The unveiling of Toyota's new V8 Supercars engine, a collaboration with a UK firm, has stirred excitement and curiosity in the automotive community. According to a report by Speedcafe last year, Swindon was selected as the engine partner for this ambitious project under Toyota's Supercars homologation team, now operating as Walkinshaw TWG Racing.
This partnership was facilitated by Carl Faux, the principal of the Walkinshaw team, who has a history of working with Swindon's leader, Raphaël Caillé, during their time at Triple Eight in the UK.
For the Supra, Toyota has opted for a 5.2-liter variant of its all-aluminum, quad-cam 2UR-GSE engine. This decision aligns with Supercars regulations that stipulate an engine size between 5.0 to 5.7 liters. "The design of the engine, featuring a square bore and stroke of 94x94, provides an excellent foundation for a robust and competitive power unit capable of producing 600 horsepower," Caillé remarked.
Swindon has taken charge of developing, simulating, and manufacturing the prototype engines for this initiative, placing significant emphasis on the crankshaft and valvetrain components. Notably, several original equipment (OE) parts are utilized in the build, including the cylinder head, engine block, main caps, timing chain, and followers. Additionally, the Supra's engine incorporates hydraulic variable valve timing (VVT) technology and features a 3D-printed intake manifold, showcasing modern engineering techniques.
The assembly of the race engines will occur at Walkinshaw's facility located in Clayton, Victoria, where ongoing maintenance will also be handled. As excitement builds around the performance capabilities of this engine, there remain questions regarding its readiness for the upcoming 2026 racing season.
The championship will see five Supras competing—two from Walkinshaw TWG and three from customer team Brad Jones Racing—with the season kicking off from February 20 to 22. However, Jones recently disclosed that his team is currently in possession of a 'dummy' engine, as they work diligently toward completing the car builds. This tight timeline underscores the challenges faced in preparation for the races.
Track testing for Walkinshaw's initial Supra equipped with a prototype engine commenced last September, while a production version has been undergoing testing on the dyno in recent weeks. Tim Edwards, the motorsport director for Supercars, has attempted to alleviate concerns surrounding performance parity with existing competitors, pointing out that Toyota's engine architecture bears similarities to Ford's Coyote V8.
Despite the Supercars series demanding significantly more mileage than the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), Caillé emphasized that Swindon is fully aware of the hurdles presented by the Australian series. He stated, "This collaboration has been incredibly fruitful; the time zone difference allowed us to virtually work around the clock. Nevertheless, we recognize the challenges ahead. The Supercars championship is fiercely competitive, with established engine manufacturers who have vast experience with the Gen3 regulations. We respect their efforts and now it’s our responsibility to learn, adapt, and perform at our best on the track. Our goal is to achieve victory."
In the coming days, Walkinshaw plans to conduct a shake-down of its second Supra at Queensland Raceway, where it will also compete against a Mustang and a Camaro for comparative analysis. Caillé was present at the Townsville 500 event last July, and Swindon will have Sylvain Rubio trackside for the commencement of the 2026 season.
Interestingly, this is not Caillé's first encounter with Supercars; he previously contributed to an unsuccessful V8 engine project in collaboration with the French company Sodemo back in 2004 while at Triple Eight. Currently, Swindon is also involved in various motorsport projects, including the engine that powered Hyundai to a BTCC championship title in 2025, alongside their extensive capabilities in design, simulation, and manufacturing across multiple automotive sectors.
