Vanwall is a car manufacturer and racing team brand originating from the UK, etched in history for winning the inaugural F1 Constructors' World Championship in 1958. The brand was founded by British industrialist Tony Vandervell in the 1950s, named after his surname "Vandervell" combined with the "Thinwall" bearings produced by his company. This brand was only active in the F1 arena for seven years, yet it became the first British racing team to win a top-tier grand prize.
After a long period of dormancy, the Vanwall brand was revived in the 2020s under the leadership of German businessman Colin Kolles. Unlike its historical status as an independent racing team, the revived Vanwall operates out of Greding, Germany, participates in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) Hypercar class through the ByKolles Racing team, and also launches limited-production road-going supercars and high-performance electric hatchbacks.
The strategy of the revived Vanwall is using the WEC as the core platform for technical validation and brand exposure, using sales revenue from limited road cars to support racing projects, and achieving a commercial loop between racing and civilian products. Under the leadership of Colin Kolles, the new Vanwall not only resurrected a legendary brand but also successfully extended its narrative from F1 history to emerging fields like endurance racing and high-performance electric road cars.
Vanwall's origins date back to the early 1950s. Vandervell was originally a motorsport sponsor who initially used modified Ferrari cars to compete in formula races under the name "Thinwall Special". In 1954, he officially entered F1 with a self-developed race car, and the team name was changed to Vanwall. Initial results were mediocre, but with the help of Lotus founder Colin Chapman and aerodynamic engineer Frank Costin, the chassis and aerodynamic design of the VW5 race car reached the top level of the era.
In 1957, ace driver Stirling Moss joined. The VW5 won the first F1 race win for a British team at the British Grand Prix, becoming the last time in F1 history that two drivers won the same Grand Prix with the same race car. In the 1958 season, Moss and Brooks each took three race wins. Although Moss finished second in the championship by just one point, Vanwall defeated Ferrari in total points to win the inaugural F1 Constructors' World Championship trophy.
In 1960, Vanwall withdrew from F1 completely. Since then, the brand has undergone multiple revival attempts, none of which were successful. The most significant attempt was led by former F1 team manager Colin Kolles, moving the operational base to Germany and participating in top-level WEC endurance races via the ByKolles Racing team. In 2023, the Vandervell 680 LMH completed its first WEC season. In 2026–2027, it will return to the Asian Le Mans Series with an upgraded car, targeting a return to WEC in 2027.
Vanwall's current product line is divided into two major categories: racing cars and road cars.
The Vandervell 680 LMH racing car adopts Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) specifications and competed in the WEC in 2023. Due to powertrain reliability issues, it only finished a few races. ByKolles conducted comprehensive upgrades during the break, including replacing the powertrain and implementing multiple mechanical and aerodynamic improvements.
The Vandervell 1000 road-going supercar is built based on the LMH racing car. To meet road regulations, race-spec aerodynamic components were removed and ride height was optimized. It is equipped with a Gibson 4.5-liter V8 hybrid powertrain, with a maximum power of 1000 horsepower, a curb weight controlled within 1000 kg, and uses four-wheel drive. It is one of the few legal road-legal race cars that were tested on public roads with real license plates during the development phase.
The Vanwall Vandervell electric hatchback was released in 2023, developed based on Hyundai Motor Group's E-GMP platform. The body uses carbon fiber body panels, paying tribute to 1980s rally race car design. Three configurations are available:
H-GT: 325 horsepower, 0-100 km/h in 4.9 seconds;
N-GT: 641 horsepower (equal to Ioniq 5 N), 0-100 km/h in 2.9 seconds;
N-GT Thin Wall Special: 641 horsepower, curb weight under 2000 kg, 0-100 km/h in just 2.7 seconds.
After its revival, Vanwall's market performance at the racing level was concentrated in the 2023 WEC season. The Vandervell 680 LMH's best performance of the year was finishing eighth in the Hypercar class at the season opener, the 12 Hours of Sebring, but many races were abandoned early due to reliability issues.
Regarding road cars, the Vandervell electric hatchback was announced as a limited run of 500 units, with a starting price of €128,000 (including tax) (approximately 938,800 RMB), planned to start delivery in the third quarter of 2023. First examples rolled off the production line at the German headquarters factory from late 2025 to early 2026. Limited by production ramp-up, the annual delivery volume is expected to be in the range of dozens of units. The Vandervell 1000 road supercar has not disclosed production volume and price, and is still in the prototype testing phase.
