As revealed by Speedcafe last year, Swindon was appointed engine partner for the project by Toyota’s Supercars homologation team that is now known as Walkinshaw TWG Racing.
The connection came through Walkinshaw team principal and Gen3 Toyota project architect Carl Faux, who previously worked with Swindon boss Raphaël Caillé at Triple Eight in the UK.
Toyota is using a 5.2-litre version of its all-aluminium, quad-cam 2UR-GSE for the Supra, having been required to fit within a 5.0 to 5.7-litre window by Supercars.
“The engine’s architecture, such as its square 94×94 [bore and stroke], offers a great base for a competitive and durable power unit to achieve 600bhp,” said Caillé.
Swindon has led the development, simulation and production of development engines for the project, with a focus on the crank train and valvetrain hardware.
OE parts used include the cylinder head, block, main caps, timing chain and followers. The Supra engine also runs hydraulic variable valve timing (VVT) and a 3D-printed inlet tract.
Final assembly and ongoing servicing of the race engines will be undertaken by Walkinshaw at its facility in Clayton, Victoria.
Swindon’s spruiking of the engine comes amid swirling questions over its performance and readiness for the 2026 season.
Five Supras are set to contest the championship – two from Walkinshaw TWG and three from customer team Brad Jones Racing – which begins on February 20-22.
Jones revealed earlier this week his team currently only has a ‘dummy’ engine available for use as it works towards completing the build of its cars, pointing to tight timelines on the project.
Track testing of Walkinshaw’s first Supra fitted with a mule engine began last September, while Supercars has had a “production version” running on its dyno in recent weeks.
Supercars motorsport boss Tim Edwards has downplayed concerns over balancing performance with the incumbents, noting the Toyota’s similar architecture to Ford’s Coyote V8.
While the Supercars schedule involves around five times the mileage as the BTCC, Caillé said Swindon is not underestimating the challenge of the Australian series.
“It’s been a fantastic collaboration: the time zone difference enabled us to work around the clock, in effect,” said Caillé.
“However, we don’t underestimate the challenge. Supercars is a competitive championship with established engine producers with experience of the Gen3 regulations.
“We respect the job they are doing and now it’s up to us to learn, develop and bring our best efforts to the track. We won’t be satisfied until we start winning.”
Walkinshaw is due to shake down its second Supra on Monday at Queensland Raceway, where Supercars will also have a Mustang and Camaro on track for comparison.
Caillé attended the Townsville 500 last July, while Swindon will have Sylvain Rubio trackside for the opening events of the 2026 season.
The Toyota project is not Caillé’s first brush with Supercars. His time at Triple Eight included involvement in the ill-fated 2004 V8 engine project run in conjunction with French firm Sodemo.
Swindon’s current motorsport projects include the 2025-title winning Hyundai BTCC engine, while its design, simulation and manufacturing capabilities also stretch across various automotive applications.
Discussion about this post