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NEXT ISSUE ON SALE: 30 DECEMBER 2022

There’s a thrilling crackle of youthful energy to this issue. Our cover car, in all its Carry On in-your-faceness, was bought by its owner when he was just 17 years old. The Micra-engined Zeemax on p.32? Yep, that was its doting owner’s first car when he was 17 too. We’re introducing some fresh young writers this month, Trinity Francis and Connor Heath. And things don’t get a lot more down-withthe-kids than the brilliantly odd R52 we have in the back section of the mag.

Don’t worry if you’re all craggy and ageing like me though, as there’s plenty to enjoy for the folks whose lower backs are starting to give them a bit of grief. We’ve got a glorious Hopkirk Monte recreation, a fast-road 1380 built for thrills, a Clubmanfronted track toy from a lifelong Mini obsessive, and a cracking On The Job in which a very crumbly 1275 GT is brought back from the brink. Rupert Deeth is the subject of our Racing Lines interview, having just scooped the silverware in the 2022 Mini Miglia Championship, and there’s an

impressive R53 on p.102 that’s been built to raise funds for the Air Ambulance Service. Bit of a mixed bag, then! Hope you enjoy it, and we’ll see you back here next time.

READY PLAYER ONE

Enter coin. Press start. With his fast-road 1380, Steve Taro’s ready to take the world on as he shoots for that elusive high score

The crossover between the real world and the virtual is becoming blurrier by the day. Augmented reality and social app filters apply gamified elements to real-world situations; big brands are sponsoring e-sports with real prize pots to ensure that virtual motor racing – or tennis, golf, basketball, or anything else you can think of – is just as respected and rewarded as its traditional counterparts. How much of life is actually real any more? Are we just living in the Matrix, distracted by the girl in the red dress and failing to see reality for what it really is?

We probably don’t need to panic. If we were living in energy-harvesting pods in a dystopian future, we’d either know about it, or wouldn’t want to. Let’s focus on the here and now, and the intriguing ways in which today’s humans are gamifying real life. Look at Steve Taro –he’s crafted himself a retro-fabulous nineties Mini and set about reimagining it as a meatspace interpretation of a hedonistic videogame tearaway.

Words Daniel Bevis Photography Adrian Brannan

Now, the most compelling and intriguing videogames are the ones that lure you in with a rich, deep and complex back story, ones that pose a host of questions that demand to be investigated and answered, and that layer of intrigue is mirrored in this super-clean ’92 Cooper SPi. Why is it running a carburettor? Why is it even here, since Steve tells us he’s always been a dyed-inthe-wool Ford Fiesta fan? The answers, it transpires, revolve around the intensely passionate community that has always surrounded the cult of the Mini.

“I was originally a Ford fanatic, owning many Fiestas over the years, and have been modifying since owning my first XR2 in the late ’90s,” he explains.

“My Fiesta RS Turbo was my first longterm project; that ran over 280bhp, and is now being rebuilt. I also own a Mazda

Eunos Roadster as well as a Dutton Escort-based kit car.”

So why the distinctly un-Dagenhamlike Mini? “Well, I was always intrigued by them,” reasons Steve. “A number of friends had Minis in college and they were really enthusiastic about them, so I finally decided to get one for myself. I originally got this 1992 Cooper as a fun daily-driver and set about upgrading certain parts as and when they needed replacing. After a road trip with my wife across Europe to southern Italy in the summer of 2008, the old 1275 was tired and needed replacing – and that’s when

the real mods began and I realised how cheap and easy Minis were to modify!”

TESTING, TESTING

As bought, this wasn’t just any old SPi –in fact, it had previously belonged to Stuart Gurr at supercharging specialists Vmaxscart, and had acted as a test-bed for the company’s M45 Eaton setup. The supercharger had been removed before sale and a HIF44 carb fitted in place of the fuel injection system. Other than this, the Mini was otherwise pretty stock when it came into Steve’s possession – a blank canvas, ripe for experimentation,

“I originally got this Cooper as a fun daily-driver, and set about upgrading”

Tatsumakisenpukyaku!

RS Turbo Recaros joined by custom vinylwrapped dash and bespoke audio setup

power-ups and secret levels to unlock.

“When I first had the car, I spent a lot of Saturdays down at Minispeed in Brooklands grabbing new bits and chatting Minis with everyone at the shop,” he recalls. “These guys helped me with my early knowledge of the car, and helped me to overcome some of the initial problems I had with it. I drove the car daily for about three years until eventually it had to go through some

restoration work; there were lots of things I wanted to change but I was limited as I had another car project on the go, so I spent time flitting between the two of them, running one for a bit while working on the other.”

The real turning point for the Mini came in 2021, when Steve decided to finally rip out the loom to remove the last of the old injection wiring and make it all plug-and-play. This happened at the

JL Audio speakers sit in neat pods

Ford seats tie in with Steve’s Fiesta passion

Sneaky references can be found throughout

same time as the final body repairs were nearing completion, allowing all of the ideas he’d been having over the years to coalesce in one happy whole. “In particular, the aim was to get the car to sit lower, all influenced by seeing Minis like Dougie McColm’s and Dirk McLean’s,” says Steve. “In my quest for the perfect ride height, I had to rethink the suspension front and rear to allow the car to ride properly without the suspension crashing like other low modded Minis out there, mine being one of them! I modified the rear subframe into a beam-style setup, and opted for

Protech coilovers; I also tubbed the rear arches and fitted strengthened rear turrets. The front was more complicated, having to use my design skills to come up with new brackets to correct the front shock angle. These were designed in 2D and waterjet cut at work, then welded together and test-fitted, designed with multiple holes for adjustment. Further to

this, I remounted a set of Force Racing upper arms higher up to correct the operational angle.”

CLEVER STUFF

It’s a hugely impressive level of complexity and ingenuity that’s reimagined this Mini for superlative usability as well as killer looks, Steve

“In my quest for perfect ride height I had to rethink the suspension”

Wheel-to-arch fitment is absolutely bang-on

collecting knowledge like a magpie and weaving it into his nest of skills. The brake setup is a keen example of this, with him opting for a pedal box with remote cylinders after having suffered no end of messy issues with a leaking servo; 2D design again came to the fore,

knocking up his own pedal box and then using custom Hel stainless lines everywhere to make it all work.

There was an equal level of care and precision when it came to the engine bay, which is now housing a hot 1380 based around a Mini Spares A+ block with a

Stage 2 head, fast-road cam and a stunning DSN rocker cover, among much else. Smoothness and simplicity was the aim here, as Steve removed all of the wiring and fuses and hid them away inside the car, running the loom neatly out of sight, then welding in a new

Can’t beat a set of wide 13s on a ‘90s Cooper

Smooth bay has had all of the wiring neatly hidden away

TECH SPEC

BODY Original Rover Black, painted white Cooper bonnet stripes, reprofiled McLean Brothers arches, polished stainless bumpers and grille, matte grey engine bay, removable bonnet

ENGINE Mini Spares A+ 1380 block, fastroad cam, Stage 2 head, HIF44 SU carb with K&N filter, Metro Turbo oil pump, vernier pulley, Mini Sport 1.5 roller rockers, double valve springs, ARP studs, KAD viscous damper, DSN timing cover, DSN rocker cover, Powerlite alternator – powdercoated black, Fletcher radiator, black silicone hoses, LCB manifold, stainless RC40 exhaust system

SUSPENSION Protech coilovers front and rear, Mini Sport alloy hubs, custom rear beam axle, custom front brackets for shock angle correction, HD Stainless tie bars, modified Force Racing upper arms with raised pivot point, adjustable lower arms, modified solid-mounted front subframe

TRANSMISSION 4-speed manual, competition layshaft, X-pin diff, KAD quick-shift, lightened steel flywheel, uprated clutch

BRAKES Mini Sport 4-pot front calipers, HEL performance lines, rear Minifins, custom pedal box with balance bar and remote cylinders

WHEELS AND TYRES 7x13” Minilites, 165/55 Accelera tyres

INTERIOR RS Turbo Recaros - retrimmed in black with red piping, custom mounting brackets, black carpet, vinyl-wrapped

flat bulkhead while cleaning and smoothing out the rest of the bay.

“The final thing was finishing the interior, by retrimming the carpet all black to work better with the seats that I had retrimmed ten years ago,” he says. “The biggest challenge really was moving house and relocating to Wales from Surrey when I was halfway through the build! But at least the Mini was finished in my new garage.

“Following completion of the build, the head gasket went two weeks before this photoshoot,” Steve continues, “and after finding Adam at Hargreaves Machine Shop just up the road from me in Carmarthen, we were thankfully able to skim the head quickly and get the engine rebuilt in time. This has led to discussions with Adam about the winter plans – so just when you think a car is finished, er, no…!”

If anything, it feels as if Steve is just

getting started. Having owned the car since the Gordon Brown era, it’s been through any number of adventures and worlds of discovery, with him hoovering up knowledge and developing skills in relentless fashion. So of course there’s going to be winter work; he’ll be rebuilding the engine to go dry-deck and future-proof a few internals, as well as researching a new set of wheels and goodness knows what else. That’s the thing about taking a project to the next level – there’s always a boss to defeat and then a whole bunch of levels above that.

It’s unlikely he’ll ever be saying ‘Completed it, mate’ because that’s not the name of the game, but Steve’s got the talent and tenacity to keep on shooting for that high score.

THANKS TO:

dash, white plasma-lit dials, custom parcel shelf, Kenwood head unit, JL Audio speakers and amps, black Mountney steering wheel, DSN hardware throughout, DSN pedal pads

Adam at Hargreaves Machine Shop Carmarthen, Steve at DSN Classics, all at Box Hill Mini Club and South Wales Mini Club, and finally Rob and Baldrick at Minispeed

Drama intensifies hunting for Player Two

adrianflux.co.uk

FUNDRAISING WITH FLAIR Cars-and-coffee with purpose as classics meet for St Catherine's Hospice

Torque Moto Café near Horsham is a petrolhead venue that’s been growing in popularity recently, with a plethora of meets and events for the type of people who like to combine classic cars with decent coffee. And midOctober saw a particularly special one,

with enthusiasts meeting to raise money for St Catherine’s Hospice in Crawley. This was a memorial event for classic car enthusiast Roy Alan Webb, who passed away in late 2021, and was organised by his son Alan. Sights were set on raising £1,000, and this target was duly smashed

with gusto; a superb selection of classic cars showed up, including some delightful Minis, and at time of writing the collected total was up to £1,670. The JustGiving page is still live and accepting donations, for those who wish to givehttps://bit.ly/3T0duKK

MINIS CROSS THE BLOCK AT HAMPSON’S

■ Cheshire-based classic vehicle specialists Hampson Auctions tried out a new venue – Mavericks, Holywell –for their September Classics Sale, and with a 70%+ sale rate and over £600k cleared, it’s fair to say it was a success. There were a number of interesting Minis and MINIs in the mix, with particular highlights including a 1970 Austin Countryman that had been restored to concours standard –apparently seven years of work went

into rejuvenating the MkII, with the hammer falling at £15,750. The yellow 2002 R53 Cooper S looked like a decent bet with its low mileage and full history, but didn’t find a buyer on the day; however, there was keen interest in the delightful Aqua-hued 1970 Cooper S –with an older resto in the nineties and its last keeper having it for 37 years, it was certainly a compelling proposition. The room clearly thought so, with the car selling for a robust £22,781.

New auction venue reels in some eager punters eager punters

Photography Stuart Bird

MANNA FROM DEVON

Minis assemble in the south-west

■ Established in August 2019, and recently moving to a new permanent venue, RE:FUEL has become the south-west’s premier car and social hub. Located just off the M5 at Cullompton the new venue is open 7 days a week and features an onsite café serving delicious breakfasts and warming coffees, huge seating area, and Apex racing simulators. Founded by Dan Regan and Josh Roles, the ethos is to have a similar vibe to the wellestablished Caffeine & Machine, with themed weekends, club visits, and every Sunday all marques allowed. Entry is free and parking is up to 250 cars. On October 15th, Mini Girls UK asked if they could hold a MINI meet, which also prompted South West Mini Squadron and local Mini owners to travel up for the day. This was my first visit since the venue had fully opened and I caught up with Dan to find out how it was going: “Since opening we’ve had such support from all our followers and newbies,” he said, “everyone has said how much they like the venue and want to come as often as possible. It was great to hear from Mini Girls UK about holding a club day and we welcome any clubs interested in holding meets to get in touch. There were around 100 Minis in total which was a great turnout. Thanks so much to all who attended, it was fantastic to see the owners, classic and modern together, supporting and celebrating the much-loved marque. These sort of meets are exactly what we created RE: FUEL for.”

ELECTRIC MOKES RAISE MONEY FOR CHARITY

Monaco auction benefits Blue Marine Foundation, who work to protect the oceans

■ Two bespoke Electric Mokes raised £450,000 at auction at the recent Monaco Yacht Show, with all funds going to support the crucial efforts of the Blue Marine Foundation in restoring

the world’s oceans back to health. On display was the first of the two special edition Mokes, conceived and directed by designer Steve Edge; it features a new Blue Marine paint job and a coral

design used throughout the car, both of which pay tribute to the oceans the foundation is working so hard to protect and restore. Other bespoke features include custom painted wheels, a contrasting white grille, and a unique Bimini cover and weather-proof canopy. The interior sports handstitched Blue Marine upholstery, a oneoff Blue Marine dash, and reclaimed wooden entry strips that replicate boat decking. A second special edition Electric Moke will be designed and built to commission, with the two bespoke cars raising £225,000 apiece, all going to the charitable cause.

Words and Photography James Webber

RACING LINES RUPERT DEETH

Words Nigel Death

For this month’s RacingLines, who better to catch up with than the hotoff-the-press winner of the Mini Miglia 2022 Championship - Rupert Deeth. It all came down to the final championship weekend at the Silverstone International Circuit; it was really tight heading into the final round with just one point separating Aaron Smith and Rupert for the 2022 crown! After some extremely close and thoroughly exciting racing, Rupert managed to grasp enough points to increase his tally to three Miglia Championship career wins. So let’s find out a bit more about this modest three-time Mini Miglia champion…

What was the first Mini you raced, and what was its specification and standout features?

I was late driving a Mini having come from MG Metro Turbo and Rover 216GTI Championships, and acquired my first Mini from the Jackson brothers in 2011. The car had sat in their garage for a number of years but had previously been driven by Mike Jackson to win the Mini 7 Championship in 1995. Unfortunately, halfway through my first season in the car and in the Miglia series, I was involved in a serious accident when I hit the barrier just after the start/finish at Thruxton. The car was a mess but, luckily, the car I have now was up for sale and the rest is history.

What is your favourite circuit to race at, and why?

Snetterton – it’s my home circuit and has many memories. Historically I have always had good results there, and I enjoy the technical layout as well as the fast-flowing bends.

What car was the biggest challenge to your Mini?

I primarily race against Minis, and this is always very close racing with three or four of us going into some corners! However, racing at Goodwood is fun especially

against the Mustangs and Corvettes - while slower round the corners they thunder past you on the straight…

Who has been your biggest rival?

Andrew Jordan – Mini Miglia Championship.

What was your most memorable win?

Winning my first Mini Miglia race at Cadwell Park in 2014. I had secured many podium places and been so close on many occasions – it wasn’t until this meeting that I finally won a race.

What was your biggest and scariest racing incident?

Hitting the barrier at Thruxton at 100mph.

What is your favourite feature about a racing Mini?

The fact that they have the aerodynamics of a brick, which enables you to draft and gain 1, 2, 3 or even 4 places in one lap.

What is your funniest racing memory? [Smirking] I take my racing very seriously, it’s not about having fun…

If you could jump in any race car and drive it, what would it be?

Porsche Carrera Cup Car.

What was the best Mini you drove and why?

The Mini I have now. I have worked really hard on the setup and spent many days testing at different circuits to try different things. This year it all came together, and I couldn’t have wished for a better car.

“I acquired my first Mini from the Jackson brothers in 2011”

Interview

KEEPING UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ON THE SHOW SCENE

Due to the uncertainty surrounding Covid, please be aware that events are subject to change. Keep an eye on the organisers’ websites to stay up to date with any developments.