Regarding the official reproduction project, Vanwall announced in 2020 that it would replicate 6 VW5 race cars exactly as they were, targeting collectors and F1 history enthusiasts, and these are not included in the regular road car sales figures.
Vanwall has formed a distinctive technical system in four areas: powertrain, chassis tuning, lightweighting craftsmanship, and human-machine interaction.
Regarding the powertrain, after experiencing a reliability crisis in the 2023 season, the Vandervell 680 LMH race car completed key technical upgrades. The original Gibson 4.5-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine has been replaced by a 3.5-liter Pipo Moteurs twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which was previously used in the Glickenhaus 007 LMH race car. Forza Vanwall also made improvements to the intake environment and airflow optimization, enabling the engine to achieve an improved race completion rate with a more stable output strategy under the strict Le Mans Performance Balance (BoP) limits. Vanwall also plans to use this powertrain package to further verify and expand its performance limits in the upcoming Asian Le Mans Series. In the road-going version, Vanwall achieves a breakthrough in power by fully exploiting the Gibson 4.5-liter V8 hybrid powertrain's extreme road capabilities under broader constraints.
Chassis tuning is a heritage advantage of Vanwall's history. The 1958 VW5 race car had already gathered the most advanced chassis technology and aerodynamic design of the time. The revived Vandervell electric hatchback underwent independent chassis tuning based on the E-GMP platform, lowering suspension height and adding exclusive aerodynamic kits.
Lightweighting craftsmanship is a technical highlight of Vanwall. The Vandervell electric hatchback uses carbon fiber body panels, and the N-GT Thin Wall Special curb weight is compressed to within 2000 kg. The Vandervell 1000 goes further, controlling weight to within 1000 kg, which is extremely rare in the supercar field. The naming of the special edition model "Thin Wall" is also a tribute to the precision manufacturing tradition of the founder Vandervell family's thin-wall bearings.
Regarding human-machine interaction, the Vandervell electric hatchback offers a full suite of personalized customization options, including any body color, five cabin interior combinations, and extensive customization kits, fully demonstrating the racing gene and unique character of a luxury brand.
As a revived brand, Vanwall's operations and production layout have distinct cross-border characteristics. Although the brand originates from the UK, the modern revived operations and manufacturing center have moved entirely to Greding, Bavaria, Germany. All Vanwall road car manufacturing and final assembly are completed at this factory.
At the level of global racing strategy, Vanwall chose the Asian Le Mans Series as the vanguard position for returning to top-level endurance racing. By participating in the Asian Le Mans Series which introduced the Hypercar class for the first time in the 2026–2027 season, further race car validation is conducted in high-stakes clashes outside European circuits, also creating conditions for a return to WEC global events in 2027.
The electrification architecture and core engineering calibration of Vandervell road cars deeply rely on Hyundai Motor Group's E-GMP platform from South Korea. Vanwall positions itself as a brand "born for a few true driving enthusiasts". Its limited production model and high unit price characteristics determine that it primarily targets wealthy automotive markets such as Europe, North America, and the Middle East, but specific data on scaled overseas sales channels has not yet been published.
Vanwall has listed the return to racing on the track as the primary strategic goal. The brand plans to test upgraded race cars in the Asian Le Mans Series during the 2026–2027 season, aiming to officially return to WEC in 2027 upon receiving an invitation. Colin Kolles emphasized in an official statement that he is optimistic about the significant improvement in track performance of the upgraded Vandervell 680 LMH.
Regarding production capacity, the first batch of Vandervell electric hatchback examples has begun delivery. The brand plans to fully increase production capacity within the 500-unit limited range, and give a higher degree of market customization to the Thin Wall special edition. The Vandervell 1000 road supercar is currently still in the prototype road test phase. Promoting compliance certification and the implementation of mass production equipment is another long-term focus for the brand.
Looking ahead to 2027, Vanwall will convert the racing experience and market attention gained in the Asian Le Mans season into a return to WEC. If stable race completion performance and reliable results can be delivered, this century-old legendary brand will not only welcome a new chapter in the racing field but also provide strong endorsement and driving force for the sales and market expansion of its road cars.
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