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Tom Walkinshaw Mitsubishi l200 ute.

TOM Walkinshaw might best be known in Australia for being the bloke from Britain who is behind the hot Holdens. But he also has a business in England that has turned out a hot, special edition of the Mitsubishi L200 ute.

We know the Mitsi here as the Triton ute but the Brits call it the L200 pick-up. The Walkinshaw Performance Special Edition comes with sports suspension, big wheels, power upgrade and sports exhaust system.

Walkinshaw, from Scotland, began his motorsport career in 1968. He formed Tom Walkinshaw Racing in 1975, developing and running a variety of touring cars.

He became a familiar figure in Australian racing, especially in touring cars that became V8 Supercars. Several Walkinshaw Commodores were the result of his performance engineering.

He now has interests in HSV, the enhanced-performance versions of Holden Commodores, and in Elfin, the Adelaide-founded sport and racing car specialist builder.

The Special Edition Mitsubishi ute in Britain sits on 20in alloy wheels, has special leather-trimmed seats, a power upgrade for its 2.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine to 125kW, a DVD sat-nav with 7in screen, cruise control, a 420W CD-sound system, bluetooth connectivity and stainless-steel trim for tailgate cover, door-handle areas and fuel filler cap.

Brits buying the Walkinshaw Performance version of the Mitsubishi L200 can opt for enhanced ride, handling and performance by way of a Walkinshaw sports suspension and exhaust upgrade kit. It includes polyurethane suspension bushes for the five-link rear suspension.

Koni performance dampers are fitted front and rear, and there's an anti-corrosion protection system. Pricing starts about $45,000 for the double-cab to about $47,500 when fitted with the power upgrade package. It's claimed the suspension upgrade does not affect the ute's off-road capabilities or payload status.

In Australia, Mitsubishi has the Triton ute with a sporty look via the GLX-R. This is a dual-cab with sports bar in four-wheel-drive configuration. It costs from $42,240 when fitted with the 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine of 135kW power and $45,490 if the 3.2-litre turbodiesel has been fitted. The prices are for Triton using the five-speed manual gearbox. A four-speed automatic is available with either engine at $2000 extra.