GWM’s V8 supercar to spawn global racing ambitions

GWM used the 2026 Beijing motor show to unveil the platform for its incoming supercar – a carbon fibre monocoque chassis with a mid-mounted hybrid 4.0-litre V8 expected to produce mega outputs – and now the Chinese brand’s chairman, Jack Wei, has his sights set on hitting the global motorsport stage, telling media the supercar is a “key tool for brand building”.

From a growing number of powertrain options to plans to hit the global motorsport stage, it seems nothing is off-limits for Chinese car-maker GWM.

The yet-to-be-unveiled mid-engine supercar dubbed GWM GF is firming for a 2027 reveal and GWM chairman Jack Wei hasn’t been shy about the brand’s intentions for its Ferrari SF90-rivalling machine, which could produce as much as 1000kW of power from a 4.0-litre twin-turbo hybrid V8.

It’s a project led by ex-McLaren and Toyota engineer, Adam Thomson, who says GWM was around 12 months into the supercar project when he arrived at the company in 2023.

That was subsequently scrapped and replaced by the British engineer’s architecture, which is set to debut in road-going form next year.

“I arrived here three years ago with an idea for what we wanted to do, which went out the window and then we pretty much started from scratch,” said Thomson.

The Brit said GWM opted for a ground-up approach, rather than sharing bits with other manufacturers or taking heavy inspiration from the British marque he came from.

“A lot of the last three years of work is absolutely from a blank sheet of paper; [it’s built] from the ground up, everything,” said Thomson.

“Choosing the right tools, choosing the right partners to work with, choosing the right people we need to hire, choosing the right materials, developing a package concept, validating the com-gens we do digitally.

“It’s like starting a new car company again, inside a current car company.”

Asked how GWM’s supercar might stack up against the likes of a McLaren, Thomson ensured the GF would be a “very different kind of product.”

“McLarens are good at what they do – we’re doing something slightly different. I wouldn’t say we’re going toe to toe with them but there are certainly aspects of what I learned through that process that are intrinsic in [the supercar].”

The high-powered two-door, two-seat supercar can be adapted to accept multiple powertrains.

So, where does motorsport come in?

Well, chairman Wei says GWM has a strong interest in motorsport and according to Thomson, the platform shown in Beijing is “capable of doing more than what is being demonstrated”.

“Going into something like GT3 racing, it’s extremely controlled from the FIA for example around the regulations, what the car needs to be,” said Thomson.

 “What you see here today needs to be developed into that GT3 [car] so it can’t go out racing tomorrow but the platform has the flexibility to allow us to do that when we’re ready to do it.”

Chairman Wei has opened the door to other forms of motorsport, too, including extreme off-road racing.

"The supercar platform will evolve into a GT3 race car, with a road-going GT3 version as well. We previously considered Dakar, but withdrew due to low domestic visibility in China,” said Wei.

“We have participated in long-distance rally events in China, covering around 8,000 km in desert conditions with production vehicles.

“We have now joined FIA T2 categories and plan to enter Dakar in the future.”

*Lead image generated by AI

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