TMR Bathurst Edition Lancer Evolution Announced, Backed By Mitsubishi Australia

UPDATE (3rd Feb): TMR Australia's Alan Heaphy runs us through the Bathurst Edition's finer points

IN HONOUR OF back-to-back victories in the Bathurst 12 Hour Showroom Enduro, TMR Australia has announced the 247kW TMR Bathurst Edition Lancer Evolution.

Developed in partnership with Mitsubishi Australia, the TMR Bathurst Edition is offered with Mitsubishi's standard 10 year powertrain warranty and five year new vehicle warranty.

Delivering 247kW and 436Nm of torque - up from the regular model's 217kW and 366Nm - the TMR Bathurst Edition is the most powerful road-legal 'Evo X' to be offered in Australia. The Bathurst edition is available with either the standard 5-speed manual or the quick-shifting TC-SST twin-clutch automatic.

Available from any Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution specialist dealer, the TMR Bathurst Edition Evolution benefits from a number of TMR Australia tweaks, including an engine upgrade, TMR exhaust and TMR progressive rate springs package.

The upgrades themselves are mild, with the engine being mechanically identical with the regular Lancer Evolution's 4B11 motor. However, TMR Team Principal Alan Heaphy says the engine tune is a solid compromise between outright power, driveability and reliability.

"It's basically a re-map, a moderate one," Heaphy said in an interview with The Motor Report.

"However there's a fair bit of work involved to make it work properly and to preserve the 10/5 warranty."

The outcome of TMR's revised engine program is a stout 247kW, but Heaphy believes the standard 4B11 engine is capable of up to 320kW before mechanical components such as fuel injectors need to be upgraded.

Buyers opting for the sophisticated twin-clutch gearbox won't need to worry about the extra power damaging the driveline either. Although most motorsport teams prefer the traditional H-pattern manual, Heaphy says the TC-SST transmission is rapidly proving itself as reliable in the heat of competition.

"We've given them a very extreme hard time on racetracks and in tarmac rallying and the only time we've had an issue is when we've had a 35-degree ambient temperature," Heaphy said.

"On those days the gearboxes just go into a limp mode after 5 or six laps of, say, Winton. The oil just gets too hot."

"A lot of guys use the [SST] for club days, trackdays and the like, and we've now got two into tarmac rallying. "

Last week, motoring journalist Dean Evans steering a TMR-built and  SST-equipped 270kW Evo X to second place in the Showroom class of Targa Wrest Point, validating the gearbox's suitability for motorsport.

Setting it apart from the pack on the aesthetic front and ensuring its special status doesn't go unnoticed on the road, the special 'Evo' scores powder-coated wheels with TMR centre caps, TMR Bathurst Edition badging at the rear and a TMR badge in the grille.

Inside, a build number identification badge affirms its place as a special edition model. Buyers of the TMR Bathurst Edition Evolution will also receive a Certificate of Authenticity.

Opting for the TMR Bathurst Edition Lancer Evolution will add another $8250 to the cost of a Lancer Evolution, bringing the base retail price to $68,440 for the manual and $74,440 for the twin-clutch.

The Bathurst Edition is available nationwide from all Lancer Evolution accredited dealers.