1st January 2023

New Year’s Day Gathering

Brooklands Museum is the place to be on the first day of the new year, and it’s always guaranteed to be a stellar turnout.

https://www.brooklandsmuseum.com

12-15th January

Autosport International

Absolutely massive multi-marque show at Birmingham’s legendary NEC. Well, you’d expect it to be massive, wouldn’t you? The NEC’s like a town with a roof.

www.autosportinternational.com

29th January Mini Fair

The British Mini Club’s season opener at Bingley Hall is always a must-visit event for Mini fans. We’re excited already.

https://britishminiclub.co.uk/events/mini-fair/

24th-26th February Race Retro

If you want to get right up close to some live rally action, this is the place to be. Wear a coat. https://www.raceretro.com/

24th-26th March

Classic Car & Restoration Show

We’re back to the NEC in March for a classic car show with a twist – it’s not all concours originals here, some of the exhibits are absolutely hanging. We can all relate. https://www.necrestorationshow.com/

MULLING IT OVER

Rally action on the wet-‘n’-wild island

Jagged peaks, pretty villages and crystal clear waters – these are all things you will expect to see on the sleepy Isle of Mull, situated close to the mainland and the beautiful town of Oban just on the midwest coast of Scotland. Usually the island is frequented by wildlife photographers chancing their luck on an eagle or an otter, but early in the second week of October things take a turn. Teams of motoring enthusiasts from all over Scotland and beyond assemble in one of the most stunning sets of rally stages on the British Isles, and in 2022 it was for the 50th time! My good friend Dale Mather and I had booked ourselves (very fortunately, I might add) on the new ferry out of Oban on Saturday the 15th to catch some of the action and hopefully some good photographs; with a rucksack full of raincoats and coffee, we were set. As is the way with most rallying events it is an

early start and we picked up the ferry while it was still dark (and raining) and got settled in a comfy seat with a faint view of Oban out of the rain-streaked windows, filled with excitement and plans of where to spectate. Now, I will add that this was the first time to the Mull Rally for either of us, despite living locally; it is an incredibly popular event, so good planning and booking ahead is well advised with the

Calmac ferry company and if you are lucky enough to be able to book your car too, this is well advised for the high likelihood of needing to escape the temperamental weather and grab a sandwich! The rally was made up of three legs and a stage stretching out to nearly 31 utterly stunning miles running at both day and night. One of the wonderful things about the Mull Rally is the diversity

Words Chris Fletcher Photography Chris Fletcher and Dale Mather

of the cars and the drivers. Anything from father-and-son teams running on a budget to fully-fledged four-wheel-drive weapons backed by a crew, it all happens here! The town of Tobermory is the main hub and is just a twenty-minute drive from the ferry terminal. On the way there we stopped in Salen for a much needed bacon roll and coffee at The Little Bespoke Bakery, where the owners gave us good pointers for our first visit. From there we made our way up to SS16 to the final hairpin before the finish for some

good sideways action from the rearwheel-drive competitors, and it was this particular corner that gave us some fantastic photo opportunities of car no.1 driven by Dan Harper and co-piloted by Chris Campbell in their MINI JCW WRC, who placed second overall despite technical difficulties at the beginning of SS7&9. It was also a delight to see some of the classics out in the bad weather, including John and Martin Cressy in their Austin Mini Cooper S, Martin Melling and Lewis Griffiths in their Austin Mini, and

Kenny Watt and Sorcha Cantwell in their Leyland Mini, all putting down respectable times. Both the Leyland and the Austin (144 & 145) were neck-and-neck and, in some instances, so dramatically close to one another that you may have imagined you were on the set of TheItalianJob, producing some extremely interesting spectating. In conclusion all I can say is that I sincerely recommend the Mull Rally. It’s bucket-list stuff and features quite frankly some of the most stunning backdrops motorsport has ever seen.

MINIS TO THE ALPS - MCR’S 2022 TRIP

The Mini Cooper Register heads to the mountains

Words and Photography Malcolm Voss / Mini Cooper Register

The ‘Minis to…’ event is a weeklong tour run annually by the MCR to various destinations, and this year it was the Alps. The route took in some of the famous rally roads of the 1960s and ’70s on which the Mini found fame. The event is restricted to 40 cars and is open to all members of the club. As ever, there was a service van in attendance which was packed with both parts and expertise.

The crews gathered at Maidstone one Friday in September before starting the event proper on day two with a drive to Reims; the next six days took the crews

to Mulhouse, Ais-les-Bains, Gap and Evian-les-Bains, with the route following several iconic roads of the Monte Carlo and Alpine rallies. The weather was warm and sunny throughout, with the mountains and lakes providing a beautiful backdrop to a superb event. It finished with an awards dinner at Evian-les-Bains before the crews made their way back home, some taking a leisurely meander through the French countryside. After all, you can never have too many miles in a Mini can you? Next year, Minis to Ireland!

Your Minis

ESTATE OF MIND

Name: Tom Albrow

Car:

1981 Clubman Estate

Location: UK

■ These flat-fronted loadluggers are becoming increasingly desirable in Mini circles, and Tom’s done a really beautiful job of restoring this 1981 example. It was an extensive resto too, with the scope of the work amounting to a whole lot of welding, the sublime paint job and in-depth engine rebuild, all done by the man himself. Really impressive stuff, and we’ll endeavour to get a lens on it before too long so we can give the car some welldeserved coverage in the mag.

COOPER TROOPER

Name: Jon Cousins

Car: 1968 Morris Cooper

Location: UK

■ Jon built this Mini as a retirement project, and the transformation really has been remarkable: when he started out on the restoration, the Mk1 was considered by many to be too far gone to save, having been de-seamed, chopped about and generally left to crumble. But he saw genuine potential in the forlorn Cooper, and has painstakingly returned it to a model of period correctness.

The quality of the work and the attention to detail is truly out of this world, and you can look forward to a full feature on the car right here in Mini Magazine very soon.

Dave Fairbrother is no stranger to tackling a major restoration, having recently completed a 1977 Datsun 120Y and a Peugeot 304 cabriolet. He’s rebuilt many other cars over the years too, though he admits the night he bought this 1975 Mini 1275 GT didn’t result in getting much sleep! Last on the road in 1993 and stored in a leaky garage for over 26 years, a

restoration of this GT was never going to be a simple task. “It was in a really bad way with serious rot all around the car,” Dave tells us. “I’m a competent welder, but I did have a mild panic when I started chipping away at the filler which revealed gaping holes everywhere.”

Along with the familiar rust issues in the usual places, the entire floor, driver’s side B-pillar and crossmember had virtually disintegrated - this project

wasn’t destined for anyone fainthearted! Sensibly, Dave decided to take a methodical approach before the amount of work became overwhelming. He began by bracing the shell and tackling the worst sections around the driver’s side, and gradually began to work his magic around the car one step at a time. Although progress hasn’t been as swift as Dave hoped, mainly due to time constraints, it would seem the dark

GETFEATURED

Want to get featured? Send photos ofyour project to:minimag.ed@kelsey.co.uk

clouds are now clearing and the sun is poking through. “The shell is now rigid, the subframes have been replaced as have the brakes and suspension,” he says. “The engine and gearbox have also been fully stripped and rebuilt.”

Dave admits this is by far the biggest resto project he’s ever taken on, testing his skills and patience to the limit, but his persistence in bringing this GT back to life appears to be paying off.

How did you come across this car?

I’d been looking for a 1275 GT online for a few months, and was trying to find a genuine GT that hadn’t been messed around with but needed restoring. It had to be a restoration project as these cars fetch strong money even when they’re on their last legs. I was a mechanic and MOT tester for 28 years, so I wasn’t scared of buying a project. This one came along and it fitted the bill nicely.

How did you get into Minis?

A friend of mine had a 1970s Scalextric set with a load of cars. A couple were Mini GTs and I just thought they looked so cool. The seed was probably planted then. A neighbour also had a Minivan when I was a kid; I loved it and dreamed of one day owning it. My first car was a £250 Mini

Clubman 1100 Special (VJX 219V) which I bought at 16. I loved the front of the Clubman and preferred it to the standard Mini as they somehow look feistier, like they were built for racing! They’re a pretty car with engines that sound amazing through the right exhaust system.

What was the first restoration project you took on?

I suppose it was the Clubman 1100 Special. Although the masses of welding required was done by a work colleague who took me under his wing as an apprentice mechanic. It wasn’t so much a restoration but more a scraping through an MOT! Several full restorations have been

completed since then by myself, including a Triumph Spitfire, MGB GT, VW Beetle, two Peugeot 304 Cabriolets, Datsun 120Y coupe, and my 1987 BMW 320i which I still have as my daily runaround.

Where did you find this Mini?

My old boss spotted it on eBay and pointed it out to me. It was about 40 miles away so it wasn’t too far to go and collect it. I’d just sold my Datsun, so I had the money burning a hole in my pocket.

How did you start the rebuild?

The last MOT ran out in 1993 and it had been locked up in a leaking garage ever since, so it was hard to pick a starting point. I wanted to hear it run before the stripdown – so, after rigging up a makeshift fuel tank, unseizing the carb, cobbling some engine parts together and freeing off the engine with diesel down the cylinders, it sparked into life without too much trying. I then braced the shell before the thing snapped, steel square tubing was bought and welded across the body and door apertures. The car was fully stripped of everything, including the subframes. I made a start replacing the driver’s side floor and sill, as this was the worst side. I needed to get strength into the shell before any bending or distortion occurred and progressed from there.

What have you done to the bodywork?

Quite a lot! So far it’s had both full floor panels and crossmember, sills, both door steps, both A-pillars and stiffeners, heel board, full boot floor, side bins, nearside rear wheel

arch, rear valance and rear

Rebuilt engine specced for reliability

The smile of a man who’s powering through a whole world of welding Cabin will be tastefully upgraded with semi-bucket seats and Bluetooth audio

Quality work with quality panels

panel. I’m currently fitting a new nearside quarter panel. All the panels I’m using are from Heritage - I can’t be bothered saving £20 on a cheaper alternative and then spending an extra day making it fit properly. My advice is to always buy the best parts available and save yourself wasted time, energy, and needless amounts of swearing!

What have you done to the engine?

The engine was fully stripped and found to have a badly scored crankshaft. This had to be reground courtesy of Lockside Engineering in Castleford, new oversized shells were fitted, along with piston rings, timing chain and oil pump. The head was also stripped, skimmed and fitted with new

valves. The ports were redressed slightly removing any casting lumps and bumps. I was tempted to go for a rebore and fit a faster camshaft, but opted for originality instead. Any engine modifications were just going to be bolt-on items as opposed to non-reversible modifications. These included an alloy rocker cover, highoutput coil, HIF 38 carburettor and a Pipercross air filter. Other items were also renewed or refurbed such as the alternator, distributor, fuel pump etc. The gearbox was stripped too as it wouldn’t select any gears when I bought it, even though the clutch pedal was seized to the floor! I first had to obtain a new casing as the old one had a bodged sump plug that was leaking. After this I replaced the synchro hubs, bearings, and a damaged 2nd gear. The diff, like everything else on the car, was also badly worn with excessive free play in it; again, this was stripped, worn parts replaced and shimmed up correctly.

Did you have any concerns about taking on this project?

Yes, I had a few sleepless nights when the amount of welding required started to spiral out of control. Spare time is precious when you’re working full time and have a family. Doing the job is easy. It’s having the time to do it that is the issue.

Were there any difficulties?

Nothing I wasn’t expecting really. The bodywork side is the hardest for me as I have more of a passion for the mechanical side of cars. The welding of panels was just a case of measure twice and cut once. A badly welded floor panel can be out by

1mm at the front but 20mm out at the rear. And with so much rot, as well as badly welded repairs from yesteryear, it was sometimes difficult finding a good datum point to weld to. Thankfully, everything seems to be in line so far with good door gaps and a rear subframe that bolts on nice and square. I’m happy so far.

What are your plans for the car once it’s finished?

It will be used daily. That’s what these cars are there for in my opinion. It’s each to their own, but I’m not a person who will only take it to car shows and then only when there’s been no rain for a fortnight! It will be used for going to work, taking the kids to school, doing the shopping and even taking rubbish to the tip. Build it and use it, that’s what I say!

What is it about working on Minis you like or dislike?

I love the availability of parts! You can get almost everything, Mini owners should be grateful for this. You try finding parts for a Datsun 120Y or a mid-’70s Peugeot 304… My only dislikes about Minis are getting backache when you’re working on the engine and then smacking your head on the bonnet catch when taking your head out – other than that, there’s nothing else to dislike about this iconic classic car.

When it’s ready, the shell will be treated to a few coats of its original factory orange

FINISHED SPEC

BODY: Fully restored, repainted in original orange, tasteful arch kit

ENGINE: Fully rebuilt, alloy rocker cover, highoutput coil, HIF 38 carburettor, Pipercross air filter, subtle big-bore exhaust

TRANSMISSION: Fully rebuilt 4-speed manual

THANKS: Paul Best

THE EIGHTH WONDER

Words Daniel Bevis Photography Adrian Brannan

The Seven Wonders of the World is an annoying list, as there are far more than seven things on it. The ancient wonders include the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Lighthouse of Alexandria, among other dusty but impressive relics, while updated lists

have subsequently brought such marvels as Stonehenge, the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal to the party; then people start talking about the ‘New Seven Wonders’ – the Golden Gate Bridge, the Channel Tunnel, the internet – and it all starts to get a bit silly. But the single element that ties all of these together is that they’re man-made things

that really shouldn’t exist at all, owing to the complexity and improbability of their coming into being. And with that criterion in mind, it’s only fair to add the Mini to the list.

Admiring the crisp simplicity of the design should be all the justification one might need, and if that’s not enough then the genius of the technical

After a lengthy period in the shadows, Dane Hynam’s first car has been reborn as something wonderful for a new generation

layout is more than enough to let it qualify as a bona fide Wonder. However, there’s a crucial twist with the Mini: numbers. You see, when you’re talking about, for example, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, you’d most likely be throttled and lynched by an angry mob of pipe-smoking historians if you were to suggest swapping out its venerable flame for a bank of LEDs, and perhaps revamping the exterior with some rakish modern paint. But there are,

conversely, quite a lot of Minis about, which gives enthusiasts more of a free rein to do some pretty out-there stuff. Things like, say, fitting a flip-front and stuffing a Nissan engine in there. Yes, some purists will be annoyed, but that’s their problem.

FIRST TIME AROUND

And since we’re talking history, it’s pleasing to learn that this is something Dane Hynam has in abundance with

East meets west in Dane’s clever custom creation

“It’s a 1997 Cooper Sport that I started driving back in 2005”

Mazda RX-8 seats are supremely comfy

this particular Mini. Indeed, it was his first car back when he was 17, and it had been his parents’ car before that. “It’s a 1997 Cooper Sport that I started driving in 2005,” he explains. “But being a teenager at the time, I borderline abused

it so inevitably it fell into disrepair – and by 2007 it came off the road. Sentimental value meant that I always kept it with the intention of giving it a quick tidy-up…” But as months bled inexorably into years, and real life did

that thing it does of getting in the way and shifting priorities, the Mini found itself pushed onto the back burner and, well, there it lingered, its dwindling flame slowly burning out.

…until 2016, that was, when Dane

finally concluded that enough was enough and it was time to do right by the forlorn and beleaguered Mini. “I decided it had been far too long, and it was time to give the Mini a whole new lease of life,” he smiles. “Even though the family had given up any hopes of me ever getting it back on the road! Also, there was now another generation of Mini enthusiasts, my children, for me to hand it down to eventually, and this played a big role in my motivation to complete it.”

SECOND CHANCE

And so plans were drawn up to reinvent the Cooper Sport – and what plans they

were! With the car being rather far gone by this point, Dane gave himself carte blancheto really go to town on the car and reimagine it in a custom style that was appropriate to its 1990s roots; a full juicy revamp and modernisation, while also celebrating the modding style of the old-school. The most eye-catching element at first glance has to be that Zeemax kit – and who doesn’t love a Zeemax? – while the bespoke details start to come thick and fast as you lean

in for a closer look. The paint shade is actually from a new-wave BMW palette, being metallic Lime Rock Grey, with the roof also a Bavarian flavour of Fire Orange. The Mini’s back catalogue has been intelligently plundered to cherrypick a sort of greatest-hits of styles, including the Mk2 taillights (now coloured all-red), Mk1 grille and Mk1style fibreglass bonnet. Perhaps the most radical change here is the steel flipfront, and this houses one of the more

“The family had given up any hopes of me getting it back on the road”

Ever get the feeling that someone’s watching you?

significant changes: the engine swap.

One could probably argue that one of the wonders of the modern world is multiculturalism, and that’s something very much in evidence here. Indeed, there’s more than a hint of a Japanese twist – you might spot the Mazda

Nissan Micra engine is a smart install, and comprises a fusion of 1.3- and 1.4-litre elements

Note the nifty homemade coilover mounts

Flip-front doesn’t just allow easy access - it lets Dane show off the incredible underbonnet detail

RX-8 seats if you peer through the side windows, although the JDM flair runs far deeper than that. Flipping forward the front end of the car, we find a surprising heart-and-lungs transplant: the 1.4-litre twin-cam 16v engine from a K11-generation Nissan Micra. Naturally this kind of exchange doesn’t just drop in and plug-and-play, there’s quite an

extensive amount of custom work required to get it all singing from the same hymn sheet, and this extended to fabricating a custom subframe as well as having some custom driveshafts made up among much else. And given the in-depth nature of the endeavour, it was perfectly understandable that Dane would make a few tweaks to the formula

as he went along. Might as well, right? No point going this far and then not going further. So the 1.4-litre CGA3 bottom end now finds itself mated to the head from a 1.3-litre CG13 motor, which has been ported, skimmed, and crammed with a set of more aggressive Matt Humphries 774 camshafts.

