As Toyota prepares to storm into the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship with the all‑new GEN3 GR Supra, a powerhouse partnership has emerged behind the scenes, one that blends British engineering pedigree with iconic Australian motorsport muscle.
Swindon Powertrain, a name steeped in race‑winning heritage, has been appointed the official engine partner for Walkinshaw TWG Racing, the team responsible for homologating Toyota’s maiden Supercars challenger. And if early indicators are anything to go by, this collaboration is shaping up to deliver one of the most compelling engineering stories of the upcoming season.
The five‑year programme will see at least five Toyota‑powered GR Supras hit the grid in 2026, marking Swindon Powertrain’s first-ever foray into the ultra-competitive Australian Supercars series. For a company with more than 50 years of performance engine experience (from F1 to WRC, BTCC to historic racing) it represents both a bold challenge and a natural next step.
At the heart of Toyota’s new Supercar lies a familiar powerhouse: the 2UR‑GSE V8. Normally found purring effortlessly under the bonnet of the Lexus LC500, Swindon Powertrain has transformed the all‑aluminium, quad‑cam unit into a 5.2‑litre, 600bhp-ready beast that fits neatly within Supercars’ strict 5.0‑5.7‑litre ruleset. With its square 94×94 bore and stroke configuration, the engine provides what Swindon’s managing director Raphaël Caillé calls “a great base for a competitive and durable power unit”.
But this is no simple rework. Supercars demands extraordinary endurance (over 12,000km of track running across the season, including the brutal 1.19‑mile straight at Bathurst) and all while maintaining strict cost caps. To meet those conflicting requirements, Swindon Powertrain zeroed in on enhancing durability where it counts most: the crank train, valvetrain hardware, combustion setup and overall calibration.
Yet the brilliance of Toyota’s road engines meant Swindon didn’t need to reinvent every wheel. Cost‑effective OE components such as the cylinder head, block, timing chain and followers remain in place, proving that production reliability can, indeed, be race-ready when handled by expert hands. For good measure, the 2026 engine carries over hydraulic VVT and an innovative 3D‑printed inlet tract, technology already proven in Swindon’s British Touring Car Championship‑winning engines.
It’s a truly global project. Swindon Powertrain’s ISO 9001‑certified facilities in the UK and France lead development, simulation and component production, while Walkinshaw TWG Racing takes charge of final assembly and servicing in Clayton, Victoria. Time-zone differences, rather than hampering the effort, have become a secret weapon—allowing work to continue around the clock. “It’s been a fantastic collaboration,” says Caillé. “The time zone difference enabled us to work around the clock, in effect”.
Walkinshaw TWG Racing team principal Carl Faux agrees, calling the partnership “essential in meeting deadlines and bringing [the programme] to life”. He notes that extraordinary effort has gone into ensuring the 2UR‑GSE not only meets but exceeds Supercars’ tightly enforced regulations, a nod to the category’s reputation as one of the world’s most competitive touring car battlegrounds.
Caillé himself is no stranger to Australian racing culture. Earlier in his career, he worked with Triple Eight Race Engineering during the Holden era and remembers the “pure competition, awesome sounds and enthusiasm” of the series fondly. Now, with Toyota and Swindon Powertrain joining forces, he’s eager to see the new GR Supra carve its own place in the sport’s lore.
And the stakes? They couldn’t be higher. Walkinshaw TWG Racing will field cars driven by stars Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood, while Brad Jones Racing will deploy another three Supras, rounding out a formidable multi-team attack for Toyota’s debut season.
For Swindon Powertrain, it’s more than a new chapter, it’s a chance to apply half a century of engineering mastery to one of motorsport’s biggest stages. From F1 beginnings to BTCC championships and bespoke high-performance builds, the company has always strived to “challenge the ordinary”. Now, with Toyota’s trust and Walkinshaw’s racecraft, they’re ready to take on Supercars’ fiercest competitors.
As the countdown to the 2026 season continues, one thing is clear: the Toyota GR Supra Supercar won’t just be another entry on the grid. It will be a global engineering statement, one built on collaboration, innovation, and a shared desire to win. And when those five Supras thunder down the straights for the first time, they’ll be powered by the unmistakable roar of Swindon Powertrain’s expertise.
