Masahiko Mizushima

"If it's going to have a manual, make it a Works"

When the Alto Turbo RS was being developed, there were no plans at all to build a Works. But when the Turbo RS was offered only with the AGS transmission, people asked for a manual too, and many said, "If you're going to offer a manual anyway, make it a Works spec." For people who had driven the old Works, the Turbo RS suspension, set softer for ride comfort, was not enough. Mizushima felt that if they were going to do it, it had to be not an extension of the Turbo RS but something responsive that could be driven hard, so he revised the suspension, tuned the engine for torque, gave the transmission close ratios and reworked the shifter, and fitted Recaro seats.