UNIQUE BLEND

Further ingenuity can be found in the modified inlet manifold – which came from a Ford Escort XR3i, of all things –and Dane’s own custom home-made

“The 1.4-litre CGA3 bottom end is mated to a 1.3 CG13 head”

All the cams, all the valves, all the fun

exhaust system, comprising a 4-branch manifold and a full 2” stainless system with a hidden tip. The motor’s running its native Nissan fuelling system and ECU, and the upshot of all this cleverness is a solid 110bhp or thereabouts. Which is all thoroughly enjoyable. Keeping things native is the 5-speed manual Micra gearbox, sourced from a 1.0-litre model for its preferable ratios. The chassis has, of course, been robustly improved to suit, with the front end running Protech coilovers on Dane’s own custom mounts, working with GAZ rear coilovers, a Huddersfield Mini Spares rear beam axle, heavy-duty front tie bars and a thorough polybushing throughout.

“I’ve also made a few upgrades to the interior,” he says, dabbling masterfully with the concept of understatement. “There are no more ’80s-style

Safety Devices ‘cage has been modified with extra gussets and door bars

switches and controls, it now has a modern-looking flocked dash with custom heater controls, hand-made indicator and wiper stalks, gearknob and handbrake lever.” The Safety Devices rollcage has been customised with door bars and gussets before being painted in Fire Orange to match the roof, and there have been some clever mods to aid everyday usability too, including retrofitting the MPi heater box with a Ford Transit heater resistor and controls to provide a 3-speed heater. Sounds are also clearly something of a priority: Dane deleted the rear bench and in its place we now find a custom speaker enclosure housing two Vibe Slick 6x9s and a pair of 6.5” component speakers. It’s running off a Sony DSXA500 DAB head unit and a Vibe 4channel amp, with a further pair of 6.5”

components in the rear shelf.

“Almost all of the work has been done by myself,” Dane assures us. “All the hard work is now paying off too; since completing the car, it placed 3rd in the show-and-shine at Mini Action Day at Castle Combe, and more recently at this year’s Riviera Run it won 1st-in-class for the show-and-shine – and also won the Car of the Show!”

Justly and richly deserved, you’ll no doubt agree. What Dane’s achieved with this Mini is something properly special. As compelling as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, as mysterious as Stonehenge, as intricately detailed as the Taj Mahal… he’s taken a beloved but sidelined member of the family and breathed new life into it, pushing it to front-and-centre in all of their affections. Truly this is a thing of wonder.

TECH SPEC

BODY BMW Lime Rock Grey metallic paint, BMW Fire Orange roof, Zeemax bodykit, steel flip-front, rear arches tubbed, fibreglass Mk1-style bonnet, Mk1 grille, Monza fuel cap, Mk2 rear lights – coloured all-red, Mk1 flat glass front indicator lenses, LED headlights

ENGINE K11 Nissan Micra twin-cam 16v engine on home-made front subframe, CGA3 (1.4) bottom end, CG13 (1.3) headported and skimmed 1mm, Matt Humphries 774 camshafts, modified Ford Escort XR3i inlet manifold, custom home-made 4-branch exhaust manifold into 2” stainless system with hidden tip, 200-cell sport cat, Fletcher high-flow radiator with MPi fan, Ramair air filter, MPi fuel tank and fuel pump, standard Micra fuel injection and engine management, power: c.110bhp

SUSPENSION Protech front coilovers on custom home-made mounts, Huddersfield Mini Spares rear beam axle, GAZ rear coilovers, heavy-duty front tie bars, polybushed throughout

TRANSMISSION Nissan Micra 1.0 5-speed manual, lightened flywheel, custom driveshafts

BRAKES Stock MPi front and rear brakes, stock MPi servo and master cylinder –custom-mounted sideways to allow room for inlet manifold

WHEELS AND TYRES 7x13” Superlight alloys, 175/50 Nankang tyres

INTERIOR Mazda RX-8 seats on custom mounts, Safety Devices rollcage with customised door bars and gussets – painted BMW Fire Orange, alloy door furniture, alloy clutch and brake pedal cover, alloy switches in dash, Kode suede steering wheel, fibreglass dash and centre console –flocked in black and grey, MPi magnolia dials and 3-clock set, MPi heater box with Ford Transit heater resistor and controls custom-fitted (giving a 3-speed heater), rear seat and storage bins deleted, Sony DSXA500 DAB head unit, custom speaker pod in place of rear seat base – housing 2x Vibe Slick 6x9s and 2x 6.5” Vibe Slick component speakers, 2x 6.5” components in parcel shelf, Vibe Slick A1 4-channel amp, custom alloy gearknob and alloy handbrake lever, custom throttle pedal in style of winged badge, custom alloy indicator and wiper stalks, custom alloy heater control dials

How good does that look when it squats under acceleration?

BICESTER SCRAMBLE

Heritage’s friendly meet is growing in popularity

The Scramble events at Bicester Heritage have really grown in stature, which is hardly surprising. When you combine the alluring ingredients of beautiful and historic surroundings, a huge variety of pretty cars, a general

chilled and laid-back vibe and a thoroughly friendly atmosphere (plus the added bonuses of bacon and coffee), it’s hard to resist. Our last trip to a Scramble was back in January, and it was interesting to note just how much more massive the October event was

– the car park was twice the size, the crowds were more bustling (but not to the extent of feeling over-crowded), and – crucially – there were a lot more cars to look at.

Significant names like Car & Classic and The Road Rat had their own curated areas, while

big brands were also getting in on the action, with Bentley among them showcasing their latest coachbuilt specials. A highly enjoyable event that seems to be going from strength to strength – we can’t wait to see what the next one looks like in the new year.

Bicester

Words and Photography Daniel Bevis

A sublime juxtaposition

Load lugger

The Scramble’s car park is a great place to find unusual and interesting classics. Just check out this ’79 pickup that we spotted as we ambled between row upon row of cool cars –some clever so-and-so has squeezed a K-series into the nose, which just about fits, and it looks properly aggressive on those extreme-offset period wheels. Wonder if the Nordschleife outline on the tailgate is a genuine souvenir…?

Early riser

Our man Martyn Collins was there in his early OBL MINI Cooper. We heard a number of people commenting things along the lines of ‘that looks just like the one I used to have’, and it was interesting how much attention it continued to draw even when a fancy new McLaren parked up alongside it…

City slicker

We love a Radford De Ville, and this one was a real doozy with all the options ticked –handy hatchback conversion, period-perfect Cosmic wheels, Benelite grille, the works. Peep through the window and you’ll see it has a full-width walnut dash and leather seats. How swanky is that? We want one.

Gorgeous woody was spot-on in the details

OBL-la-di,OBL-la-da...

Surf’s up

The registration number was the first thing that caught our eye on this 1965 Cooper S –and yes, ‘65 S’ actually is its real plate, they haven’t just put that on there for showground kudos. The car has a really interesting history too: John Hammel, roadie to Humble Pie (and later Paul McCartney’s Wings), used it as his dailydriver to cart guitars around back in the early 1970s. Cool.

This electric conversion is very smart indeed They’ve bunged a V8 in, because 88mph ain’t enough

This mint pickup is evidently someone’s absolute pride and joy

APPETITE FOR DISRUPTION

DISRUPTION

Reason can no longer restrain one who is lured by the fury of ambition.” Karl Marx said that, and it raises an interesting question – once we’ve set our sights on a particular goal, are we willing to set aside all semblance of logic in order to achieve it? Do we get so blinded by the glitter that we can no longer see the bread-and-butter? It certainly knocks Oscar Wilde’s chirpy optimism into a cocked hat: “We are all in the gutter,” he said, “but some of us are looking at the stars.”

They’re both right to a degree, of course, but the latter viewpoint is more relevant to the sort of people who like tinkering with cars to make them faster and more interesting. After all, who cares about so-called reason anyway? You only live once, you might as well enjoy yourself. Do you really want your tombstone to be inscribed with ‘He didn’t roll the dice too often, but dammit, he got good gas mileage’?

Ambition, then, is admirable - nay, essential, if you wish to retain your sanity. And it’s something that Kieran Abadie has always had in spades, particularly when it comes to the notion of acquiring a Mini and turning it into something spectacular. “I’d wanted a Mini for as long as I can remember,” he explains. “Ever since I was a toddler I was infatuated with this tiny car; being born in ’94 you did still see still them on the road pretty often when I was young. I suspect that spending hours playing Driver2on the PS1, and unlocking the secret car which was a Mini and

Kieran Abadie had always dreamed of building a really quick Mini – and with this 8-port 1380 screamer, he’s made a properly naughty road-racer

Words Daniel Bevis Photography Adrian Brannan “

Mini naughty

driving it round endlessly added to this. I was adamant that I was having one before I even knew they were seen as cool by pretty much anyone and everyone who likes cars.”

Eager to get started, Kieran bought his first Mini back when he was 14 – a gold Mayfair – but soon realised that he’d bitten off more than he could chew with that particular example at that tender age. However, the urge to own a Cooper was getting more and more intense and, scraping together all of his pennies at the age of 17, he was able to buy the car you see here. Except that it, er, didn’t exactly look like this. Nope, quite a lot

has happened over the last seven or eight years, to the extent that this Mini is essentially unrecognisable from what it was like when he first got his teenage hands on it.

“Despite looking rather fresh with a recent paint job, as with so many Minis it turned out to be quietly rotting from the inside out,” Kieran recalls. “The front subframe mounts ripped out the floor due to rot in my first two years of driving, with various other welding repairs. I then took it off the road to fully restore it and well and truly fell down the rabbit-hole. Once the bodyshop got involved with it and

A lot of thought and consideration has gone into every single detail here

“As with so many Minis, it was quietly rotting from the inside out”

Intelligent mix of comfort and safety

Vital signs all carefully monitored

started removing the outer panels, the rot was pretty insane. The only original panels left now are essentially the roof, rear bench seat and boot floor – however all Heritage panels were used, and it’s all top work by JP Tuning Leicester Ltd.”

MAKING PLANS

So, some in-depth works necessary from the outset, but that can be the result of spinning the Mini roulette wheel. Kieran had found the car for sale on eBay, offered up by an enthusiast who

was thinning out his collection, and having been resprayed recently it did look a lot nicer than the other cars he’d seen in that price bracket. Completely stock as-bought, it was soon tastefully freshened up with a set of 7x13” Minilites, bucket seats and harnesses, but this softly-softly approach was never going to be enough to scratch Kieran’s hot Mini itch long-term. You could

Ejector seat and oil slick buttons (maybe)

even say that the extensive rot was a blessing in disguise, as the full body resto served to achieve two things: firstly, it demonstrated what further potential there could be within this car. And secondly, having invested a sizable sum of cash into it, it was clear to Kieran that there could be no half-measures. This was a car to be built properly – the manifestation of that inherent and irrepressible ambition within him.

“I always planned to do a nut-and-bolt rebuild… but this came sooner rather than later after 19-year-old me sent it into a ditch and through several fence posts,” he admits. “So with the full shell

restoration, I took the opportunity to upgrade and customise, with the Mk1 rear light conversion, the fuel filler blanked and LHD wiper holes blanked off, the interior light moved to the front, the boot light handle thing modified and hidden – J P Tuning took care of it all beautifully. And the more involved I became, the more tasty bits I was seeing from the likes of KAD and RetroSport, Specialist Components and so forth, which I could never resist.”

MAGPIE EYE

The appetite for shiny things was seemingly insatiable, but this was never

“I decided to let the carbs hang out of the bonnet... it looked awesome”

Quite an aggressive sight in your rear-view mirror... although he won’t be behind you for long

just about a magpie eye and sights set on the showground. Kieran wanted a truly special engine for this car. Something seismic, something properly exciting –powerful, tractable, hungry for revs… so he put in a call to Nick Swift at Swiftune, and before he knew it the mechanical side of things was gathering pace at an incredible rate.

“I had my heart set on an 8-port,” he continues, “but not wanting to go with fuel injection, I just decided to let the carbs hang out of the bonnet because I reckoned it looked awesome and I hadn’t seen anything of the kind at any shows –just the odd black-and-white photo of ’60s/’70s race Minis with carbs sticking out the front. So, Swiftune built the

engine, and there were several hurdles along the way, one of which involved removing the engine again due to a billet mount fouling the dry deck outlet. After first running it up it became clear that exhaust heat was an issue, with the floor and tunnel being hot enough to melt

your shoe. I then had the manifold and mid-pipes ceramic-coated by Zircotec along with the heatshield to the bulkhead and the whole exhaust tunnel. A complete oversight on my part, but I really didn’t expect such an issue with an essentially off-the-shelf

Similar boot setup to the orange car in the next feature, interestingly

The carbs grab your attention, but there’s so much more to this detailed Swiftune 8-port build

TECH SPEC

BODY Rover British Racing Green, Ice White roof, bonnet modified for 8-port engine and carb clearance, carbon fibre arches, boot number plate light modified and concealed, LHD wiper holes welded and blanked, carbon wing mirrors with integrated indicators, DSN Classic RetroSport boot hinges and rear foglamp bracket, stock fuel filler hole welded up, Mk1 taillights

ENGINE Built by Swiftune, 1,380cc, 8-port crossflow cylinder head, billet camshaftmodified to suit 8-port head, titanium pushrods with double valve springs, forged pistons, forged rods, ground and balanced billet steel crank, billet aluminium timing cover, duplex timing chain, twin 40 Weber DCOE carburettors, Metro-style rocker cover, water-cooling system dry-decked, Setrab external oil cooler, carbon fibre cooling fan, Maniflow 8-port manifold and centre-exit exhaust system, electronic distributor, uprated spark plug leads, uprated ignition coil, high-power starter motor, silicone coolant hoses, aluminium radiator, mix of solid and polybush engine mounts, DSN Classic RetroSport parts including: upper and lower engine steady bars, ignition coil bracket, alternator brackets, thermostat housing, water pump pulley, engine blanking plates, oil filter head, wiper motor cover, wiper motor bracket, hose plate, joiner tubes, steering column bracket, grease caps

SUSPENSION Red Spot rubber cones, hi-los, adjustable-rate dampers, adjustable tie rods, adjustable-length bottom arms, adjustable rear camber brackets, KAD alloy rear radius arms, Force Racing alloy top arms, KAD alloy front swivel hubs, KAD alloy drive flange, DSN Classic RetroSport parts including: rear subframe mounting trunnions, front subframe mount kit, subframe tower bolts

TRANSMISSION 4-speed dog ’box, straightcut gearset, quick-shift selector, Quaife ATB differential, Featherlite lightened flywheel, uprated clutch

BRAKES KAD 4-pot calipers, KAD 8.4” vented discs, KAD adjustable bias pedal box, KAD rear disc conversion: singlepiston calipers with 7” single-skin discs and billet aluminium drive hub, Goodridge braided lines, billet aluminium handbrake lever, DSN Classic RetroSport handbrake quadrants

WHEELS AND TYRES 6.5x10” Force Racing V1 split-rims - billet aluminium centres anodised red, polished rims, 165/70 Yokohama Advan-032R tyres

INTERIOR Cobra Monaco Pro seats, Sabelt harnesses, weld-in rollcage with additional strengthening ties to bodywork, rear seat cushions removed (bench remains), fuel tank relocated to spare wheel well, spare wheel moved to mounting on rear bench, interior light relocated, VDO fuel gauge, Smiths gauges: voltage, water temp, oil temp, oil pressure and clock, carbon fibre doorcards, carbon parcel shelf, carbon dash, Alcantara flocked dash rails and headlining, DSN Classic RetroSport door handle set, DSN Classic RetroSport pedals

modification. I don’t know what others with 8-ports do, but the Y-piece barely misses the floor!”

It’s been a build beset with challenges and obstacles throughout, but of course that’s always going to be the way when you’re trying something different. It could be perfectly simple to do a by-thenumbers resto and achieve acceptable results, but there’s way too much passion tied up within this car’s back story to ever allow it to go down like that. This

isn’t just a car to Kieran, it’s the culmination of a lifetime of passion and enthusiasm. It’s his destiny to own a cool and mould-breaking Mini, and the thing standing between the dream and the reality was a whole bunch of hard graft and problem-solving.

“The rest of all the build work and endless head-scratching was carried out by me,” he tells us. “It seemed at one point that nothing could ever fit without some form of modification; as just one

“It seemed nothing could ever fit without some form of modification”

example, the dashboard wouldn’t fit between the rollcage, and one of the Swiftune lads suggested chopping the ends and fitting these separately, which I then took over to the carbon chap – and thanks to Covid, it took six months for the dash to come back.”

