelbase, track width, and driving position across Ford and Holden cars, replacing the ad hoc adjustments that had characterised the preceding decade. The performance of the Ford BA Falcon and Holden VY and VZ Commodores proved relatively balanced under these regulations, with Ford winning championships from 2003 to 2005 and Holden in 2006.
The New Generation V8 Supercar regulations, introduced in 2013 after an extensive development process led by Mark Skaife, opened the championship to manufacturers beyond Ford and Holden for the first time. The intent was to reduce per-car costs to approximately 250,000 Australian dollars through the use of control components. Nissan entered with the Altima L33 through Kelly Racing, Erebus Motorsport ran Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG machinery, and Garry Rogers Motorsport introduced the Volvo S60. The Nissan programme ended in 2020, and the series reverted to a Ford and Holden duopoly temporarily.
Ford replaced the Falcon with the Mustang in 2019. Holden's final season of competition came in 2022, with the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 replacing the Commodore from 2023. Toyota made its championship debut in 2026 with the GR Supra, completing the current three-manufacturer field.
The Gen 3 technical framework, introduced for the 2023 season after a pandemic-related delay, aimed to reduce costs and increase road relevance while maintaining competitive parity. Aerodynamic changes significantly reduced generated downforce, making the cars more challenging to drive and reducing turbulent air effects for following cars. Engines were aligned more closely to road-going production units from each manufacturer.
Current powertrains include a 5.4-litre Ford Coyote DOHC V8 for the Mustang, a 5.7-litre GM LTR pushrod V8 for the Camaro, and a 5.2-litre Toyota 2UR-GSE DOHC V8 for the GR Supra. All cars run on E75 fuel. Power is transferred to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential transaxle with a spool differential, a configuration uncommon in modern racing that demands specific driving technique and makes adaptation difficult for drivers from other categories.
The championship calendar encompasses sprint races of 100 to 200 kilometres, street races of up to 250 kilometres, and endurance events requiring two drivers. The Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama is the series' most celebrated event and one of Australian motorsport's most iconic races. The Sandown 500 is the other major endurance fixture, with both endurance rounds requiring co-drivers alongside each full-time competitor. The Adelaide 500 attracts the highest attendance of any Supercars round, with over 285,000 spectators annually.
The highest speed ever recorded by a Supercar of any generation is 300.5 kilometres per hour, set by Shane van Gisbergen on the Conrod Straight at Mount Panorama during qualifying for the 2023 Bathurst 1000.
Entry into the championship requires teams to hold Teams Racing Charters (formerly Racing Entitlements Contracts), a franchise-style system that limits the field and ties each entry to specific team obligations. The defending champion has the right to carry the number 1, though Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin both elected to retain their regular numbers following multiple title wins. From 2025 the championship incorporated a finals system in which the top-ten points scorers compete in knockout races across the season's final three rounds.
The Supercars Championship has been the dominant domestic motorsport competition in Australia since its V8 formation in the early 1990s. Its combination of close competition enforced through technical parity, the iconic Bathurst 1000, and a television presence across 137 countries has sustained its standing as one of the world's most watched touring car series. The series' ongoing manufacturer evolution, from the original Ford-Holden duopoly to a three-brand field including Toyota, reflects its continuing commercial appeal.