By PH Staff \/ Monday, 23 October 2023 \/ Loading comments<\/p>\n
Tom Walkinshaw Racing needs no introduction on these pages. Whether for its success on the track or the numerous road cars it helped develop, the firm is rightly regarded as a legendary presence on the British scene in the \u201880s and \u201890s, and it was a sad day when the doors were forced to close following the demise of the Arrows F1 team. Now, a little more than 20 years later, TWR has announced its intention to return to prominence as a \u2018world-class constructor\u2019 of low-volume performance cars. <\/p>\n
The latest venture is the brainchild of Tom\u2019s son, Fergus, who quietly reestablished the business back in 2020, and has evidently spent the intervening years assembling a crack engineering team, \u2018including some members who were part of the original TWR\u2019. The new venture is technically a separate entity to the original firm (its assets and facilities were sold off back in 2002) but the team insists that \u2018the 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\u2019. <\/p>\n
If that prospect is already sufficient to brighten up your Monday morning, rest assured there\u2019s more. Part of the new TWR\u2019s mission statement is apparently to \u2018preserve and perfect the analogue driving experience\u2019 and to avoid (or at least, deprioritise) the modern reliance on electronic systems. The firm reckons that by blending modern materials with a traditional engineering approach, it can build innovative cars with \u2018a perfect balance of performance, style, functionality and quality\u2019. <\/p>\n
Needless to say, it isn\u2019t the only carmaker attempting to exploit that very profitable niche, but fond memory of cars like the Aston DB7, the Clio V6 and several monstrous Jaguars ought to give the new TWR a significant leg-up when it comes to the job of establishing its position in a crowded marketplace. The father-son relationship obviously helps, too, and Fergus has made clear that he has \u2018longed to find a way to continue the family legacy\u2019. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis new generation of TWR is first and foremost an engineering company that will make cars, rather than a car maker doing engineering,\u201d he continues. \u201cAnd that\u2019s 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.\u201d <\/p>\n
Having said that, in the finest tradition of its predecessor, the newcomer is also looking to spend some of its time working with \u2018class-leading brands to maximise the potential of their own products\u2019, but clearly the focus for now is on launching its first custom-made project. Hence the teaser pic which accompanies the announcement. Perhaps we ought not to read too much into the fact that filename is \u2018TWRJAG\u2019 but it\u2019s hard not to let your imagination run wild when models of a certain vintage continue to get your blood racing. TWR promises more details soon. We can hardly wait.<\/p>\n