Each day, employees entering Xtrac?s design office pass a wall-mounted layout drawing for the company?s first racecar transmission. The G4 gearbox was developed by former Hewland engineer, Mike Endean, for rallycross star Martin Schanche?s four-wheel-drive Ford Escort. The plan serves as a reminder of where Xtrac started, and how much it has grown in the 40 years since. Now entering its fifth decade, the British transmission manufacturer has an increasing staff count of almost 500 employees, two build shops in the United States and several long-term supply deals for major series.
It currently builds the gearboxes for IndyCar, NASCAR, Supercars, all LMDh cars, most LMH cars, several in Formula E and more. In recent years, Xtrac has diversified into the high-performance automotive sector with electrification projects and boasts an impressive factory in the UK. Racecar recently went to Thatcham to find out what 40 years of progress looks like. Xtrac: Origins
The first Xtrac headquarters were as humble as you like: a small workshop around the back of a Chinese takeaway in Wokingham, a small town west of London. Endean built transmissions and related components in small quantities, mostly for off-road motorsport. The name Xtrac only emerged after Endean?s G4 gearbox had started racing in 1983. The story goes that Endean light-heartedly told the revered British motorsport commentator, Murray Walker, that his as-yet-unnamed firm could be called ?Mr X?s Traction Company?. Walker th...