TWR resurrected, plotting all-new supercar

The eldest son of legendary Scottish race driver, team boss and performance car builder Tom Walkinshaw has today confirmed the famous TWR name will be reborn as a bespoke sports car brand.

TWR, or Tom Walkinshaw Racing, was founded in 1975, and now the late icon’s eldest son, Fergus Walkinshaw, has revived the famous brand with the objective “to become a world-class constructor of bespoke high-performance automobiles that aim to push the envelope of performance engineering”.

A teaser image of the brand’s first high-performance supercar was also revealed, appearing to show the rear haunches of the new vehicle, which could employ an exotic mid-engine configuration.

But unlike many supercar rivals that rely on cutting-edge technology to deliver high performance, TWR is taking a more traditional route.

“In a rapidly evolving landscape where so many modern performance cars are governed by their electronic systems, TWR seeks to preserve and perfect the analogue driving experience,” the company said.

“By blending the best of modern materials and innovative design concepts with traditional engineering, TWR aims to craft vehicles with a perfect balance of performance, style, functionality and quality.”

Fergus Walkinshaw’s brother, Ryan Walkinshaw, heads up significant operations in Australia, including the Walkinshaw Group that’s responsible for converting US-built RAM and Chevrolet pick-up trucks to right-hand drive.

It’s not yet clear if the new TWR sports cars will be imported to Australia, but given the family connections and the fact the cars will almost certainly be constructed in right-hand drive for the British market, it’s highly likely the TWR scorchers will make the journey Down Under.

It’s also still to be confirmed whether TWR will build its own engines or source them from established players.

A quick look at the history books shows that TWR had the Midas Touch with countless motorsport successes – most notably with the Jaguar XJR racer that won the fabled Le Mans 24 Hours race in 1988 and 1990.

The team also fettled the ballistic Jaguar XJ220 super car and created the bonkers XJ220 S. TWR was also responsible for several other road cars, including mid-engined, six-cylinder Renault Clio V6 hot hatch.

The TWR name has several Australian connections, the engineering firm joining forces with Holden and Peter Brock to kick start Holden Special Vehicles (HSV), which turned out more than 85,000 vehicles between 1987 and 2020.

TWR is also responsible for a massive haul of V8 Supercars silverware, founding the Holden Racing Team (HRT) in 1988. Over 26 years the team snaffled seven Bathurst wins and six driver championships to become the most successful team in the history of Australian touring cars.

They also nurtured several Aussie racing legends, including the late Peter Brock, Craig Lowndes and Todd Kelly.

In a press release issued overnight, Fergus Walkinshaw talked up the brand’s revival.

“Through this new iteration of TWR we can not only celebrate the history and heritage of the original TWR, but also push the boundaries of our projects further than ever before,” he said.

“This new generation of TWR is first and foremost an engineering company that will make cars, rather than a car-maker doing engineering. And that’s an important distinction.

“We will make use of cutting-edge technology, combining new expertise with traditional craft to build world-class products that make a statement of what this new TWR is all about.

“We aim to build some truly impressive and innovative automobiles, unconstrained by the rulebooks and styling demands of OEMs,” he said.

The renewed British car-maker will build vehicle at its base in Newbury, Berkshire.

Stay tuned for more.

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