It’s a name synonymous with the Australian and global automotive landscape; Walkinshaw. Now the TWR name is set to be reborn, in the hands of Tom’s son Fergus, and as a bespoke constructor of automobiles.
The new company is set to channel the same spirit, drive and ethos that helped make the original Tom Walkinshaw Racing an icon. A driving force in both the motor racing and performance car worlds, Tom Walkinshaw established the original TWR in 1975.
Across the near three decades that followed, he went on to create some of the most iconic and successful machinery the performance engineering world has ever witnessed. He was instrumental in sparking an interest in motorsport from many class-leading carmakers.
TWR’s touring car favourites include the Rover Vitesse, Holden Commodore, Mazda RX-7, and the cult classic Volvo 850 Estate. Then there are the road car projects. The Aston Martin DB7 and Renault Clio V6 owe their very existence to TWR.
Jaguar is noted for its longstanding and extremely successful relationship with Walkinshaw, and together they produced the infamous XJS, which went on to win both the 1984 European Touring Car Championship and 1985 Bathurst 1000.
Perhaps the most legendary TWR-Jaguar projects were the succession of monstrous Le Mans-winning Jaguar XJR Group C designs. The DNA of these cars was then used to create what would become perhaps the ultimate Jaguar production cars.
TWR was in fact heavily involved in the creation of both the XJ220 and XJR-15. Now, the famous TWR name will return, and along with it comes the same pioneering spirit and drive for success that made the original company into an international powerhouse.
Driven by Tom Walkinshaw’s son, Fergus Walkinshaw, the new generation of TWR has already assembled a highly skilled technical team. In the same vein as the original firm, TWR will set out to become a world-class constructor of bespoke high-performance cars.
The aim is to push the envelope of performance engineering, while also working with class-leading brands to maximise the potential of their own products. Key to its plan is the fact it seeks to preserve the perfect analogue driving experience.
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.
“It gives me a great amount of pride that the TWR name will live on for a new generation. High-performance engineering runs in the blood of the Walkinshaw family, and ever since the original TWR closed its doors I have longed to find a way to continue the family legacy,” TWR founder Fergus Walkinshaw said.
“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 added.
“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.”
Details of the first TWR project will be unveiled shortly. Australian operations previously owned by Tom Walkinshaw evolved into Walkinshaw Andretti United, Walkinshaw Performance and the Walkinshaw Automotive Group under the stewardship of Ryan Walkinshaw.
