Heaphy hangs tough

MITSUBISHI Australia president Robert McEniry is expected to finally decide the future of its local Ralliart performance arm in the next month and the incumbent is hopeful of retaining a role in a revised set-up.

Team Mitsubishi Ralliart boss Alan Heaphy acknowledges that his small Melbourne-based operation does not have the design and development capabilities of some bigger candidates, but believes he can still be a part of the future.

David Richards’ British-based Prodrive organisation – which is a partner with Ford in Ford Performance Vehicles and is also involved with Toyota’s TRD operation – is understood to have been negotiating with Mr McEniry but will not comment on the situation.

And although Mr McEniry is an old friend of Holden Special Vehicles owner Tom Walkinshaw and is understood to have met with the Scot, Walkinshaw Performance director Chris Payne told GoAuto this week that the company is not a candidate to run the Ralliart business for Mitsubishi.

A press briefing has been scheduled by Mr McEniry for next month and he may take the opportunity to reveal his plans for Ralliart at that time.

TMR Australia built the supercharged TMR 380 Concept prototype that appeared at the Melbourne International Motor Show in March.

“We haven’t been dumped just yet,” Mr Heaphy told GoAuto. “We’re still here waving the flag. What the future is going to hold is really in (Mitsubishi’s) hands how they want to restructure and where they want to go with it all.

“Their engineering department is depleted from where it used to be, so they do need some form of design development type area and I think that will be done ‘out-of-house’.

“There are all sorts of opportunities for all sorts of different people – for us and the Prodrives and the Walkinshaws … where it all finishes up, who would know?

From top: TMR Lancer Evo IX rally car, TMR 380 Concept and Team Mitsubishi Ralliart manager Alan Heaphy (middle) with Glen Weston and Scott Pedder (right).



“We aren’t in the same league as Prodrive or Walkinshaw because they have been doing this stuff for a long, long time. Our forte is really motorsport, but we have secondary manufacturing status, so we can build a limited number of enhanced vehicles and get them ADR compliant and put them out on the roads the same as they can.

“But they are more established in design and development because of who they’ve been working with and what they’ve been doing. We aren’t at that same level. We can do that stuff, but on a very small scale.

“We’ve got some projects that we are working on with (Mitsubishi) and we’re waiting on some decisions on which direction they want to go with those,” he said.

In the meantime, Mr Heaphy and his TMR Australia operation in Melbourne are continuing to build Ralliart-equipped cars for Mitsubishi that are sold through dealers and carry factory warranties.

Lancer Evo IXs enhanced with Ralliart parts and equipment are being sold as TMR 220s, with turbo boost increased to bring power output to 220kW and torque to 400Nm (compared with 206kW and 355Nm respectively).

TMR 220s also feature bigger wheels and tyres, TMR-developed brakes with six-piston front callipers, adjustable suspension, various carbon fibre interior and exterior parts, a performance exhaust system and different instruments.

More than half of the TMR Evo IXs have been full motorsport versions carrying RS badges, which are ready for tarmac events in particular and are bought directly from TMR at around $140,000.

RS models are built to Group N competition specifications and consequently have a five-speed gearbox instead of the regular Evo six-speed unit, are 90kg lighter (thanks to the removal of interior trim, sound deadening and the radio), equipped with roll cages and harnesses, with limited-slip rear differentials instead of the standard active diff and produce even more power (240kW at the rear wheels).

Mr Heaphy said he was still working on the TMR 380 with a view to future production by Mitsubishi, either on-line or in conjunction with a contractor.

“There’s a lot of work being done on costings, (parts) availability and how it can be built, that sort of stuff,” he said. “That is on the table with Mitsubishi for them to make a decision. It’s not dead, I believe.

“The (show) car was put together fairly quickly and, although it was functional and did all the right things, there are a number of items that are not quite correct. We’ve done a bit more work on ADR compliance, emissions and engineering sensibility, but that’s as far as it’s gone at this stage.”

Mr Heaphy said he will consider retirement in the event of missing out on a Mitsubishi contract, but remains confident of continuing the association.

“I’ve worked hard for them the last three or four years and I think they have a bit of respect for us. I think that we’ll probably find something to do with them somewhere. But I’m a realist and, if there’s nothing, then that’s the way it goes.”

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Sydney show: Mitsu fires back with blown 380

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