Mitsubishi Evo IX time attack: Spotted
How an 864hp time attack Evo helps Harris mourn a man who helped make it what it is
The bit that interests me though is the little line that says 'Exe-tc suspension'.
Exe-tc is a company that has won nine World Rally Championships, eight of them with Citroen. It was founded and run by a bloke called Graham Gleeson, a maverick genius of a man who became a great friend to me, and who sadly died two weeks ago. I'm going to his funeral today.
Bonkers power but it's the suspension that matters
We developed a suspension system for 996 and 997 Porsches together - that was some of the most enjoyable work I've done. I say 'we'. I just drove the car and gave feedback. Listening to him deconstruct the way a road car's suspension should work - how ride comfort and suppleness were the holy grail - was manna from heaven for me.
We used his systems in VLN races at the Nordschleife in a 997 Cup car for several seasons with real success and then finished the 2011 Nurburgring 24 hours the highest placed 3.6-litre Cup car and 20th overall. It was small beer to a bloke with World Championships to his name, but he still made us feel like rock stars.
I love the fact that I can crack open the PH classifieds, peruse the fast Mitsubishis, type Exe-tc into the search function and see his legacy out there, still being the best in the business.
Today's going to be tough. One thing's for sure: heaven now knows much more about rebound damping than it did a few weeks back.
MITSUBISHI EVO IX GT
Engine: 1,997cc 4-cyl turbo
Transmission: Drenth sequential, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 864@8,600rpm
Torque (lb ft): N/A
MPG: Best not to ask
CO2: See above
First registered: 2005
Recorded mileage: 150
Price new: Probably rather a lot
Yours for: £58,500
See the advert here.
The biggest shame is that hardly anyone has heard of EXE-TC yet they've won so many championships.
For anyone looking to buy it (Juno you already have a bright green one so you don't need another one) this is a great example. From the sounds of it the suspension will be sorted and the engine will be a beast (Norris Design built). Stunning bit of kit and hope it finds a new owner.
Sorry for you loss Chris and all that new Graham. My thoughts go out to you.
RIP Graham, the motorsport world will miss you
I first met Graham back in around 2006/7 when I had my first Evo. I was steered in the direction of Exe-tc by a tuner at the time. I decided that although double the price of anything else, Exe-tc sounded like the way to go even though I knew very little about suspension (but that was all to change).
I spoke to Graham to decide on exactly which spec to go with, and felt instantly very comfortable with him. Initially I thought that coilovers were coilovers, and that was that. After half an hour on the phone to Graham, I realised how wrong I was after Graham managed to package the essence of vehicle dynamics into a 20 minute chat. It became apparent that there was a lot more to suspension than I had realised, and it was very obvious where the extra money went. Chalk and cheese sprang to mind when comparing Exe-tc to other stuff, but this was the start of my fascination with suspension.
When speaking to Graham, it was so difficult not to get excited about handling - especially when you had felt what is possible first hand. Graham was so modest and never really talked up his achievements, whereas I couldn't help but tell people I have suspension fitted by the same man that has taken WRC teams to championship victory!
I was so delighted with the suspension. I drove down there one day to meet the team, and have a slight problem corrected. Whilst there, Graham and his team went over the geometry of the car, changed some settings, and I managed to get home 40 minutes faster than my drive there due to how awesome the car was working. The suspension felt like it had been DESIGNED for the A303, and it just transformed the car.
I stayed in touch as and when I needed things done with the suspension, and it was always such a pleasure dealing with Graham. He was a very fun chap at all times.
In 2008 Graham called up and asked if I would help them with their website, as he had remembered what I did for a living from previous conversations. Over the years we re-designed the website several times as and when the company changed direction, and Graham was always such a pleasure to work with. It was like talking to a mate instead of a client. Conversations were always centred 25% around work, and 75% about cars and general rubbish which I always enjoyed so much.
I was always fascinated by his depth of knowledge and his ability to look at something from a completely different angle from anyone else. He called it "lateral thinking" whereas I would call it genius. He would always be happy to offer advice on other cars I was tinkering with at the time. I felt privileged that I could call him up with a handling issue, and have him offer his friendly advice - advice that rally teams pay huge sums of money for. It was clear that we had crossed the "business associates" line.
At the funeral, the director stated, "With Graham, the line between business associates and friends was often blurred." I started to smile at this point, because he was exactly right, and it perfectly summed up the relationship I had with Graham.
I started off with some great suspension, mid-way through took on a client, but ultimately ended up with a friend.
Chris your closing line really did make me chuckle. Rest in peace Graham, you will be very much missed.
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