REAPING REWARDS

It’s all been thoroughly worth it though, and the lengthy gestation period melts away as if it’s the twinkling of an eye every time he turns the key on the finished creation. The ubiquitous jewellery and fierce attention to

Keeping true to the original Rover paint shade was a masterstroke

Rubbingisracing, etc

detail across the car means that this is largely a dry-weather toy (simply because he can’t be arsed to clean every individual detail with a toothbrush every time it gets caught out in the rain), but that’s not to say it’s some kind of show pony. This Mini was built to be driven, and driven hard – and that’s just what Kieran does, whenever he’s able.

“It’s not for trailering around and winning trophies, this is the proper driver’s car I always dreamed of,” he beams. “And I’m proud to say that people seem to absolutely love it. I’m

really not one for attention or repeating information to folk, so I tend to disappear at shows – but I was massively surprised at the reaction from people on my first proper outing to Caffeine & Machine. I didn’t get a chance to move!”

It’s a proper disruptor, this car, and the rapturous reception it receives is a very clear crystallisation of the passion that led to its creation. Kieran spirited this 8-port screamer into being through ambition and dedication. Unrestrained, unhinged, and unleashed, this is a car built on a bedrock of pure joy.

THANKS TO:

Thanks to Jay at J P Tuning Leicester, Nick Swift at Swiftune, Dave at RetroSport/DSN Classics for developing the later-style billet alternator bracket with me, Tristan of Arc Angels for dashboard modification, and special thanks Bill Richards from Bill Richards

and Dennis Vessey of D Vessey & Co.

A quiet, flowing B-roadjust what it was built for

Racing

SHORT CIRCUIT

Anton Trivett’s track Mini is wired a little differently: unexpected engine, surprising performance, it creates a buzz wherever it goes

Words Daniel Bevis Photography Well Chuffed Media

There’s a peculiar and allpervading mantra that’s been shared by social commentators and other smug people for generations: ‘expect the unexpected’. Which is a fundamentally silly thing to say, really; it creates a logical paradox, it demands that you do something that’s literally

impossible. Nevertheless, with all that being said, it’s actually not a bad piece of advice to proffer in the case of this particular Mini. Its owner and creator, Anton Trivett, built it for the track, and takes pleasure in telling astonished onlookers who enquire about what it’s being powered by: ‘Oh, it’s a 998.’ He just doesn’t specify which998…

We’ll get to that. First of all, let’s dig around in the history a little and learn where this all came from. “I can’t tell you exactly what got me into Minis, as I’ve always liked them as far back as I can remember,” says Anton. “I grew up on a farm, and my dad bought me my first Mini for £50 when I was 10 as the clutch had completely gone in the

It’s fair to say that’s a pretty strong start, and it’s clear where Anton’s

passion for going quickly in Minis stems from. He continues: “After that I had an 850cc Mini City, bought for £40, up until I was 16 when I bought a 1979 Clubman – I rebuilt that with a flipfront and a 1275 engine for when I passed my test two weeks after my 17th birthday. I did have various moments and crashes in that car, then bought a 1975 Mini during my time at university and completely built it from the ground

Vauxhall Chevette I had for driving around the farm. The Mini was a T-reg 1000 with a knocking big end; we bought half an engine from a local scrapyard, made one out of two, and I drove that around for a few years before finally snapping the front subframe off trying to find out how far I could jump it in the fields!”

Cabin, as you’d expect, is all business

“My dad bought me my first Mini for fifty quid when I was ten”

up with a 1350 short-stroke engine, Tran-X 5-speed straight-cut ’box, S/C drops, LSD and Weber 45 carb to do some road-rallying.”

GROWING PAINS

At this stage of life, reality began to get in the way of the fun, and having sold the road car and used the rally car as a daily-driver for a couple of years, nearenough deafening himself in the

process, Anton mothballed it and bought himself a sensible-trousers Suzuki Vitara. When he was expanding his business and decided to cash the rally Mini in, the saga drew quietly and gently to a close.

Well, for a while anyway. Fast-forward to 2016 and Anton was really feeling the itch to own another classic Mini. “I was yearning to build one,” he recalls. “After months of looking at very expensive

rusty Minis, I was talking to a friend who told me there was a one parked behind the garage his son worked at. I went to see it and it was in a pretty sorry state; however, we did a deal on it and I’ll never forget them saying ‘I suppose you’ll be back with a trailer,’ to which I laughed and said yes… I went back around with a set of jump leads and a gallon of petrol, fired it up, and gave them a wave as I drove past! I took it

Room for a passenger - if they’re brave

Clubman front end is a relatively recent addition from Les Stanton at Custom Minis

the one-and-a-half miles home with the biggest smile on my face.”

The car was a Studio 2, a 1990 special edition based on the 998 City, and was all in standard spec. It had been off the road for quite a few years when Anton bought it, and it was immediately clear that some fairly extensive measures would be required to eradicate all of the corrosion. The Mini was duly stripped right down to a shell (the very next day, in fact!), the work taking place in a workshop on his parents’ farm, around a fifteen-minute drive from home. Anton quickly fell into a routine, getting the

kids to bed and then heading over to the workshop to meet his dad, then working on through until 2 or 3 in the morning, before getting up at 6 for work. It’s a marvel that he kept this punishing schedule up for as long as he did, but the task turned out to be more than simply a resto. This was quality time with his father, who had suffered from a blood condition for many years and the treatment had caused him to develop leukaemia. “After a few weeks in hospital, he sadly passed away,” says Anton. “My father was my absolute hero, and an amazing engineer. His loss

totally devastated me, and work on the Mini completely stopped.”

LATERAL THINKING

It was natural for progress to halt at this tragic turn of events, but when sufficient time had passed to recommence, Anton found himself in an interesting position. One of the last trips he’d taken with his dad had been to see Phil and Darren at Pro Motive to collect a Yamaha R1 conversion kit. Having weighed up the cost of building an A-series to the same spec he had in his old rally car back in 1999, Anton had concluded that the bike

“The car was a Studio 2, a 1990 special edition based on the City”

Power bulge is quite noticeable close up!

Orange paint was chosen as it’s always been a family tradition

engine would be more cost-effective, among its myriad other performance benefits. “Dad had constantly told everyone he met in hospital that we were putting a motorbike engine in a Mini,” he smiles. “By the end of 2017 I had managed to get my mojo back and the Mini panel replacement was back in full swing: new boot floor, front floorpans, inner sills, door steps, flitch panels, door skins, rollcage fitted with strengthening between the legs, H-frame for bucket seats, Curley fibreglass roof, Curley carbon fibre rear valance, bootlid, and two-piece front.” It was all-systems-go, and by spring 2018 the car was ready for paint; Anton’s brother Brett helped build a tent to spray it in, and Mini Action Day was set as a completion target. With

the freshly orange Mini built up and MOT’d, it was taken to Neil Slark for a setup on the rolling road, before going off to Castle Combe for some proper fun out on the track.

“The bug had truly bitten, and during 2019 me and my cousin in his forged R56 visited Pembrey, Anglesey, Castle

Combe and Oulton Park enjoying track days,” Anton recalls. “Sadly in October 2019 one of my good friends, Mike, was diagnosed with terminal cancer, so a group of friends managed to organise a trip to the Nürburgring the same week as it was one of Mike’s wishes to visit. The Mini got taken out of its winter

Fuelling setup is very neat, with a Concept Racing tank and Facet pump

wrapping and fourteen of us with various cars headed to the ’Ring in October. It was really funny coming off track with Porsches, McLarens and Lamborghinis for everyone to be lining up to take pictures of the Mini!”

Covid slowed down the hijinks a little through 2020, but whenever it was possible Anton was back out on track,

enjoying the car and slowly improving the spec and setup as he went. “2021 saw my first big problem,” he continues, “in that a mis-shift at Castle Combe caused a broken gearbox on the R1 motor. I had a partial spare although this was a nonfuel-injection motor, but also I was booked on another track day in three days’ time. The midnight oil was burnt

again and a motor built and fitted just in time; it was at this point I stumbled across a new-old-stock Knight Motorsport front subframe. I loved my Pro Motive setup and Phil and Darren were absolutely amazing with me, but to change the engine had involved completely removing the front subframe and I knew an engine swap with the Knight kit would be easier. So I bought the kit and, with the help of its builder Wayne at Knight Motorsport, managed to get it up and running. I was having a lot of trouble finding a Clubman front

“Fourteen of us with various cars headed to the ‘Ring in October”

It’s still a 998... but now it’s a 20-valve Yamaha twin-cam that revs like crazy

ITG socks cartoonishly jostling for position

end as I now had to run one due to the Knight kit being designed for a longer chain, until Les Stanton at Custom Minis stepped in and made me one to get me back on track at Pembrey.”

FINISHING TOUCHES

From there it went to Owens Fabrication and was treated to a full suspension setup, and Owens steering arms by Endaf, before a last run around Oulton Park. Over Christmas 2021, Howard Porch painted the new front end to match (and incidentally, the orange is a family tradition; Anton’s dad and uncle had a business building forestry machines that were always painted

Anton’s dad’s signature proudly displayed

The stance looks like it’s trying to shoulder-barge you even when it’s standing still

SC splits are as strong as they are pretty

orange), before a host of KAD chassis parts were fitted. Plus the small matter of a new engine. A tune-up by Neil Slark, a setup by Endaf Owens, and the Mini was ready to rock once more. The finishing touch came from Martin at Sticky Fingers, who not only created the custom boot badge, but also the stickers on the doors and bootlid proudly bearing Anton’s father’s signature.

“I love people’s reactions at track days, as it’s normally the only Mini there, or perhaps one of two or three,” he says. “Folk don’t give it a second look until after the first session, and then there are people constantly coming up all day saying ‘thatgoeswell’and ‘whathave yougotinthat?’. Obviously I tell them it’s a 998.” Which, of course, is all part of the fun. And that’s what characterises this car really, fun: it’s a bridge to the

and father, and a continuation of a lifelong thread of Mini adventures. And most of all, it’s a keen reminder to all concerned that, no matter how deranged the idea may sound, you should always expect the unexpected.

THANKS TO:

I would like to thank my late dad for all the inspiration he gave us. My brother Brett and Howard Porch for painting. Phil and Darren at Pro Motive for all their help. Wayne Knightingale at Knight Motorsport for putting up with all my phone calls and questions. Neil Slark for a mega

setup and usually fitting me in at the last minute. And of course Endaf Owens at Owens Fabrication for the fabulous setup and advice.

“People constantly come up saying: What have you got in there?”

CREATION RECORDS

Words Trinity Francis Photography Andy Saunders

A record-breaker in its day, Paddy Hopkirk’s Monte Mini is the stuff of legend. And this faithful 1990s recreation carries the magic across the generations

We all want a car that has a story founded in genuine heritage and if we’re lucky, a car that represents a cultural shift, a moment in history. Kingsley Beck’s Mini is just that. The third of four faithful replicas of Paddy Hopkirk’s famous 1964 Monte Carlo rally winning Mini, Kingsley is the proud owner of this one: 528 EMO.

The project was completed in 1991, with Paddy Hopkirk heavily involved in the conversion of four genuine

Cooper S donor cars to the original 1960s rally spec. “Without doubt, the cars were built with serious competition in mind,” says Kingsley. “They came with an FIA logbook, a letter of authenticity from Paddy Hopkirk himself, and a fairly hefty price tag for 1991 of £21,000.”

RUNNING NUMBERS

That would be in excess of £40,000 today, but the rarity and provenance means the cars have already appreciated well beyond this. Unfortunately the whereabouts of the second is unknown, but the fourth car was a left-hand-drive

model that remained in the UK, and naturally Paddy Hopkirk kept the first car of the set.

The original car from 1964 that Hopkirk and his navigator Henry Liddon crossed the line in is on display at the British Motor Museum, and it deserves to be preserved as part of rallying history. The 1964 rally was a key turning point for Mini and the future of the brand. Up against countless more powerful cars, the BMC Mini Cooper S was the clear underdog but against all predictions, including Paddy’s, they gained precious ground in snowy conditions and crossed the finish

Reborn in the nineties to faithfully evoke the sixties

“Without doubt, the cars were built with serious competition in mind”

line triumphant. It was a successful year for the BMC team as Timo Makinen and Rauno Aaltonen drove two Coopers to fourth and seventh place finishes, winning BMC the manufacturer’s prize. This ignited a cultural shift for Mini with the brand irrevocably linked to rally driving. Hopkirk was greeted with international attention as the rally made the news across the world. Back in the

UK he appeared on SundayNightatthe Palladiumwith Bruce Forsyth. He received a telegram of congratulations from the Prime Minister, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, and a signed photograph from The Beatles commending their victory.

The publicity gained from that win never really faded, with Paddy Hopkirk entwined with Mini up to and

Detailing is extraordinarily thorough

The four recreation cars were given era-appropriate registration numbers

car started out as a 1965 Morris Mini Cooper S”

beyond his passing this year. Most recently, in 2019, MINI released a Paddy Hopkirk Edition Cooper S that was limited to 100 examples in the UK out of a run of 1,500. The modern homage had a very different spec to the ’90s replicas, which were built by accomplished British Saloon Car Champion Alec Poole. To stay true to the original car, these replicas were built at BMC’s Competition Department at Abingdon and re-registered with period correct registrations. The team who worked on the 1964 winner reunited to create the

magic recipe again.

Kingsley’s car started out as a 1965 Morris Mini Cooper S that was stripped down and had the entire bodyshell strengthened along with the subframes. The rear bulkhead had to be modified so the shock absorbers could be changed without having to remove the fuel tanks, and they also got a full FIA-specification rollcages and four-point harnesses to comply with modern safety regulations. Flexible Aeroquip brake hoses run inside the car to feed the front discs with Ferodo DS11 pads and rear drums with

“Kingsley’s

Are you really a fan without a rally jacket?

VG 95 linings. The brake drums and wheel cylinders are also modified following Works practices.

BIG NAMES

The 1293cc engine was built by ex-British Touring Car Champion and engine builder Richard Longman. It’s got twin 1.5” SU carburettors, 731 camshaft, a long-centre-branch exhaust manifold and Aeroquip fuel lines supplied from two five-gallon foam filled tanks. The stock Cooper S gearbox was rebuilt and fitted with new straightcut close-ratio gears, a limited-slip differential and strengthened driveshafts which all come together to give it that distinctive Works Mini

sound. All of the cars were rewired by the same fitter who made the original wiring looms for the Works Competition Department at Abingdon. The exterior was finished in Mini Tartan Red, with the classic white roof and white number squares on the doors

that are painted to the exact size of those on the original.

Inside, the car is built to the same impressive and accurate standards as the mechanicals and bodywork. On the driver’s side there’s a Stack tachometer, oil pressure gauge, water and oil

1293 runs twin SUs and a hot cam

BODY Original Cooper S strengthened bodyshell, Tartan Red paintwork with white roof, white door squares in correct replica size

ENGINE 1293cc, twin 1.5” SU carburettors, 713 camshaft, gas-flowed and polished cylinder head, long-centre-branch exhaust manifold, oil cooler, high-performance radiator with mechanical and electric fans

SUSPENSION Dry suspension with Koni shock absorbers

TRANSMISSION 4-speed manual

BRAKES Front discs with Ferodo DS11 pads, rear drums with VG 95 lining, Aeroquip hoses

WHEELS AND TYRES 4.5x10” Minilites, 165/70 Yokohama A008 tyres

INTERIOR Paddy Hopkirk replica speedometer, Halda Twinmaster, Stack tachometer, original Cooper S steering wheel, Corbeau rally seats, Sabelt 4-point harnesses, Works tool kit

temperature gauges, voltmeter and a Paddy Hopkirk replica speedometer. The navigator gets all the gadgets, including a Halda Twinmaster that’s matched to the final drive and tyre size, stopwatches, independent air-horn control, flexilight, and easy access to the fuses and relays. The car also features a heated front windscreen and spare tool kit on the back seat, all true to the Works cars of the ’60s. And although

early cars would have used 4.5” steel wheels in competition, this one has been fitted with Minilites and Yokohama A008 tyres, as they were considered the best available at the time.

FIRST CONTACT

To christen 528 EMO, its owner at the time took it to the 1992 Charringtons RAC historic rally. Driven by Rauno Aaltonen and navigator Simon Wheeler,

All

the

they came first in their class and placed sixth overall. Coincidentally, Kingsley was also at the event, 21 years before he bought 528 EMO. Years later Kingsley met Aaltonen and, to his surprise, Aaltonen remembered winning the class and beating his fellow rally champion Timo Makinen who was also racing in a Mini Cooper S. Since Kingsley acquired the car, he was invited to a meet featuring BMC Works cars, drivers and technicians, which was also attended by BMC Works driver Brian Culcheth; despite the number of genuine cars there, when it came time to stage the

The mark of the man himself

big photoshoot at the end of the day around one of the cars, none would start – so 528 EMO took centre stage and, along with a picture of the car surrounded by legends of the Mini and rally world, Culcheth, Poole and Hopkirk all signed the roof.

