Walkinshaw Performance
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive, Motor racing |
| Predecessor | Tom Walkinshaw Racing |
| Founder | Tom Walkinshaw |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Key people | Ryan Walkinshaw (management) |
| Products | High-performance sports cars, aftermarket performance upgrades, race cars, 4WD and truck conversions |
Walkinshaw Performance is a company focused on the automotive sector, particularly specializing in motor racing and the production of high-performance sports cars intended for road use. Established by former racing driver and entrepreneur Tom Walkinshaw, it emerged as the successor to his earlier enterprise, Tom Walkinshaw Racing, which ceased operations after the downfall of the Arrows Formula One team. Currently, management of the firm is under the direction of Walkinshaw's son, Ryan.
History
Following the receivership of Tom Walkinshaw’s global engineering business, TWR, Holden stepped in to acquire and sustain its Australian branch, TWR Australia, aiming to preserve its involvement in motorsport. TWR Australia was responsible for managing the Holden Racing Team and K-Mart Racing Team (which later became the HSV Dealer Team). Due to regulations within V8 Supercars that prohibited manufacturers from owning teams directly, Holden divested these teams: the Holden Racing Team was sold to Mark Skaife, and the K-Mart Racing Team transferred to the Kelly family. Subsequently, TWR Australia was rebranded as Holden Motorsport, providing engineering services, maintenance, and race car construction support for these teams along with Paul Weel Racing.
At the close of 2004, Tom Walkinshaw assumed leadership of Holden Motorsport. In 2005, he acquired full ownership of the company, initially renaming it Tom Walkinshaw Performance Group before adopting the current name Walkinshaw Performance. This entity stands as the sole remaining segment from the former TWR organization.
Walkinshaw reestablished a presence in the Australian automotive market through collaboration with Holden Special Vehicles. Walkinshaw Performance took responsibility for constructing and servicing race cars for both the Holden Racing Team (HRT) and HSV Dealer Team.
In 2006, Walkinshaw Performance purchased Elfin Sports Cars, a niche manufacturer known for producing high-performance sports cars in limited quantities, and rejuvenated its Holden-based models. By 2007, partial ownership of HRT was reacquired by Walkinshaw Performance. The partnership with HSV Dealer Team concluded in 2008 when the Kelly family formed Kelly Racing after acquiring significant assets from Perkins Engineering. Concurrently, WP obtained full ownership of HRT from Skaife Sports and Dillon Racing and launched a two-car outfit named Walkinshaw Racing in 2009.
Outside of racing activities, Walkinshaw Performance produces aftermarket performance upgrades for vehicles built on the Holden Commodore platform—including Holdens, HSVs, Pontiacs, and Vauxhalls—as well as performance parts designed for Hummer vehicles.
In August 2016, Holden consolidated its Supercars Championship sponsorship by partnering with Triple Eight Race Engineering, resulting in the transfer of the HRT brand to Triple Eight in 2017. During this period, two HRT cars competed under a revived Walkinshaw Racing banner.
4WD and truck market
Following Holden’s shutdown in Australia, the Walkinshaw Group expanded its operations into converting large American trucks such as the Silverado from left-hand drive to right-hand drive configurations and undertaking various re-engineering projects across multiple manufacturers. Leveraging this expertise, Walkinshaw Performance entered the four-wheel-drive market by developing superchargers, headers, catalytic converters & suspension lifts, along with towing accessories tailored for vehicles including Silverado, RAM DS, and VW Amarok models. Demonstrating their capabilities in 2022, they entered two vehicles into the AORC.
W-series models
The model designations correspond to their power ratings measured in kW:
- W375
- W407
- W457
- W497
- W507
- W547
- W557