TWR at 50 headlines a double motorsport celebration at Bicester Motion

The 2026 event season at Bicester Motion opened in emphatic style on Sunday 11 January, as the first Sunday Scramble of the year combined two major anniversaries into a single, sold-out celebration. At its centre sat a landmark display marking 50 years of Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR), supported by a broader programme celebrating motorsport past, present and future.

With around 7,000 visitors braving the mid-winter cold, the former RAF base provided a fitting backdrop for one of the most substantial Scramble centrepieces yet staged.

Fifty years of TWR, told through machinery

The TWR anniversary was anchored by a display of approximately 50 cars, arranged to chart the team’s evolution from touring car upstart to global motorsport force. Rather than isolating individual highlights, the layout worked as a rolling timeline, connecting early successes to the programme’s most celebrated international achievements.

Among the most significant cars on show were 24-hour race winners, including a Mazda RX-7, Jaguar XJ-S ETCC winner, and the Le Mans-winning Jaguar XJR-9. The road car that this racer spawned, the XJR-15, was present and a Jaguar XJ220 also featured, alongside a tuned and prepared road XJ-S, representing TWR’s high-profile road-car ambitions, despite its complex and controversial competition history. A real crowd puller was also the Ford Transit van, now owned by XJ220 specialist Don Law, but that was used as a mule to test the V6 turbo engine covertly. The extensive collection also included two very early Group C cars, in the green Castrol livery, owned by Henry Pearman of Eagle E-types. The XJR14, designed by Ross Brawn during the period, represented the final days of Jaguar and TWR in Group C racing.

Early BMW touring cars illustrated Tom Walkinshaw’s formative years, while later chapters were filled by Group C and IMSA machinery, 1990s Volvo touring cars and a broad cross-section of Rover and Jaguar competition projects. Road-going and specialist conversions sat alongside the race cars, reinforcing the breadth of TWR’s influence beyond the circuit.

Voices behind the legacy

Live stage interviews added depth to the static displays, with sessions featuring designer Ian Callum and former Formula One driver John Watson. While no full transcripts have been published, the talks offered personal reflections on TWR’s impact, drawing sizeable crowds throughout the day and reinforcing the human stories behind the machinery.

Former team members, engineers and enthusiasts were a visible presence across the site, lending the celebration an authenticity that went well beyond a conventional anniversary showcase.

A wider motorsport celebration

Crucially, the Scramble was not solely focused on TWR. Elsewhere on the site, the event marked 40 years of Group B rallying, with a dedicated Orchard Lawn display featuring iconic machines such as the Audi Quattro and Ford RS200, alongside less familiar but equally evocative entries from the era.

The broader programme blended heritage with innovation. Major manufacturers, including Polestar, Bentley, Maserati and Jaguar Land Rover, contributed displays, while future-focused exhibits ranged from a Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 prototype to advanced electric motor technology and student engineering projects from leading universities.

Setting the tone for 2026

Reflecting on the event, Bicester Motion chief executive Daniel Geoghegan described a day that rewarded visitors at every turn, crediting the car owners, engineers, former team members and the Walkinshaw family for the depth and quality of machinery assembled.

“As an opening statement for the year ahead, the January Scramble struck a careful balance between celebration and substance. The TWR anniversary provided the emotional and historical anchor, but it was the breadth of the wider motorsport programme that gave the event its momentum — a reminder that Bicester Motion’s appeal lies as much in its living community as in its remarkable cars.“

For those in attendance, it was not just a look back at past glories, but a clear signal of how enthusiast-led motorsport culture continues to evolve, even in the depths of winter.