The life of Kingsley’s Mini isn’t quite so glamorous now the ’60s rally scene is fading but he still takes it to classic car tours and charity events. It even gets run down to the shops if it hasn’t been out

for a while. “It’s great fun to drive,” he says, “and because the engine was built with reliability in mind rather than allout speed, it’s very forgiving.”

Reminiscing on when he bought the car after a long search for a Cooper S, Kingsley said: “You know the sound the doors make when you slam them? Well, it definitely doesn’t sound like quality! So when l bought this car for somewhere around its value at the time (yes, they were expensive), l had to ask myself, ‘Are

yousureaboutthis?’”

His investment paid off, as it’s appreciated handsomely over the years, although it’s not about the monetary value. “It doesn’t matter anyway because l don’t expect to ever sell it,” he reasons. It’s in immaculate condition, and a stunning monument to ’60s rallying and Paddy Hopkirk’s mark on the Mini legend. Hopkirk’s memory lives on in these cars, and the enduring reputation and success of Mini.

This Mini’s wonderful accuracy truly transcends the ages

BEFORE STARTING

The first rule of working on cars and using tools of any kind is don’t be stupid. Make sure personal protective gear –goggles, gloves, ear defenders, masks and a set of overalls - are hanging on a hook in your garage and use them wisely.

If you’re working with power tools, protective gear is essential. Never attempt to work under a car without supporting it securely using suitably strong axle stands. If you haven’t got a fire extinguisher, buy one and keep it near to hand. The bottom line? If you’re not completely confident of your own ability to complete any task safely, don’t even start it. Leave it to the experts.

HOW TO:

Awise turbo specialist once said: ‘Turbos don’t die; they’re killed.’ And they were right.

Turbochargers get a bad rep for being temperamental old things that like to play up in anything other than 100% perfect conditions, but that’s not really fair. Turbos must put up with some of the harshest conditions your engine dishes out – those immense heat cycles would put an enormous strain on any piece of hardware, but a well-cared-for turbo will happily cope. Looked after properly, a good turbo can last the lifetime of your car, even on a tuned engine. But they’re not indestructible. They rely heavily on other component parts of your engine – not to mention your mapping settings – being in tip-top condition too. That’s why we’ve compiled this guide to the most common causes of turbo failure and how to prevent it from happening.

OIL STARVATION

Without question, the most common cause of turbo failure is oil starvation.

A turbocharger’s turbine shaft runs at speeds of over 150,000rpm and at temperatures exceeding 900°C, and it can do so almost endlessly – but only when lubricated as it was designed to be. To work effectively, a turbo needs a constant flow and pressure of clean, good quality oil. This not only works to lubricate the thrust and journal bearings, it also helps to stabilise the rotating shaft and journal bearings, as well as acting as a coolant. This requirement is intensified as the turbocharger speed and engine load increases. Even a small reduction in oil pressure can be enough to kill your turbo in seconds, and can be identified by blueing on the turbo shaft or seized bearings. The main causes of oil starvation issues range from oil pump failure to low oil levels; or dirty oil to broken or blocked oil feed pipes. HOW

Words Jamie King & Dan Sherwood

Photography Jamie King & Fast Ford archives

on your oil pressure too – ideally via an aftermarket gauge reading directly from the oil feed union to the turbo – as any drop in pressure can destroy a turbo very quickly.

OIL CONTAMINATION

Many people assume the oil filter will remove any dirty bits before the oil reaches the turbocharger. But this can be a costly mistake. Just like having low oil is bad news for your blower, contaminated oil is also a sure-fire way to turbo failure. Any particles of debris floating around in the oil system (from the products of fuel combustion such as carbon deposits and soot, to tiny metal particles from general wear and tear of the engine) will eventually get past the oil filter and end up at the turbo, causing damage to the smooth surfaces of the bearings and shaft. But it’s not just particles getting past the oil filter that can cause damage. Other engine problems that allow water or fuel to mix with the oil (such as head gasket failure) will prevent the oil from working as it should, reducing its supportive, cooling and lubricating capabilities. And when this happens, it will always be the turbo that fails first.

an inline turbo pre-filter could also help catch any errant particles hell-bent on waging war on your turbo.

IMPACT DAMAGE

The air filter prevents dust particles, small stones, dirt and leaves from reaching the turbo’s delicate compressor wheel. Running without an air filter, or even just using one that has rubbish levels of filtration, means more debris will find its way into the turbo. And, spinning at 150,000 rpm, it doesn’t take much of an imbalance to wreak havoc. At best, the bearings will wear out prematurely because of the excess vibration, but often the imbalance is great enough to cause the compressor wheel to clip the inside of the compressor housing. When this

happens, larger chunks of the blades can break off, making the whole thing even more out of balance, until eventually the compressor wheel destroys itself. Although more likely – and easier to prevent – impact damage isn’t limited to the turbo’s compressor wheel; it can also happen to the turbine wheel caused by debris from inside the combustion chamber. This could be anything from lumps of carbon, injector tips or broken valve parts, to bits of weld or rust from the manifold. But whatever it is, anything hitting the turbine wheel will cause considerable amounts of damage.

HOW TO PREVENT IT: Always invest in a good-quality air filter with good filtration properties, as well as meeting the airflow requirements for your power level. And make sure you clean it regularly, according to the maker’s instructions. Also, be sure to check the turbo for loose connections and debris, especially if fitting a turbo after a previous failure. If possible, check exhaust manifolds for signs of internal rust or loose weld spots too.

BUILD QUALITY

HOW TO PREVENT

IT: Good quality oil and filter, changed well before the prescribed intervals, is essential. Adding

OE turbos are built to meet stringent specifications and pass numerous quality checks and tests. That’s part of the reason they’re so expensive. A highquality aftermarket turbo, built by a

reputable specialist, will also have strict quality control, testing and development procedures, again adding to the costs. Problems can arise when you try and cut costs with cheap turbos that perhaps haven’t gone through the same rigorous checks to ensure build quality. Although things may seem fine for a short time, the usable lifespan is often radically reduced, meaning the savings you make on the purchase price are lost through buying twice when your cheap turbo ultimately fails.

HOW TO PREVENT IT: Buy from a reputable specialist to ensure you’re getting a quality product, and that can provide backup in case of any problems and technical queries.

THRUST BEARING FAILURE

As the compressor wheel spins, it’s effectively trying to pull the shaft out of the front of the turbo. It is prevented from doing so by the turbo’s thrust bearing, which holds the shaft in place and resists this axial force. On most standard applications with low boost levels, a 270-degree thrust bearing is sufficient to stop this from happening –it’s called a 270-degree bearing as there is a 90-degree cut-out that allows the bearing to slide over the shaft, making a turbo cheaper and easier to produce; a 360-degree bearing is made of three pieces, and assembled with the shaft running through it. But increase the boost and the thrust bearing will struggle to contain it. This can lead to a reduction in lubrication and a rapid increase in wear, with in-out play in the shaft and smoke from the exhaust.

HOW TO PREVENT IT: Have your turbo checked over before you start increasing boost pressures. This could involve getting it refreshed by a turbo specialist with new or uprated bearings if you are planning on pushing things further.

HOT STOPPING

A turbo is fed by hot exhaust gases, so unsurprisingly creates a lot of heat in the shaft and bearings, much of which is dissipated by the flow of oil. When allowed to slow down and cool over a reasonable period, this isn’t a problem. But by shutting off an engine immediately after being on boost, the flow of oil is halted and that heat is trapped inside the turbo. This heat can cause damage, including a warped shaft – due to turbine droop – as well as carbonising the oil and damaging the bearings. At this stage it’s all over, and turbo failure is imminent.

HOW TO PREVENT IT: It’s recommended that you end your journey at a more sedate pace or, once at your destination, simply leave the engine ticking over for a few minutes to allow the turbo to cool down before shutting it off. Turbo timers were popular back in the day, but just leaving the car running for a few minutes before you lock up and leave it does the same thing.

CLOGGED ENGINE BREATHER

The engine breather system is an important part of a turbocharged engine; it’s a one-way valve that allows high pressure blow-by gasses from the crankcase to pass through without causing excessive pressure in the oil

system. If this gets clogged it will allow excessive pressure to build up in the engine. In turn, this will pressurise the turbo’s oil system, causing oil to force its way past the bearings, causing damage to the bearings and blue smoke to be emitted from the exhaust.

HOW TO PREVENT IT: The standard PCV system should cope with moderate increases in power while continuing to control the emissions from the crankcase, but the system should be thoroughly checked (even on a relatively new car) and any suspect valves and hoses replaced. For highly-tuned applications, a remote catch tank is advised to vent excess pressure and collect oil vapour.

CARBON BUILD-UP

As well as damage and wear to the bearings and shaft, running old and dirty oil can lead to a build-up of sludge in the engine’s oil galleries and the turbo oil-feed pipework. Any restrictions or blockages here can prove fatal for your turbo. Some cars seem to suffer from carbon build-up and excess sludge more than others, and there is not much you can do about it other than keeping an eye on your oil condition when checking levels; be aware that thick black oil needs changing fast.

HOW TO PREVENT IT: The use of good quality oil and fuel will help limit potential build-up, as will regular oil and filter changes. Also, inspect the waste oil and filter for signs of build-up and to get an insight into what’s going on inside the engine.

OVER-BOOSTING

Also known as over-speeding, overboosting is where the turbocharger is operating above its normal limits. Like any component that is working harder than it was designed to, this causes excess wear and eventually damage. This can damage the bearings, shaft and even the turbine and compressor wheels themselves (they effectively increase diameter under the huge centrifugal forces, and expand so much they can make contact with the inside of the housings). Over-boosting can occur for various reasons, from incorrect ECU mapping to a faulty or undersized wastegate or actuator. It is more commonly down to a simple air leak in

the turbo system. There are various places air can leak from, including broken gaskets, split hoses or punctured intercoolers – all of which force the turbo to work harder as it tries to reach the required boost pressure.

HOW TO PREVENT IT: Ensure that all the turbocharger pipework (and intercooler) is sound with no splits, cracks or leaking joints. Consider uprating to silicone hoses, which will not perish over time and are capable of holding greater pressure. Also, ensure that the wastegate and actuator are operating correctly.

BAD MAPPING

The standard mapping will never cause your turbo to fail, but poor remaps can, and often do. Simply upping the boost levels or crudely turning everything up will cause all manner of performance and reliability issues, not least of which for your turbo. Incorrect AFRs can introduce excess carbon build-up, high EGTs can crack housings, too much boost can cause over-speeding, and when it all eventually blows up, the chunks of broken engine exiting via the exhaust will completely finish off your turbo just for good measure.

HOW TO PREVENT IT: Choose a reputable specialist to map your car. It’s also worth doing a full health check before you look to increase the power levels, as any faults will need to be fixed first.

COMPRESSOR SURGE

Turbo cars make some great noises, especially when they are tuned, and that’s all part of the fun. But some noises can signal problems. One such sound that you don’t want to hear is the ‘flutter’ or ‘turkey gobble’ sound sometimes wrongly referred to as ‘wastegate chatter’. This noise is the sound of

compressor surge. It happens when the turbo is delivering more air than the engine can take in, which then backs up and eventually tries to force its way back out through the turbo the wrong way –the noise is this air hitting the still spinning compressor wheel blades. It may sound cool, but the added pressure on your turbo will cause accelerated bearing wear.

HOW TO PREVENT IT: Eliminating compressor surge can be achieved by fitting a suitable blow-off valve, but if you are experiencing surge at wide open throttle (when any BOV would be shut anyway) you need to be looking at other areas such as turbo sizing, wastegate and actuator function and mapping.

EXCESSIVE EXHAUST GAS TEMPERATURES

Turbos are built to take the high

temperatures generated during normal operation, but if the temperature of the exhaust gases is too high, it can cause catastrophic damage. Typically, this damage is located around the turbocharger’s turbine, cracking the housing, causing excessive erosion and corrosion, all while causing significant collateral damage to other components like the wastegate.

HOW TO PREVENT IT: Excessive exhaust gas temperatures (EGT) can be caused by poor-quality oil, faults in the oil cooling system, incorrect mapping, bad tuning, poor maintenance and suchlike. To ensure your car stays within a safe range, fit an EGT sensor, ideally one that feeds back to the ECU. That way, if the temperatures go up it can shut down the engine before any damage is done.

The latest Mini products

Products Produ Products

PORTER PRESS MINI SCRAPBOOK

£20

It may not fit in a stocking (unless your intended recipient has particularly big feet), but any Mini enthusiast will surely be delighted to find this sitting under the tree. A substantial coffee table effort at 176 pages, this book tells the story of the Mini and MINI in a fun and irreverent way, flitting between subjects and serving up some intriguing curios. With over 400 photos to illustrate the story, it’s a pleasing thing to dip in and out of. And you can’t go wrong for twenty quid, can you?

● www.porterpress.co.uk

AUTOGLYM

BODYWORK, WHEELS & INTERIOR COLLECTION

£75.20

What a cracking gift for anyone who cherishes the appearance of their car! This collection from Autoglym contains everything needed to truly tackle the three main areas of car cleaning: bodywork, wheels, and interior. As such, the complete kit includes Autoglym’s Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner, Super Resin Polish and Extra Gloss Protection to take care of the bodywork side of things, while Clean Wheels, Instant Tyre Dressing, and Wheel Protector ensure your alloys are equally as spotless. Then, the large bottle of Interior Shampoo, Fast Glass to remove unsightly marks on glazing, and a bottle of Vinyl & Rubber Care sorts the interior. On top of that, the kit ships with all the sponges, Hi-Tech finishing cloths and microfibre drying towels needed to apply the products.

● www.autoglym.com

CASTROL CLASSIC OILS

METAL WALL SIGN & CAP

£18.95 (cap); £36.05 (sign)

Castrol Classic Oils have curated a range of retro merchandise to ensure that no car enthusiast is left searching for gift ideas this Christmas. Whether it’s destined for the workshop, a club meet or indoor display, these products combine Castrol’s distinctive post-war iconography with no-nonsense practicality.

The Classic Baker Boy Cap (£18.95) has a round body design that uses a traditional eightpanel construction and is finished with the signature button top and reinforced peak. Presented in heavy-duty fabric woven with a subtle brown-and-black herringbone pattern, it’s embroidered with the familiar Castrol script in red thread on the back.

Advertising became popular in vehicle workshops following the launch of Castrol Classic branding in 1946, and it’s a look that enthusiasts can now replicate in their own space with this reproduction Classic Metal Sign (£36.05), which comes pre-drilled for easy wall mounting.

● https://classicoilsshop.co.uk

JAVELIN TRACK DAYS TRACK DAYS & VOUCHERS

From £99

What better gift to find in your Christmas stocking than the chance to drive your Mini fullthrottle around a track? Well, with prices starting at just £99 for a full track day at various circuits across the country, Javelin Track Days may have the perfect pressie! Or why not grab a gift voucher, available in £25 increments up to £200. Check out the info on the website for further details and to book.

● www.javelintrackdays.co.uk

SPECIALIST COMPONENTS

ULTIMATE LCB

£600

(+VAT/delivery)

(+VAT/delivery)

After a special present for your Mini this Christmas? Born out of a need to offer an ultra-high quality and performing LCB with their Rotrex S-Pack engines, Specialist Components have created their own Ultimate LCB in conjunction with Enhance Performance. The three flanges are 3-axis CNC’d out of 316L stainless steel so the transition from rectangular exhaust port to round pipe is all done within the flange itself, much more effective than deforming pipes to fit into lasercut flanges. The pipes are 304L mandrel-formed stainless and the merge collectors are ultra-high efficient, fully-purge TIG welded, with an O2 sensor in the Y-piece.

● www.specialist-components.co.uk

PAUL SWIFT STUNTS STUNT DRIVING

From £299

If you don’t know the name (and we’d surprised if you didn’t), Paul Swift is a legendary stunt driver with over thirty years’ experience of making cars do unbelievable and physics-defying things. And, rather brilliantly, Paul Swift now offers stunt experiences –this Christmas you could treat a loved one to a breath-taking session of slaloms, J-turns, and speedy handbrake parallel parking! Sure to be an unforgettable experience.

● www.paulswift.com

AUTO FINESSE

WONDER WOOL WHEEL BRUSHES

From £14.95

Wonder Wool Wheel Brushes are designed to tackle the safe agitation of cleaning agents on premium wheels and brake calipers with sensitive finishes. Featuring natural lambswool cleaning heads, Wonder Wools are non-scratch on gloss black, bare metal, anodised and custom painted rims, and actively glide over surfaces gently agitating without excess scrubbing, locking harmful contaminants - such as heavy grime and metallic brake dust - deep within the fibres, away from the wheel finish. The brushes are available in three sizes, priced from £14.95, or as a pack of all three priced at £45.95.

● www.autofinesse.com

Air vents or speakers?

Tim Harber Contributor www.minimail.co.uk

MINI LIFE Driven them since 1967 and started a business around them in London in 1977. Moved to the countryside in 1989 to allow more space to fit cars and family in. Started racing in 2002 (aged 52). Have raced Mighty Minis but have concentrated on Historics since 2010.

