Sad news from England overnight that Tom Walkinshaw - boss of HSV, former race car driver and Formula One team owner - passed away after a battle with cancer.
Tom Walkinshaw was 64.
Over the years, since Tom first raced at Bathurst in the Group C era driving a Jaguar XJS with local star John Goss and German Armin Hahn, your Car Showroom correspondent spent many hours with him discussing not only cars, but his other passion – rugby union (Tom ran Gloucester Rugby Club for many years). Those memories will stay with me forever – a brilliant man, tough as they come but also with a wicked sense of humour.
Taking a lead from fellow English racer Guy Edwards, Tom Walkinshaw pioneered commercialism and motor sport, using his success racing in a variety of sedan and sports cars to launch a global automotive business which includes HSV in Australia.
He was hugely successful until a tilt at Formula One by purchasing the troubled Arrows team cost him millions.
But the brilliant Scot fought back and today his global high performance automotive empire is massive.
Tom Walkinshaw’s legacy will be the thousands of superb cars produced by his companies and enjoyed every day by motoring enthusiasts.
