Toyota and Walkinshaw join forces to create a Supra Supercar for 2026

Credit: Supercars.com

Toyota is set to shake up the iconic Ford vs. General Motors rivalry in the Australian Supercars Championship by entering a V8-powered GR Supra starting in 2026. Partnering with Walkinshaw Andretti United – a team with a deep history in the championship, formerly racing as the Holden Racing Team and more recently as a Ford Mustang outfit – Toyota will debut the Supra in Supercars' latest Gen3 regulations.

The GR Supra will feature a race-bred version of Toyota’s 5.0-liter V8 engine, adapted from the power unit used in Lexus F performance models and the current LC500. This move sees Toyota become the first non-US manufacturer in Supercars since Nissan’s Altima left the series in 2019. Toyota, Australia’s best-selling brand for 21 years running, has committed to a five-year campaign in the championship.

With this announcement, Toyota brings new competition to the grid, joining the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, which replaced the Holden Commodore following Holden’s closure in 2020. Although Toyota is a familiar face at Bathurst, with the GR86 coupe competing in the TGRA GR Cup, this will mark their first foray into the premier class since the Toyota Corolla’s success in the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) from 1985 to 1990.

The GR Supra’s entry into Supercars will be a collaboration between Toyota and Walkinshaw Andretti United, which has a rich history in Australian motorsport, having been the official Holden factory team for 27 of its 34 years before switching to Ford in 2023. Toyota has already begun work on the race version of the GR Supra at its Altona design facility in Melbourne, where a scale clay model of the car was revealed to the media earlier this week.

Toyota’s bold entry into the Supercars Championship represents a long-considered move by the company, with the manufacturer contemplating involvement in the series for over 20 years. The GR Supra, once developed and homologated for racing, will bring a new level of excitement and competition to Australia’s top-tier touring car series, marking a new chapter for both Toyota and Supercars.