MINI SPEC 1961 Racer is re-shelled test-bedcome-toy with 7 port motor at present.

Mini Super. Spare back-up for 65 racer. 1965 1293 racer is FIA Appendix K spec. Woody. Was wife’s daily driver for 7 years now resting. 1971 Biota. Mini-based sports car waiting to be fettled. Freestyle buggy. Looking for new home.

MINIS OWNED

1961 Racer 1962 Mini Super 1965 Historic Racer 1967 Woody Estate 1971 Biota Freestyle buggy

Itch scratched

Impromptu autumn adventures as Tim delves into the details

Thinking the season was all over, unexpectedly I did get out in the Biota to a new local show, and only a mile away from me! One of those fortunate days where the local council told the organisers they couldn’t have their show in my local town two weeks before the event; there were a lot of notices that the event was going to be moved a mile away and it happened to fit the bill for all the pent-up car nuts. I ended up next to an odd-looking kit car so felt quite at home. It’s a Liege – like a modern Dellow (Google it, young peeps) but with 60 built, it’s relatively common!

I had, earlier in the year, succumbed to a long-held itch: to put nice period rear lights on the back of the Biota to get rid of the ugly trailer lights. The 1960s Fiat 850 Coupe had lights that came to fame on more than one model of Ferrari and the Ford GT40 in the sixties. They’re nice and simple but fetch up to £750 for a pair of originals! My first attempt was to buy a pair of ‘Hamburger’ lights –

the popular trailer option, massproduced and £14.95 a pair delivered. I found that you could slip a period Lucas chrome rim on and bingo – period-looking rear lights on the cheap. Trouble is that they stick out quite a way and we would be back to an ugly blob if I didn’t make a hole, so they got put on one side up till the day when I was idly looking on eBay and a pair of new Fiat ones were available for around £120 and I seemed to have pressed the button. Now, they look

OK, but look a bit lost on the big slab at the back. Never happy! If you look at the pic, you will see that the number plate is lowered to allow it to be filled with fuel with an interesting shaped funnel - all good fun.

I have had odd encounters with Mini wood this year. I ended up sending off a special JCW MPI one to get it re-lacquered as it wasn’t available new and it was over £300, but it came back with a superb finish. I also dug out an old Rokee

dash for a chum which was hidden amongst my junk and I noticed I had a stash of Riley Elf ones and other period lovelies. There is an unpleasant ’60s/’70s version, a Riley Elf one and a Rokee centre clock one as well as the Rokee Clubman version as well, together with door cappings and a centre console. The Elf ones stem from the fact that my wife’s Woody has one in and it had my attempt at re-lacquering (aerosol) which has never looked quite the part, so every time I saw a dash I tended to hang on to it thinking one day I

might improve matters. It gets more confusing as the early ones don’t have air vents either end and I was torn between having speakers in the air vent hole. My wife used to love her ‘cupboards’ as she called them, but I am now thinking I ought to convert it back to period spec and I am collecting parts to do that in case. Trouble is, estates don’t fetch the money that saloons do, so I am torn between ‘original is best’ to keep the value up or ‘we did it our way’ with the practical Mk4 twin switches on the column. Decisions, decisions...

Parked up next to another oddball

A wealth of options

“I have had odd encounters with Mini wood this year”

Woody interior in the ‘90s

. and some time later

Jeff Ruggles Contributor

MINI LIFE I’ll run out of fingers and toes if I try and count all the Minis I’ve had. I love to spend all my spare time working on them, although progress can be tricky as I have far too many.

MINI SPEC I currently own seven Minis in various states of repair. Currently only a couple are road legal, although I’m working hard to changeall that! MINIS OWNED 1971 Mini 850

Seven-year itch

Jeff’s Innocenti is finally back on the road for the first time since 2015

Finally, after seven years off the road, I’m delighted to report that my 1972 Innocenti Mini is back in action. Long-term readers will remember it was purchased from Pisa in Italy back in 2011 as part of Performance Direct’s Non Standard Awards (now Motor-Vision Awards) – a trip that involved visiting the scenes from TheItalianJobfilm then limping it to the UK. A thorough recommissioning then took place to sort all the bits that had broken, but it was subsequently parked up in 2015 and hadn’t been driven since.

As a rare 1001 model (a rung up from the basic 1000), I was keen to redress that situation. So, early last year, I set about a much lengthier recommissioning job that ultimately ended up with the engine out for a refresh and to mend a stripped sump plug, plus a new exhaust and carburettor. The sills were also repainted and rustproofed, and a few bits went on to make the car easier to live with; chiefly electronic ignition and a

Cooper S front disc brake set-up. Sadly, the brakes and clutch couldn’t be bled properly – so, to cut a long story short, a fresh clutch slave cylinder and a pair of new masters were fitted. I’ve opted to fit plastic units for now due to cost

and availability, but I’ve still got the originals neatly boxed up to rebuild when time allows. Getting the clutch and brake pedal clevis pins in place proved to be a pain of a job – I’m sure it’s harder on a lefthand drive Mini – and I had to buy

“Getting the clevis pins in place proved to be a pain of a job”

AC Dodd works his tuning magic

several more to replace the ones that disappeared and couldn’t be found again.

After a maiden test drive when I ran out of fuel (anyone got a fuel gauge sender for a pre-Export 1001?), the car’s first major outing was on West Country Minis’ annual Isle of Wight Mini Adventure. I’m delighted to say I made it to the island in one piece too – although, lo and behold, several of those clevis pins reappeared one-by-one to jam

the brake pedal on and scare me witless.

AC Dodd was present at the event running tuning sessions for pre-booked cars, and though the Innocenti wasn’t one of them, he agreed to get a later boat and squeeze it in at the end of the day. The car has never run particularly well, so it’s fair to say this was well overdue. And while the new carb had already improved matters, the fuel mixture was way too rich. AC

readjusted things and tinkered with the carb needle to get it right, as well as dialling back on criminal amounts of ignition advance. Now it runs much better, and I’m sure it uses less fuel too, although a working gauge may help with that.

There was still the matter of yet another jammed clevis pin though. Using a handy magnetic bendy tool thing, I think I’ve finally got them all out now…

Both master cylinders had to be replaced

MINI ARCHIVE

REWIND

This month’s Mini Magazine archive trawl takes us back to October 1997

It’s fair to say that comets don’t flicker on most people’s radar all that often, although anyone who was paying attention back in 1997 will have the name Hale-Bopp firmly etched into their memories. October 1997 turned out to be a pretty culturally seismic month, in fact, with Andy Green setting the first supersonic land speed record for the ThrustSSC team, NASA

sending a probe to Saturn, Boogie Nights and I Know What You Did Last Summer hitting the cinema, and Aphex Twin releasing Come To Daddy. On the TV we were seeing trailers for a fresh new comedy show named I’m Alan Partridge, and the nation’s maternity wards were buzzing with future talent – Charles Leclerc, Jade Bird, Marcus Rashford… We were celebrating a few legends of our

own here in Mini Magazine too, with a selection of truly unusual Minis. Gasp with jaw-dropped delight as we walk you through the highlights.

1 2 3 4 There was a compelling story behind the issue’s cover car. Starting life as a 1962 Morris, it got reshelled with a Mk3 Cooper S body, modded in typical 1970s style (Cosmics,

air horns, Benelite grille), then mothballed in a shed for fifteen years. In the early-’90s it was exhumed, stripped down, and built up into what you see here. That gorgeous paint is Maya Gold, a VW Beetle shade, and it really is fabulous. People should definitely be building more gold cars.

5 6 7 The Volkswagen theme continues in bizarre style with this unique custom. Based on a 1963

Minivan, this long and wide open cruiser is packing the 1.8-litre fuelinjected engine from a Golf GTI, complete with the Golf’s gearbox as well as its entire suspension setup and braking system. And yes, the paint is a Volkswagen colour. A magnificently demented creation.

8 9 What you’re looking at here is an Ecurie de Dez – a two-plus-two coupe based on a 1962 Morris Mini 850. This

makeover sees it packing an Australian 1098cc motor along with an incredible glassfibre fastback moulded to the deseamed rear. Thanks to the slinky aero, it had a higher top speed than a factory Cooper S…

10 11 …and if aero is your bag, get a load of this. A Mini Minus, redesigned to be as slick as a Teflon bullet. Recessed headlights, stubby mirrors, swoopy nose, this is a slippery bar of soap.

EVERYDAY HEDONISM

Ican’t help but feel underdressed. Not in a jeans-to-a-black-tie-function sense, but more in a walking-bootsto-a-skate-park way. My borrowed Peugeot 208 holds nothing on the barbarian before me. The silent Saturday atmosphere of this backstreet

Birmingham industrial estate is being sliced open by the sound of a motorbike, and yet it’s coming from the wrong end of a thirty-two-year-old family car. This isn’t a first, as Z Cars have been carving atmospheres and opinions within the classic Mini scene for nearly twenty-

A Hayabusa-engined Mini sounds like a lunatic fantasy – but this Z Car has actually been built to be both usable and reliable

Words and Photography Connor Heath

five years, but it by no means makes this heathen of the classic culture easy or comfortable to comprehend.

NEW BEGINNINGS

The story here really starts twenty years after the car left the factory, with an extremely vibrant MOT report, where the car acquired more failures than advisories and was described as ‘so bad it wouldn’t see the road again’. Too attached to send it to the scrappers, the owner left it outside, seemingly only cementing its fate of cola cans and oven trays. Cue Craig Painter’s entrance in 2015, an old racing friend of the owner.

The plan all along was a Z Cars conversion, so when Craig was shown the rotten boot floor, he assured “That won’t be an issue - I need a hole there anyway.” What followed was a meticulous process of removing anything with a hole, making way for new parts and panels everywhere. The intention was that the shell remained metal, rather than giving way to a fully fibreglass solution. However, the Z Cars conversion meant that it wouldn’t be the usual shell restoration, with floors being cut to give way to where the spaceframe would go. Being one of the precorporate rebirth kits, this was going to

Custom carbon dash and a teeny-tiny steering wheel!

“If I need to work on it, I can go in through the windows”

Cunningly integrated bike controls

be undertaken by Craig himself. For those that are immersed in Z Cars history you’ll note that 2015 was the wrong time to start a Z Cars build; Craig had already placed an order and paid for the kit when the company ceased trading in the later months of the year. Following a phone call direct to the company owner Chris Allanson, the kit was collected from the now bleaklooking warehouse and, fortunately, most of what was needed was there. The spaceframe kit runs from the front of

the car all the way to the back, and once all built it’s slotted in from the back forwards. “Once it’s in, it’s in. If I need to work on it, I can go through the windows,” and Craig is right. The rear windows are all easily removable Perspex, and the boot is easily removed too. What at first appears to be a claustrophobic job reminiscent of an MPI engine bay suddenly becomes a fairly open space. The top half of the bulkhead also pops out, allowing for further access. The suspension,

provided by Z Cars as part of the kit, is fully adjustable. After setting it up to the best of his ability, Craig then outsourced some help to perfect the setup at Martin O’Connell Racing. Seeing the car set up, even they struggled to comprehend how this 608kg spaceframe piece of racing equipment would ever be roadworthy, but after an MOT in 2019 it was officially ready to go. However, the story doesn’t end here. The car spent the next two years in primer due to that little thing that happened in 2020, and

Minimalist seats suit superleggera vibe

only managed to be fully painted in 2021. That brings us to the current look. Quantum Grey, an Audi colour, covers the body with exceptions to arches, roof and side vents. The boot, rear valance and bumpers are carbon, giving a depth of texture, and purposeful hints to the guts of the car. These hints continue, with the quick-release vented bonnet, one of my personal favourite touches due to the harmonising of both form and function.

FIT AND FINISH

What you must realise is that beneath the brutal façade of a chopped-up pitbull of a Mini there is a real sense of quality.

No part of this car has gone without immense thought, and as Craig explains this to me there’s proof in the pudding, from the alloy Kirkey bucket seats to the immaculate faces on the wheels. While on the topic of the wheels, the corners are stuck to the ground by a set of Nankang Sportnex AR-1, wrapped around thirteen-inches of Force Racing SLR wheels. The theory here is that it’s the closest thing to a race tyre while still being able to cope with roads, and are described as 90% track and 10% road. After a short, terrifying lap of the block I

can tell you that it sticks to the floor like cooked pasta to a wall. That pasta moves quickly too, with 200bhp of Japanese grunt behind it. The chosen 1300 Hayabusa conversion is rarer, due to having a six-speed sequential gearbox rather than the more common chaindrive alternative. Craig also wanted to retain a lot of the Hayabusa equipment, hence the dials in the dashboard. The utilisation of these is ideal, as the cluster holds built-in diagnostics and warning lights, rev counter and shift light, and original Hayabusa speedo. The speedo

“It’s lively, but incredibly usable. And it starts every time!”

Quaife Z Cars ‘box is a tasty bit of kit

No front engine means superior cooling opportunities

runs off the output shaft, making it extremely accurate. The car also retains the mode selector underneath, which has three options: cruising mode, unrestricted mode and rain mode, which reduces output in the lower gears making the car more practical and usable. Usability is something Craig cherishes, and is the reason he has chosen not to chase higher power output figures: “It’s lively, but incredibly usable. It starts every time and I don’t want to jeopardise that by messing with the engine.” When it comes to getting it stopped, the front has the Z Cars floating 230mm vented disc brakes, clamped in by Wilwood calipers. The back of the car is a different story with a single disc from none other than a Citroën Saxo, but the exciting bit is the adjustable nature of the brakes. Via a

dial mounted to the cage next to the driver, you can easily alter the bias between the front and back of the car to suit use. “It isn’t something that gets adjusted often, but it’s great to have the opportunity to if I see fit.” The idea at the moment isn’t for regular track day thrashing, but it’s evident Craig has ensured that if those plans change it won’t require another laborious process of the car being taken off the road for months on end.

FUTURE PLANS

That said, this isn’t the end of the road for the car. The week we met up Craig took delivery of an automatic fire extinguisher kit, which he intends to plumb in over the winter months, as well

as looking at fitting a custom carbon undertray to keep the bottom of the car protected. It isn’t large things, but small refinements that will evolve this car into its final stages. He isn’t scared to use it either, and speaks of events he plans on getting it to before the year is out such as Coleshill Breakfast meets, or going further afield for larger events such as Mini in the Park. My tip? Don’t assume you’re about to be passed by a motorbike heading to national events. That screaming noise might be coming from the wrong end of one of Britain’s most beloved

POWERED BY

MINI HOT ROD

We’re really stretching the definition of ‘special edition’ to breaking point with this car, as only one of them was ever built so it’s not as if you’re going to see one turn up on eBay. But 1997’s unique Mini Hot Rod is worthy of inclusion in the series by virtue of its inherent awesomeness; while it may look like a high-end aftermarket custom, this was actually built by Jack Knight Developments to Rover’s own brief, at the request of a wealthy client. Under the bonnet was a 16-valve version of the A-series putting out a frankly incredible 160bhp, mated to a 5-speed dog ’box. This served up some outstanding performance –

we’re talking 0-60mph in sub-6seconds and a top speed in excess of 120mph. Backing all this up was a stripped and caged barealuminium interior with Sparco bucket seats, an F1-style BRM paint job, and the wheel choice and bonnet louvres could have been lifted from anything in Max Power or Revs at the time. A contemporary road test in Autocar highlighted that ‘torque-steer is rampant, and bumps are a real danger’, but to be honest that just makes it sound more fun – particularly as the power-to-weight ratio was superior to that of a Ferrari F355. As you’d hope, given that it cost £50,000. Adjusted for inflation, that’s £88,000 in today’s money…

Ticket to Ride

Rebuilt from a bare shell with countless new parts, this 224bhp R53 is now being raffled off to raise funds for the Air Ambulance Service

one of the most endearing and heart-warming elements of the first-gen MINI scene is how inclusive and welcoming it is, and the R53 you see here is a very clear representation of that. Built by a bunch of enthusiasts, with countless companies chipping in parts and services, the team at East Mids Minis have created a proper show-stopper that’s richly infused with friendship and camaraderie…and that’s not all: the car is being raffled off for charity, right now, with the draw being held on December 23rd. So if you find yourself clutching the figurative golden ticket, you could be getting a call at Christmas to tell you that this MINI is yours!

The concept is the brainchild of Chris Miller, along with Chris Coopers and Ryan Hayton, who between them run the East Mids Mini group on

Facebook, which has been growing in membership and stature. They occasionally get companies kindly donating products for competitions, and the idea began to form that they could corral this enthusiasm into a bigger project build for charity; they ran a poll on the group, and it was decided that the proceeds should go to the Air Ambulance Service. And with these seeds sown, the game was afoot…

“We started putting the word out in lots of different Mini groups, and we received great feedback with people offering to donate parts and one friend offering an R50 rolling shell,”

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Words Daniel Bevis Photography Adrian Brannan

says Chris. The team started contacting companies across the country and received an overwhelming response.

“Originally we had a garage who wanted to do the whole build for us,” he continues, “but after getting lots of parts delivered there, and the R50 shell, they decided they didn’t have enough time to do it. After messaging lots of people, a good friend of mineAndy Bushell from Andy Bushell Braces - told me he had a complete R53 just sitting doing nothing that he would donate for us to build, along with one of his amazing strut braces and some other bits. Andy even spoke to a local transport company, Bomber County International Transport, and they very kindly moved the car from Boston to Mansfield.”

JIGSAW PUZZLE

The state of the R53 could probably be best described as ‘challenging’, with no brakes, an engine in bits, brake and fuel lines cut off and the fuel tank drilled, so the first job was to fully strip it down and see what they were

These motors make a really great noise with a 17% pulley on the blower

good friend told me he had a complete R53 sitting doing nothing”

dealing with. Ten mates congregated at Chris’s house to get busy with the wrenches, and within a day it was a bare shell on axle stands; after assessing a few cosmetics, it was time to crack on with the fresh new parts.

“Febi Bilstein donated all the standard parts for underneath the

car which started going on straight away,” says Chris. “Along with the EBC brakes and Raceland coilovers, all new brake lines and everything else, the car was back on its feet before we knew it! The black and red curved JC-Wing spoiler went on a treat, and the Aero bumper, sideskirts and arches were all sent off to Auto Body Tech to be painted. With the car now a rolling shell, we decided to get it off to a friend who cut out the whole rear rusty panel and welded a

“A

Hydro-dipped dash and race seats are a great combo

new one in place. While there he also straightened the bonnet and modified, welded and fitted the MRC rollcage as this had to be cut down to fit the sunroofoptioned MINI. After this the car went straight over to Inflo Vinyl in Swadlincote to be wrapped in the amazing Hexis vinyl. As it was getting wrapped we took the engine block over to WS Bates Ltd in Nottingham who stripped it down, honed it, fitted new Mahle piston rings and King Bearings, then painted it ready to go back in.”

GATHERING PACE

The car was really starting to take shape by this point, with the pace of progress accelerating by the

day. The customised dash went in, along with the KAD Fibreglass Products carbon fibre seats and TRS harnesses, and then Chris popped the bonnet so that he, Ryan and good friend Danny Kerry could get the Tritec ticking. New MAR Motorsport gaskets were used, and the newly worked head from Gareth Barron at GS R53 MINI, plus the Max Torque clutch to get everything slipped into position. Danny offered to do the final assembly and checkover

at his place, Cairo Street Garage, and after a short while the R53 was alive and kicking. Gaining a fresh MOT, it was ready for the final few bits to be buttoned up, including one more trip to Inflo Vinyl to get the front bumper artfully wrapped.

“We had a little hiccup on the way back,” says Chris. “We were driving along a country road and suddenly I noticed something large fly up in front of me. We found somewhere to pull over

MODERN MINI

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TECH SPEC

BODY Wrapped in Hexis Matte Grey Silver, Aero bumpers, Maxton Design front splitter, Aero grilles - painted black, Avantgarde Autos 1-of-1 enlarged bonnet scoop - painted gloss black, scuttle scoops painted black, SMPS2012 gloss black headlight rings and door handles, new Auto Windscreens front screen, SMPS2012 Union Jack rear lights, custom East Mids Minis badge, MINI badge and supercharger badges, side repeater units painted gloss black, wing mirrors painted red, sideskirts and arches painted gloss black, red and gloss black curved JC-Wing, rear wiper delete

ENGINE 1.6-litre supercharged Tritec, block honed with Mahle piston rings, King Bearings and painted black, GS reworked head, Piper performance cam, NGK spark plugs, Mr Retro red performance ignition leads, Tim Woodford coil pack relocation plate, Howe Performance enlarged throttle body, TPE Precision charge pipe, Ramair induction, 17% pulley supplied by 1320Mini, Stoney Racing full silicone hose kit and induction pipe, Minimise custom wheelarch eye stickers, various parts smoothed and powder-coated by Marcus Love, MTC black intercooler, Notsohobo black intercooler air diverter, Milltek stainless steel exhaust system inc. decat and manifold, new Mahle radiator, power: 224bhp

SUSPENSION Raceland coilovers, R56 rear arm upgrade by MAR Motorsport, Andy Bushell red strut brace, Powerflex polybushes, full chassis overhaul with Febi Bilstein parts – inc. lower arms, ball joints, wheel bearings, rubber boots and drop links

TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual, Max Torque performance clutch

BRAKES EBC grooved discs, EBC Yellow Stuff pads, Hel Performance braided hoses supplied by Bigg Red Brakes, new calipers and sensors from Febi Bilstein

WHEELS AND TYRES OE 16” alloyspainted gloss black by Tamworth Powder-coaters, Toyo tyres

INTERIOR OE Cooper S dash with 5-piece red hydro-dipped dash panels by Advance Modifications, black Alcantara headlining and pillar trims, custom carbon fibre rev counter and speedo, Trix Bits carbon gearknob and handbrake handle, black leather centre console upright covers, KAD Fibreglass Products carbon race seats, TRS Motorsport harnesses, Carmats. co.uk black and red mats, Minimise custom door sill guards, MRC Motorsport red half-rollcage, custom race doorcards with sponsor stickers, JC Clubsport rear seat delete wrapped in RC Fabrics black embroidered diamond Alcantara

Red-and-black theme makes for a very inviting cabin

and check, and the bonnet scoop had snapped and flown off! This was three days before the Minis and Milkshake event that we were attending and revealing the car at… I frantically searched the internet for companies that could supply and donate a new scoop, and with just one email to Avantgarde Autos they came straight back to say they would happily help. They had a scoop prepped and painted the same day for us – it was posted Thursday, received Friday, fitted Saturday and ready for the show on Sunday. Kam and the guys at Avantgarde Autos were absolute life-savers, and it turns out that this scoop is the only one in existence as they hadn’t planned to start producing this until January 2023… but because this was for charity, they decided to donate it and bring their production forward.”

ALL IN THE DETAILS

After the show, the MINI was treated to a false rear floor and strut brace, with JC Clubsport and RC Fabrics supplying embossed diamond Alcantara, and with a few modifications to the floor to get it fitted around the rollcage it was in and looking great. And then it was mapping time! A date was booked with Chris at CC Tuning, Burton-on-Trent, and he spent hours getting it mapped to his liking and running just as it should, the resultant 224bhp being a very respectable and pleasing figure.

“A few more little jobs were sorted after this,” says Chris, “with the carbon gearknob and handbrake donated by Trix Bits, along with the custom race doorcards with all the sponsor logos going on to them. New black headlight rings, door handle covers and Union Jack rear lights were fitted that were kindly donated by SMPS2012, and a good friend Daniel Orwin came over and wrapped the corners of the front and rear bumpers and fitted the red bonnet scoop sticker to finish things off. The car was now complete and getting a great response from everyone who saw it, but I know there will still be bits that I want to do to make it perfect before the winner takes

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MODERN MINI

A lot of people have put a lot of effort into this project

“The R53 is up for grabs - tickets are £10 a pop from East Mids Minis”

ownership of the car!”

And with all of that herculean effort from this intrepid and indomitable group of enthusiasts, the R53 is up for grabs. Tickets are £10 a pop, with all of the money raised going to the Air Ambulance Service; they’re on sale through East Mids Minis on Facebook or via the JustGiving website (visit https://bit.ly/3SZfPph ) and will run until 23rd

December. The winner will be chosen on Christmas Eve and notified that they’ve won the car on Christmas Day. Built by mates, funded by generosity, destined to do good, this is a proper feel-good story. And isn’t that what the MINI scene is all about?

THANKS TO:

Thanks to all the companies who donated parts and helped with the build: Febi Bilstein, Milltek, EBC, Raceland, MRC Motorsport, SMPS2012, Piper Cams, Millers Oils, Mahle, King Bearings, TRS Motorsport, Maxton Design, Inflo Vinyl, Avantgarde Autos, EDF Motorsport, Hexis Vinyl Wraps, 1320Mini, Alien Car Magic Ltd, JC-Wings, Carmats.co.uk, KAD Fibreglass Products, MTC Motorsport, Roadie Designs, Minimise, NGK Spark Plugs, Ramair, JF Customs, Auto Body Tech, Micks Tyres, Larkspeed, Rooster Racing, Trix Bits, Two Guns Transport, JC Clubsport, WS Bates Ltd, Citro Minis, PowerfulUK, East Mids Customising, GS R53 Mini Specialists, CB Miniparts, MCR Mini, Stoney Racing, MAR Motorsport, RGT Minis, County Batteries, Advance Modifications,

Sheet Plastics, Whatageek Designs, Andy Bushell Braces, Max Torque Clutches, WK Peckham Mini Spares, Bigg Red, Road Track Race, Car Toon Canvas, Bomber County International Transport… and the people: Mark Richard, Marc Turner, Gareth Barron, Adrian Hardy, Jonny Curnow, Dave Mills, Bob Martin, Martyn Hill, Martin Pritchard, Joel Parker, James Allured, Marc Turner, Marcus Love, Jason Perry, William Saunders, Gareth Hackland, Harry Howard, Ben Johnson, Steve Dodgy, Paige Ball, David Kirkham, Jeff Lamb, Colin Bolam, Philip Ziggy Bartrop, Paul Muggleton, Daniel Orwin, Bradley Miller, Andy and Lynsey Bushell, Rob N Lozza Wright, Jeff Lamb, Danny Kerry, Regan Bennett, Scott Newton, and Paddy van der Moyle.

Geeked Out

A penchant for the unusual has led this owner to create a unique MINI brimming with personality

Words Ben Birch Photography C3 Photography

put a rare car and a rare mind together, and you’re guaranteed to get a unique result. Put self-confessed geek and tech boffin Eduardo Mendez together with a Hot Orange R52, and the final outcome is a standout showpiece oozing more

Stateside cool than a hot dog-chomping Fonzie riding a bald eagle into the Super Bowl.

This cabriolet was always destined for a different path, as not only are they far from common in America, but you’re also more likely to see the New Jersey Devils (Eduardo’s home town) win a Stanley Cup than see another Hot Orange R52. Eduardo had always been into MINIs since he saw TheItalian Job, and when he spotted this

MINI

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one for sale, he had to have it. “The colour drew me in,” he admits, “but it was also completely standard with just 69,000 miles on the clock and zero rust, which is pretty special.”

Unlike many of our feature car owners, there were no innocent intentions to keep the car

loud in every way possible, from the looks to the engine and also when it came to the MINI’s in-car entertainment. After all, high-end hi-fi installations are a passion and profession for him, and he likes music while driving, so he decided to combine the two in boisterous style.

He began by stripping the rear sear out, to be replaced by a huge array of amps and speakers, which spill out into the boot like something out of

standard. “I knew exactly what I was going to do,” continues Eduardo. “In my mind, I’d already built it before I even bought it!” And given that his other ride is a Honda CR-V with a 4” suspension lift and 31” tyres, this was never going to be a runof-the-mill modified Gen 1. Eduardo knew that he wanted it

MadMax:FuryRoad. Eduardo has squeezed no fewer than 13 speakers into this pint-sized cabriolet and says the music is his favourite modification as it’s as loud as the car itself. This is no small achievement, given that the engine now screams like a banshee thanks to the classic combo of 17% pulley, larger top-mount intercooler, larger fuel injectors and a stainless manifold and exhaust system. What isn’t so common amongst the performance bolt-ons is a throttle body taken from a BMW 760i. This is

“I knew what to do; in my mind, I’d already built it before I even bought it”

much larger in terms of internal diameter and has created some interesting dialogue on the NorthAmericanMotoring.com forums, including some quite technical testing by contributors who claim it results in another psi or two of boost at the engine. Eduardo reckons on a 260bhp peak, which would be an impressive figure from the mods listed. One thing’s for sure – anything over 200bhp in a slammed R52, with the wind buffeting your hair and no closed cockpit to quieten the supercharger noise,

would be an amazing experience for passengers and other road users alike.

LOUD NOISES!

Indeed, it’s no surprise that this MINI turns heads wherever it goes, a wicked stance and loud colour scheme grabbing just as much attention as the

TECH SPEC

BODY Hot Orange, carbon fibre bonnet, M7 scoop, Spyder headlights and turn signals, colourcoded arches, skirts and plastic trim

ENGINE 1.6-litre supercharged Tritec, 17% reduced supercharger pulley, 2% bigger crank pulley, M7 intercooler with bonnet scoop, M7 bumper divider and heat shield, XForce stainless exhaust manifold, 380cc fuel injectors, TPE Precision charge pipe, BMW 760i throttle body, high-output alternator for ICE, Power: 260bhp (claimed)

SUSPENSION Hyper-Street One coilovers, M7 camber kit

TRANSMISSION Six-speed manual BRAKES R56 front calipers, crossdrilled discs, ceramic brake pads

WHEELS AND TYRES 8.5x17” (front) and 10x17” (rear) BBS RC090 wheels, 205/45 tyres

INTERIOR Bucket seats, rear seat delete, dash wrap, carbon fibre dash pillars, carbon fibre gear knob and handbrake, 10.5” touchscreen head unit, 3x 12” speakers, 2x 10” midrange speakers, 6x DS18 horns, 2x 12” Skar Audio EVL-12 D2 subwoofers

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That’s a hell of a lot of knobs and switches to control the audio

It’s not easy to squeeze 10”wide wheels under an R52

decibels. The striking combination of orange and black really jumps out among the usual black and grey saloons navigating the New Jersey streets, and a subtle carbon weave on the bonnet pops in the East Coast sunshine. “I’m going further with the carbon too,” says Eduardo. “I’m going to get doors, fenders,

aren’t common on MINIs on either side of the Atlantic, and even less so in such an aggressive fitment. Measuring 8.5”-wide up front and a hefty 10” at the rear, these rims are tucked right into the arches courtesy of a stack of camber and some serious slamming. M7 adjustable rear control arms take care of the former, while a lesser-known brand of coilovers takes care of the latter. “Hyper Streets are quite popular here,” says Eduardo, “for the price and the smooth ride they give, they’re actually rather

and a trunk soon, they’ll match the hood and also tie the exterior in with the carbon I’ve already got in the interior.” And although it will in some way be a shame to lose even more of that rare MINI colour, the extra black carbon will contrast well against those white 17” BBS rims even more than the Hot Orange does.

Ah, the wheels – genuine BBSs

good.” OK, so he won’t be setting any records at the local gymkhana, but that’s absolutely not the point of this R52. It’s about blasting around, having fun, and generating smiles wherever it goes.

But this Cooper S is not just some bright clownshoe. Everything has been done to a very high standard, and the more you look at it, the more subtle touches and smart parts you see, which is always the sign of a cleverly and uniquely modified car. If there was ever an R52 to take time to look at the pictures and geek out over, this is the one.

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Eduardo claims 260bhp, which would be pretty incredible

“I’m going further with the carbondoors, fenders, and a trunk”

R56 Cooper S Buying & Tuning Guide

Words Martyn Collins

Photography MINI/BMW AG, Patrick Lauder

ollowing the success of the first-generation R53 Cooper S, which went on sale a year after the One and Cooper in 2002, MINI thankfully didn’t make buyers wait as long for its replacement, as it was one of the first models available from November 2006 UK launch. As with the standard R56, the fastest second-generation MINI (well, until the John Cooper Works came along later), was more of a clever rework than a new model. Outside, legislation dictated an 18mm taller shoulder line, but this MINI is also 60mm longer, equalling an extra 10 litres of boot space. The biggest change was under the bonnet, as the supercharged Tritec 1.6-litre was replaced by a turbocharged version of the PSA-supplied ‘Prince’ N14 1.6-litre engine. At launch, the Cooper S boasted 175bhp and up to 192lb.ft. thanks to the clever ‘overboost’ function, where for a short period the turbo boosts above normal pressure. The result was acceleration to 62mph that took just 7.1 seconds. Yet, despite the performance, features such as the BMW VANOS system resulted in a combined consumption figure

of 40.9mpg, broadening this MINI’s appeal to hot hatch buyers who hadn’t considered it before.

A BRIEF HISTORY

With over 170bhp, the R56 Cooper was fast out of the box – but it wasn’t long before John Cooper Works (JCW), now under MINI control, had a performance kit available for the new car. Launched in 2007, like the R53 it included an exhaust, airbox and ECU, resulting in a power hike to 192bhp and 199lb.ft. A rare kit, this was maybe because of the high £2,000 price and the incoming full-production JCW model.

