diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/common.mk b/Examples/test-suite/common.mk
index 85b27979d..ddbb75d22 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/common.mk
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/common.mk
@@ -831,6 +831,13 @@ endif
 partialcheck:
 	$(MAKE) check CC=true CXX=true LDSHARED=true CXXSHARED=true RUNTOOL=true COMPILETOOL=true
 
+swig_and_compile_cpp_helper = \
+	$(MAKE) -f $(top_builddir)/$(EXAMPLES)/Makefile SRCDIR='$(SRCDIR)' CXXSRCS='$(CXXSRCS)' \
+	SWIG_LIB_DIR='$(SWIG_LIB_DIR)' SWIGEXE='$(SWIGEXE)' \
+	LIBS='$(LIBS)' INCLUDES='$(INCLUDES)' SWIGOPT=$(2) NOLINK=true \
+	TARGET="$(TARGETPREFIX)$(1)$(TARGETSUFFIX)" INTERFACEDIR='$(INTERFACEDIR)' INTERFACE="$(1).i" \
+	$(LANGUAGE)$(VARIANT)_cpp
+
 swig_and_compile_cpp =  \
 	$(MAKE) -f $(top_builddir)/$(EXAMPLES)/Makefile SRCDIR='$(SRCDIR)' CXXSRCS='$(CXXSRCS)' \
 	SWIG_LIB_DIR='$(SWIG_LIB_DIR)' SWIGEXE='$(SWIGEXE)' \
@@ -847,12 +854,7 @@ swig_and_compile_c =  \
 
 swig_and_compile_multi_cpp = \
 	for f in `cat $(top_srcdir)/$(EXAMPLES)/$(TEST_SUITE)/$*.list` ; do \
-	  swigopt=$$(name=SWIGOPT_$$f; eval echo \$$$$name); \
-	  $(MAKE) -f $(top_builddir)/$(EXAMPLES)/Makefile SRCDIR='$(SRCDIR)' CXXSRCS='$(CXXSRCS)' \
-	  SWIG_LIB_DIR='$(SWIG_LIB_DIR)' SWIGEXE='$(SWIGEXE)' \
-	  LIBS='$(LIBS)' INCLUDES='$(INCLUDES)' SWIGOPT="$${swigopt:-$(SWIGOPT)}" NOLINK=true \
-	  TARGET="$(TARGETPREFIX)$${f}$(TARGETSUFFIX)" INTERFACEDIR='$(INTERFACEDIR)' INTERFACE="$$f.i" \
-	  $(LANGUAGE)$(VARIANT)_cpp; \
+	  $(call swig_and_compile_cpp_helper,$${f},'$(SWIGOPT)'); \
 	done
 
 swig_and_compile_external =  \
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/python/Makefile.in b/Examples/test-suite/python/Makefile.in
index 57106edd1..a85b2984a 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/python/Makefile.in
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/python/Makefile.in
@@ -105,9 +105,12 @@ VALGRIND_OPT += --suppressions=pythonswig.supp
 # Custom tests - tests with additional commandline options
 #python_flatstaticmethod.cpptest: SWIGOPT += -flatstaticmethod
 
+# Make sure just python_runtime_data_builtin.i uses the -builtin option. Note: does not use python_runtime_data.list for all steps.
 python_runtime_data.multicpptest: override SWIG_FEATURES := $(filter-out -builtin,$(SWIG_FEATURES))
 python_runtime_data.multicpptest: override SWIGOPT := $(filter-out -builtin,$(SWIGOPT))
-python_runtime_data.multicpptest: export SWIGOPT_python_runtime_data_builtin = $(SWIGOPT) -builtin
+python_runtime_data.multicpptest: swig_and_compile_multi_cpp = \
+	$(call swig_and_compile_cpp_helper,python_runtime_data_builtin,'$(SWIGOPT) -builtin') && \
+	$(call swig_and_compile_cpp_helper,python_runtime_data_nobuiltin,'$(SWIGOPT)')
 
 # Rules for the different types of tests
 %.cpptest: