- One of the most famous names in global engineering, TWR, begins a new life for a new generation.
- TWR established to pioneer technological advances on both road and track, while celebrating the heritage of Tom Walkinshaw Racing’s groundbreaking work.
- Details of TWR’s new project to be confirmed soon.
Newbury, Berkshire, UK – Monday 23rd October, 2023: One of the most famous names in performance engineering, TWR, will begin a new life 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.
Walkinshaw 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 Tom Walkinshaw‘s groundbreaking work and persuasive nature.
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, with TWR 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 automobiles that aim to push the envelope of performance engineering, while also working with class-leading brands to maximise the potential of their own products.
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. 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.
TWR founder Fergus Walkinshaw said: “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. 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. 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.”
Details of the first TWR project will be unveiled shortly.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Contacts:
TWR Press Office
E: press@twrperformance.co.uk
T: +44 (0) 20 3955 6568 (London, UK)
W: www.twrperformance.co.uk
About TWR
Established in 2020 by Tom Walkinshaw’s son, Fergus Walkinshaw, alongside his business partner John Kane, TWR aims to stretch the famous name into the modern automotive world. While a separate entity to the original Tom Walkinshaw Racing, the new company will share much of the DNA and spirit that helped the original TWR brand to become a world leader in performance and motorsport engineering.
From its base in Newbury, Berkshire, TWR will make its name as a constructor of bespoke automobiles for a whole new generation, seeking to protect and perfect the analogue driving experience with its own products, whilst also working with class-leading manufacturers to help maximise the potential of their own offerings.
About Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Founded in 1975 in Oxfordshire, Tom Walkinshaw Racing was the culmination of one man’s desire to do things better, which eventually grew to become the benchmark in global performance engineering for almost three decades.
TWR was born out of a desire to go faster, be better, and to win. After its founder, Tom Walkinshaw, discovered his talent behind the wheel in the late 1960s, he didn’t simply want to compete… he had to. After a big break with Ford on track, Walkinshaw formed TWR to run, develop, build, and race cars for manufacturers all over the world.
As well as being the man behind the development of world-beating race cars, Walkinshaw was often also behind the wheel of them. Most notable for its work with Le Mans-winning Jaguars, endurance racing Mazdas, V8-powered Holdens, Formula 1 machinery and big-capacity touring cars from brands like Rover and Jaguar, TWR’s knowhow ensured incredible performance across a multitude of motorsport formulae.
The track wasn’t TWR’s only domain. It was involved in many milestone road car designs, working with brands such as Jaguar, Holden, Renault and the game-changing Aston Martin DB7 – a model regularly credited with saving the modern iteration of the company.
Tom Walkinshaw’s work ethic was legendary, and he expected the same from the people he brought with him. The right team behind a car makes all the difference. Whether it’s a hatchback, supercar, BTCC racer, or even a Le Mans competitor, the people make it what it is.
Everything that could be done, would be done to ensure that anything TWR made was as close to perfection as possible. There was never a moment wasted in the pursuit of brilliance. Any car TWR created was designed to push boundaries as far as they could go, to find a winning edge, and TWR did it with style.