Like the standard R56, the Cooper S received its mid-life or LCI (Life Cycle Impulse) facelift in 2010. Outside there were minor exterior tweaks, such as new lights and wheels. More

launch,

significant were the changes made to the Prince petrol engine. Renamed the N18, this engine benefited from infinitely variable double-VANOS, a map-controlled oil pump, composite camshaft

construction, a new piston design, plus fully variable valve control. The latter is BMW’s proven VALVETRONIC system, that adjusts valve lift and opening times in direct relationship to the throttle pedal. There were mechanical issues that necessitated these upgrades (more on that later) but, on the positive side, these engine changes equalled nine more horses, top speed rose to 142mph, with 0-62 acceleration in exactly seven seconds. After a lengthy and successful run, the Cooper S was eventually retired, along with all of the rest of the second-

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“At

the Cooper S boasted 175bhp, and 0-62mph in 7.1 seconds”

generation MINI range in 2013, to be replaced by the F56.

OUR PICK

If you must go for a pre-facelift R56 Cooper S, the Sport Pack introduced in April 2008 is desirable. The choice of exterior colours was better, and it also included a body kit and 17” crossspoke alloy wheels that make it look like the more powerful, range-topping JCW. However, due to the mechanical upgrades made to the engine from the 2010 facelift, we’d go for one of those cars if your budget allows.

WHAT TO PAY

Around £1,300 is where R56 Cooper S prices start, but these are for the earliest 2006 cars, mostly with engine issues. The cheapest roadworthy cars without issues we could find start at £2,000 for a late 2007 model with 80,000 miles. You’ll need at least £4,000 to get into one of the earliest LCI facelift R56 Cooper Ss, with over 100,000 miles.

Around £7,000 is where you’ll find facelift cars with more modest mileage between 50-80,000 miles. £8,500 is where the best, lowest-mileage cars are found, in this case, a 2011, 29,000-

mile example. As with all MINIs, buy on condition, specification and colour. There are also plenty of limited edition models, and the Camden and Bayswater in particular are worth searching out and nabbing.

WHAT TO SPOT

The biggest elephant in the room with pre-LCI R56 Cooper S models is the Prince N14 turbocharged engine that powers

it. Based on the PSA TU unit, BMW added more sophistication to this engine by way of clever features such as VANOS and variable valve timing. The problems start with carbon build-up around the valves and intake ports, which is caused by the direct injection that is used for both performance and economy. The only solution is to have the engine de-coked, whereby crushed walnut shells are blasted at the inlet manifold and the tops of the valves. On the test drive, watch for the engine warning light illuminating on the speedo, acceleration will also be hesitant, and performance won’t be up to the levels you’d expect. Specialists will charge around £240 to

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carry out this in-depth service.

The most serious fault with the N14 engine is most widely known as the ‘death rattle.’ Why? Well, because that’s the noise you will hear on start-up when cold. Caused by the timing chain tensioner breaking up and the chain stretching, the only solution is to change the major timing kit components, which can also be done at a specialist, and costs over £600. If left, the tensioner will break and destroy the top of the engine. Another R56 Cooper S mechanical woe is the high-pressure fuel pump, which again is a known failure point. Poor starting and idling are the biggest giveaways and affects both N14 and N18 engines. Again, this is

for an engine in good order! Finally, check older models for any oil leaks.

Most R56 Cooper Ss are fitted with the slick six-speed manual transmission or rarer and less popular six-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheelmounted paddles. Problems with either gearbox are rare but watch for sloppy changes with the manual. This can be easily fixed by replacing a worn cup in the linkage. Like the R53 before it, the

anti-roll bar links, bushes and shock absorbers.

another expensive part, so budget £600 for a replacement. It is also worth mentioning that it’s not just the N14 that’s affected by the ‘death rattle,’ there have been isolated cases with the later engine, too.

Whether an N14 or N18 engine, both like a drink –as much as a litre of oil per 1,000 miles – and that’s

R56 Cooper S is a great drive, which is the result of the MacPherson struts, coil springs and of course that Z-axle at the back. Make sure you check the wear-and-tear parts, such as the

Apart from the mechanical changes, the other biggest upgrade from Gen 1 to Gen 2 MINIs is the higher quality, more stylish interior. Air-conditioning is a popular feature, but make sure it’s working on the test drive. If not, the evaporator might have failed, and the repair is costly at £500. A giveaway is white dust coming through the air vents. A sunroof is another popular option, but like the electric windows, make sure that it works smoothly, as jammed sunroofs are not unheard of. Leather trim looks good and lasts well, but watch for dirt and bolster wear. Early Cooper S Salt models have basic specifications, lacking both air-conditioning and a sunroof and are not sought after. Expect age-related marks such as stone chips. Doors and rear

“BMW added more sophistication, with VANOS and variable valve timing”

quarters are vulnerable to parking damage, so check those carefully. Also, the paint seems to last better on the R56 MINI, as lacquer peel occurs more rarely on these cars.

MODDING

Despite the R56 Cooper S’s engine failings that have been listed above, it does respond very well to tuning. The simplest way to release more power is via a remap. Prices start from £360 at specialists and can equal up to 40bhp more from Stage 1, depending on the other modifications fitted. Although if you go as far as a Stage 3 tune, you’ll have to fit an uprated intercooler, turbo, de-cat and/or high-flow sports exhaust and induction kit – but the result could be up to 300bhp. If your thirst is for this level of power from your R56 Cooper S, it’s worth considering forging your MINI’s engine internals, although this is costly with kits costing around the £5k-mark. If

you go to Stage 3 you’ll need a hybrid turbo which, again, is an expensive modification at over £2,000. A cheaper alternative for a lesser tune is to fit a JCW turbo, but this is still costly at over £1,000 new, although secondhand they are half that price.

If you’re not keen on going so far or spending so much, more affordable bolt-on items such as induction systems will still see power gains. Even just a panel filter can give a few more horses, or if you’re looking for an OEM solution, an airbox from a JCW will fit, with prices starting at £120 second-hand. The extra performance will create more heat, especially for mapped cars, so an aftermarket front-mounted intercooler will cool the boosted air from the turbo, equalling more power and torque, with prices at specialists starting at

£350. No less important is the exhaust, which can be easily improved with the better system from a JCW. This is quite costeffective, with prices starting at around £250. You can go further, with a simple resonator delete, that increases the pops and bangs from the exhaust so loved by owners, or more seriously a sports cat, although at over £800 you’ll need deep pockets.

A set of decent brake pads will improve the stopping power, but an easy and cost-effective upgrade is a set of Brembo JCW calipers, with used prices starting at £500 for a second-hand set. Suspension is another key area of improvement – lowering springs start from around £200 and will sort the stance. Or, if you want to go further, a decent set of coilovers costs about £500. A wheel and tyre upgrade can make a big difference to the looks, either OEM or aftermarket depending on budget. Elsewhere, MINI’s OEM Aero kit, which was fitted to the JCW and GP still looks good, especially when combined with a rear wing, such as the GP-like Orranje G-Wing. Inside, the Cooper S’s sports seats are both comfortable and supportive but can be easily upgraded if you want to with a set of buckets, the cheapest examples costing from around £200.

VERDICT

With prices for the firstgeneration R53 Cooper Ss on the increase due to their almost classic status, the R56 Cooper S now seems great value, as long as you’re aware of the N14 turbo engine’s issues, while its tuning potential makes it very appealing. Despite its faults, the engine is easily repairable, and with a plentiful supply of second-hand performance parts and upgrades, you can increase the power reasonably cost-effectively. The R56 still looks stylish, is as much fun to drive as you would expect a MINI to be, even as standard, and yet is more affordable to run. No wonder they remain so popular with performance MINI fans

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Plane Crazy r

As Darren Webb has discovered with this manic R56 project, trying something unexpected can really give you wings

ed Bull is one of those brands whose name implies impeccable quality when it’s plastered along the side of a race car. Your brain happily suspends the knowledge that the product in question is, in fact, a cloyingly saccharine fizzy drink, as there are so many other high-octane associations that are pushed to front-of-mind when you see that

racy canvas, liberally sprinkled with yellow suns and, yes, red bulls. The livery has slipped seamlessly into the pantheon of all-time classics – not quite up there with Gulf, Martini or JPS, but certainly on the way. Think about it: countless F1 championship wins, NASCAR,

Words Daniel Bevis Photography Rich Pearce

Dakar, that astounding Peugeot 207 that decimated the Pikes Peak record, you name it – Red Bull and fast cars go hand-in-hand.

FIZZYOLOGY

It makes sense, then, that this race-themed scheme should find its way onto Darren Webb’s R56. After all, this is no ordinary Cooper S. This is a poised and agile creature, ready to pounce with devastating force, its forged motor thrumming to the beat of 390bhp. That’s rather a large number, but this was always destined to be a go-big-or-go-

home flex for Darren. “My passion for cars started at a very early age,” he explains.

“Obviously, in the early days, budget and insurance limited the choices of vehicles I could afford;

like many an enthusiast, I did get bored very easily… so it’s safe to say that most of my wages in the early days went into funding my passion.”

As time passed by, those insurance concerns naturally started to melt away although, at the same time, life began to get in the way, and Darren found

the big guns would have to wait, but back then I ran a valeting company – so whatever car I had was always looking immaculate! My first car was a Ford Fiesta, and

himself needing sensible transport to ferry the growing family around. As a self-employed carpenter, he modified the workhorse – a VW Transporter – to operate as both a load-lugger and a family wagon. But it wasn’t exactly flicking

“I ran a valeting company - so whatever car I had was always immaculate”

HUD is a cool and handy addition

the fast car switch.

“As Covid hit and the first lockdown was upon us, I set about doing all those jobs at home which are on every tradesman’s list of things to do,” he continues. “With the building industry being very restricted at that time, I had plenty of time on my hands to

modify in my spare time.”

A chance find on Facebook Marketplace one evening allowed the pieces to start clicking into place: “I’ve always been interested in the MINI,” he says, “and I became instantly intrigued by this ad I saw and rang the owner to ask when I could view the car. Boris, named because of lockdown, was a 2008 Cooper S with a Stage 1 map. I went to Bournemouth to take a look, and the test drive was, to say the least, exhilarating! I was hooked, it was love at first drive. My mind was firmly made up, there was no point in continuing the search, I had to have this car.”

rekindle my passion for performance cars! I decided I wanted to find a car that would become a lockdown project: something I could build into a one-of-a-kind creation that I could take to meets and shows to interact with fellow enthusiasts. By this time, I had already swapped the VW for a work van and an Audi S4 Avant, which acted as the family car, and that gave me the opportunity to add a project to the fleet that I could

Darren immediately set about researching the MINI aftermarket, keen to reimagine the Cooper S into something next-level. “On the first weekend, Boris received a first-class valet so I could give everything a detailed inspection,” he continues. “I knew how I wanted him to look and started to design the exterior – this part of the transformation I could do independently, with the help of Phil Southgate from Tintinit, who would provide my designs as vinyl stickers. All the major engine modifications would need guidance from my go-to mechanic, Steve Gorrage from NSG, who was the key to the success of the project avoiding costly mistakes. Steve and I sat down to discuss what I needed to make this MINI a

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“The test drive was exhilarating! I was hooked, it was love at first drive”

Red Bull colour scheme continues to the inside

show-stopper in performance, and a full plan of action was executed.”

Darren’s in-depth research had highlighted Lohen as a safe pair of hands when it came to embiggening the spirit of the MINI and having drawn up a parts list with Steve, he placed an order and sat patiently by the postbox to await the ingredients for the car’s reformulation. And while he was waiting for the shiny new forged motor to arrive, Darren made the most of his spare time to spend every available minute chucking the R56 down country lanes to really get to know the handling and figure out what could be improved.

WHEELY GOOD

To tide him over before the big power upgrades, Darren opted to grab himself a fresh set of wheels, deciding upon the JR30 design from Japan Racing –a superb choice that works really well with the R56’s lines. “Because of Covid and lockdown restrictions, delivery of my engine wasn’t all plain sailing,” he says, “as many delivery companies had staff shortages and so my patience was really stretched. Both Steve and I just wanted to crack on! But

Lesser-spotted JR30s really suit the R56

Power gains under here have been staggering

finally the engine arrived, so the operation could begin. We started with Lohen’s forged N14 crate motor, Schrick Gen 2 cams, a Quaife ATB diff, and a Helix Autosport four-paddle clutch and flywheel kit. We also went with a Lohen 330 hybrid turbo, Turbosmart Kompact EM series BOV, and a Milltek 3” stainless exhaust system. This made Boris go from 200bhp to 390bhp!”

NOISY NEIGHBOUR

Pretty staggering gains, and it’s just as well Darren went with the ATB as that’s a whole lot of grunt to throw through the front wheels. With the hardware all installed, he then needed to drive the freshly updated MINI up to Lohen so that they could map it to Stage 3 specs. Thanks to Covid, he couldn’t actually witness this happening as he had to sit masked-up in the waiting room, but the noises coming from the next room were certainly pretty exciting. And the drive home? That was truly transcendent. Boris had evolved into a whole

other entity. “Driving this little car gave me extreme pleasure even before all the modifications,” he beams. “But now it’s just pure exhilaration, a complete stress-buster, a unique super-highperformance car that I created. Not only am I proud to show him off, but I know I definitely made the right decision to go with my gut and own a MINI.”

Despite all the pandemic-related setbacks, the whole project only took Darren around six months to complete, and with Steve’s help it all came in on budget too. With massive Tarox brakes and Tein coilovers helping to make the best of all this newfound power, this angry R56 has really found its wings – and Darren’s keen to enjoy it to the fullest. It turns out that bottling the aggression of a Red Bull race car into the diminutive MINI footprint is a recipe for unexpected thrills; he may have started out looking for a lockdown project of non-specific origin, but the Cooper S has really taken flight.

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MINI MAYFAIR

1970,£18,000. Cooper S MK3 £18000 1970 only 1572 built. Dry stored, not driveable at present, needs engine fitting up etc. Body v/good/solid. Hydrolastics/s/frame/brakes good. Little work to get running. Please call 07979 406536, Yorkshire and the Humber. 116946

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1980, £17,000. Austin Mini 95 Pickup (1980), 998cc, Restored over 3-4 Year Period (20142018), Many New Body Panels and complete ReSpray in Pageant Blue. Please Call 01379 687522 (Evenings) East Of England. Please call 01379 687522, East of England. 115447

1986, 40890 miles, £8,000. Restored 2016 but requires new hood. Austin Mini Mayfair convertible, 1300cc excellent condition, full MOT unit June 2023. More images available on request. May PX for something interesting. Please call 07985266805, West Midlands. 115162

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1989, 30000 miles, £7,500. Fully restored to a high quality standard and all parts renewed with heritage parts full paintwork done by professionals to exact colour when new. M.O.T till March 2022. Great running we car never misses a beat. All reasonable offers considered. Please call 07763 140880, South East. 116036

ROVER MINI

1968, £24,750. 1968 Austin Mini Super Deluxe in Factory Tartan Red with matching red interior. The interior seats are original and the rest of the interior is made up from new Newton Commercial parts. The brakes have been upgraded to Cooper S 7.5 inch discs on the front and it also has Cooper S drilled steal wheels. Please call 07967 135037, South East. (T) 115246

£18,295. 1997 Rover Mini 1.3 MPI in British Racing Green. The 1.3 MPI was made along side the Mini Cooper with the same 1275 cc multipoint injection engine, so has a similar performance. This example has been owned from new by 3 careful owners and has covered just 8200 miles from new. It has always been garaged and is in fantastic condition and drives wonderfully..Please call 07967 135037, South West. (T) 116575

1987, £15,495. 1987 Austin Mini Advantage in factory original condition and on just 8980 miles from new. The Mini Advantage was first launched in France in May 1987 to coincide with the French Open tennis championship and then in the UK in June so it was available during The Championships at Wimbledon. Please call 07967 135037, South East. (T) 116576

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MINI MK I

2001,70miles,£25,995. 2001 Mini Cooper ‘Last Edition’ with only 70 miles from new. This is the nearest you’ll get to a brand new 20 year old car. Rare model with Last Edition half leather seats, colour coded dashboard and wheel arches. In stunning condition and still smells like new inside. Please call 07908002919, North West. 115665

MINI MAYFAIR

1992, £9,000. Refurbished 1275 MG Metro engine, full body respray June 2019 and largely restored. Great fun to drive and will be sorely missed. Can provide pictures of all the work alongside full paperwork back to 2005. MOT until October 2022. All reasonable offers considered. Please call 07725 848789, Scotland. 116016

1965, £14,000. 1965 Deluxe Mini Classic 850cc convertedtoaCooperS.Reluctantsalebuttimefor a change as owned for approx. 14 years. Brought locally, Tax and MOT free. 1275 engine with twin SU 1 1/4 carbarettas, twin fuel tanks, and two fuel filler caps. Front disc brakes, brake servo, counter dials (1 large; 2 small), separate panel with 3 small dials. Please call 07783789180, South West.

115931

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1989, £16,995. 1989 Austin Mini 30 LE in rare black with contrasting black and red interior. The Mini 30 was made to celebrate 30 years of the mini and is a very popular model. This stunning black Mini 30 has covered just 10750 miles in 33 years and is in fantastic condition throughout. It was bought new by a lady who owned it from 1989 – 2008. Please call 07967 135037, South East. (T) 116577

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