What better way for Tom Walkinshaw Racing to make its return than by breathing new life into a forgotten Jaguar?
The British motorsport company, which is sometimes known as TWR, is back more than two decades after its demise with a roadgoing restomod called the Supercat. The head-turning grand tourer is based on the Jaguar XJS and is something of a spiritual successor to the firm’s most famous creations, the XJ220 and XJR-15.
TWR is one of the most successful British racing teams in modern history. It worked with several automakers, but its most fruitful partnership was with Jaguar. Together the duo won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, in 1988 and 1990, and built a pair of racing-inspired, street-legal supercars, the XJ2200 and XJR-15, under the JaguarSport name. Financial issues had sunk the company by 2002 but it’s up and running again under the stewardship of its late namesake’s son, Fergus Walkinshaw.
TWR Supercat
TWR
It’s only fitting that the new TWR’s first vehicle would be based on a Jag, even if the XJS has mostly been forgotten since going out of production in the mid-1990s. The restomod looks more muscular thanks to its heavily sculpted hood and fenders, though the original design’s elegant drawn-out shape and swooping lines still come through clearly. TWR isn’t ready to show off the vehicle’s interior just yet, but it’s hard not to be impressed by what it’s shared so far.
The Supercat, like the XJS before it, will be powered by a V-12. TWR hasn’t said how big the 12-cylinder mill will be, but it will be supercharged and is expected to produce more than 600 horses. It will also be connected to a six-speed manual that sends power to the rear set of wheels. No performance numbers have been provided, but it wouldn’t be remotely surprising to learn that the car is fast—at the very least faster than the XJS.
TWR
The Supercat is expected to make its full debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this July. TWR has announced that it will build just 88 examples of the vehicle. The retromod won’t come cheap, with build slots starting at £225,000 (or roughly $280,000 by the current exchange rate).
