TRADE TALK
PERFORMANCE MASTERMIND LEADS THE WAY Herrod Performance’s Rob Herrod is one of those people who stands out in a crowd It is not just the shaved head or giant smile, but the man’s energy and enthusiasm that sets him apart. Rob Herrod gets things done. In recent years he has been the driving force behind the Ford Mustang in Australia, helping to develop and then build a string of limited-edition ’Stangs including the factory-backed R-Spec and 578-kiloWatt SM17 created to celebrate Scott McLaughlin’s three consecutive wins in the Australian Supercars championship. Along the road he was also responsible for reopening a section of the derelict Ford Australia factory in Broadmeadows to get the 500 R-Spec cars built the right way at the right time. “We are Mustang. That is what we do,” Rob said. “Our place is flat-out doing work on new Mustangs. I love that car.” But Rob is not just a Mustang man. His first car was a Holden, but it did not take him long to accept the wise advice of his father, Jack, who got him started as his apprentice more than 45 years ago. “My first car was an HJ Holden. But my father said, ‘one day you’ll see the light’ and it did not take long before I was driving a Ford,” he recalls. In the world of Ford, Rob is much more than just
a tuning shop owner from the gritty Melbourne industrial suburb of Thomastown. He is on first-name terms with the heavy hitters with Ford Performance in Detroit, USA, as well as a celebrated and welcome Aussie ambassador at the landmark SEMA show – for the Speciality Equipment Market Association – which is held every year, except for the COVID-19 hit 2020 event, in Las Vegas. When Ford staged a top-secret preview event to celebrate the return of the heavy-hitting Bronco off-roader, Rob was one of the celebrity guests. Before the Mustang and Bronco, there were many, many Falcons over the years and one of Rob’s most-influential mentors was the late Howard Marsden, who was Head of Motorsport at Ford Australia and got him involved on some side projects.
Surprisingly, there are only six staff at Herrod Performance, although the workshop has all the right stuff.
Rob has many fond memories of Howard and he, like Ryan Story and Dick Johnson today, helped him believe in himself and his ability.
“We have five hoists, a dyno cell, a separate engine room, and even a decal area. It’s a pretty big place,” Rob says.
That ability has made Herrod Performance the largest Ford Performance outlet beyond the USA and earned him a place with the decision makers at Ford’s go-faster division in Detroit.
The shop has just been fully updated with an impressive new floor that makes it look brandnew.
In the case of the Mustang, he has been able to tap into a special parts pipeline, as well as the inside knowledge of how to improve the car.
Rob Herrod
“Presentation is very important. I want people who come to the shop to get that warm fuzzy feeling when they arrive,” he says. “They need to know that professionals will be working on their vehicle. The factory might be 22 years old, but I am always doing updates to ensure it looks brand-new. “I don’t cut corners. I spend money where it is needed.” It is the same for the cars and the parts. Herrod can supply everything from stickers – “we give those away for free” – to a crate engine from Ford Performance. “Our main game is that we get customers who say to me ‘I’ve bought a mustang, what can you do for me?’,” says Rob. “Some people might have two grand to spend, others might have 50 or 60 thousand. No two are the same. “So, we build them an individual car. And everything I do I try to keep within the rules and regulations. We do not build hoon cars. “We now have four vehicles with second-stage manufacturer’s status. Even if we are just fitting a supercharger, it goes with an engineering report. “That’s one of the things I’m very proud about and it’s very important.”
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Australian Automotive Aftermarket Magazine February 2021
