Walkinshaw to revive TWR nameplate in UK

ONE of the most famous names in high-performance engineering is set to make a comeback. TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing) will begin a new life as a “bespoke creator of automobiles”, continuing a legacy that aims to “stretch the famous name into the modern automotive world”.

Formed by Tom Walkinshaw’s son Fergus, and business partner John Kane, the ‘new’ TWR seeks to “pioneer technological advances both on road and track”, while seeking to preserve and protect the analogue driving experience.

“It gives me a great amount of pride that the TWR name will live on for a new generation,” said TWR founder, Fergus Walkinshaw.

“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. 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.

“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.”

While a separate entity to the original Tom Walkinshaw Racing, the new company will share what Mr Walkinshaw describes as “much of the DNA and spirit that helped the original TWR brand to become a world leader in performance and motorsport engineering”.

A single teaser image of the first vehicle to wear the new TWR nameplate has been revealed, alongside a message that says simply, “details of the first TWR project will be unveiled shortly”.

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

“We have scoured the performance and motorsport engineering worlds to assemble an incredibly talented technical team, including some members who were part of the original TWR, which just adds to our depth of knowledge and expertise. It’s from this base that TWR can push forward for a bright new future.”

The original TWR was established in 1975 and became a force to be reckoned with in both the performance car and motorsports worlds.

Tom Walkinshaw was instrumental in sparking an interest in motorsport from many manufacturers, with touring car favourites including the Holden Commodore, Mazda RX-7, Rover Vitesse, and Volvo 850 Estate.

Then there are the road car projects… The Aston Martin DB7 and Renault Clio V6 owe their very existence to TWR.

TWR also enjoyed a highly successful partnership with Jaguar. 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, with TWR heavily involved in the creation of both the XJ220 and XJR-15.