Nissan have pulled the covers off the much-anticipated new Altima V8 Supercar it will race in the V8 Supercars Championship next year.

The new car was unveiled at a classy media launch this morning in Melbourne with Kelly Racing owner/drivers Todd and Rick Kelly joined by Nissan Australia CEO William F Peffer Jnr for the special occasion.

The first chassis – KR001 – was revealed today and is powered by the quad-cam, 32-valve production-based Nissan VK56DE engine that was unveiled in September at the Kelly Racing squad’s Melbourne headquarters.

The new car has been built to the new ‘Car of the Future’ regulations for V8 Supercar racing, which includes bigger 18-inch wheels, transaxle gearbox and independent rear suspension.

The team is the sixth – behind Triple Eight Race Engineering, Ford Performance Racing, Holden Racing Team, Stone Brothers Racing and Fujitsu Racing/GRM – to complete one of the 2013-specification cars.

Former Bathurst champion Todd Kelly – who is sidelined for the remainder of the 2012 season due to shoulder surgery – said that the unveil today was the proudest moment in his team’s short history.

“This is the proudest day in the relatively short history of our team, as well as one of the most significant days in recent times for the sport of V8 Supercars,” he said.

“Our team has done a tremendous job to design and build an all-new V8 Supercar, including a new engine, in roughly nine months.

“The Nissan Altima V8 Supercar really is like no other V8 Supercar. Not only does it look spectacular, but its unique features and aggressive design ensure that Nissan Motorsport will stand out from the rest of the field.

“The look of the Altima and sound of the VK56DE engine are second-to-none. Once V8 Supercars has homologated the aerodynamic package on the Altima, we will begin our testing to ensure it drives as fast as it looks and sounds.”

His brother, two-time Bathurst 1000 winner and 2006 V8 Supercar champion Rick, is looking forward to becoming a fully-fledged factory driver for the first time in his career.

“2013 will be the first time in my career that I will be a factory driver and it’s a responsibility that I am not taking lightly,” he said.

“Our entire team is working harder than ever to ensure that we rise to another level as we transform into Nissan Motorsport for next season. This is the most exciting time in our sport for two decades and it is amazing to think that our team is at the forefront of this change.

“A lot of hard work still lies ahead but we want to ensure that Nissan Motorsport is competitive next season and is a force to be reckoned with in the not-too-distant future.”

The Kelly team will now work with V8 Supercars as the category’s technical team works to homologate the Nissan Altima for competition, with a particular emphasis on the car’s aerodynamics package.

Once that process is complete, the team will begin circuit testing with the car and complete construction of further cars.

The new Nissan Altima will make its racing debut next year at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide against Holden, Ford and the SBR/Erebus-run AMG Mercedes-Benz E-Class entries.

Four new Altimas will line up on the 28-car grid for next year’s championship in a return by Nissan to top-level touring car competition in Australia.