An A112 Abarth, preferably one used in hill climb events. They have some mental cars running in Europe in which the 1-liter engines are turned up to 11..
Rob, I've just been scanning through the RU-vid car videos and guess who I found... this is a very nice surprise. The last time i saw one of your videos it was about this guy building a "Mazda RX 7" with as many rotors as he could possibly cram under the hood! It's really good to see you again, and in an exceptional little hot-rod. Great Job!!
Not necessarily my bag BUT GD this thing is absolutely beautiful - the craftsmanship and dedication to the entire build and esp the interior just WoW - incredible vision and even better execution!
Been driving a Vtec mini since 2004. Still a ton of fun. An extra benefit is that noone gives you the finger when you go full throttle, because of its "cuteness".
It’s a great concept that steps out from behind the original and refines what Z-Cars did. The design cues are mostly spot on and the technical modernity is underlined without completely subsuming the original spartan aesthetic. It’s an automotive cafe racer and that’s just fine because it’s actually well done. The minimalism just works. All it needs is a carbon fibre shell and no seams to underline its credentials in the 21st century.
As a boomer who grew up driving the original Mini -- they were far more prevalent in my native Canada than in the U.S. -- I am super-impressed by the vision of these young Canucks. First, they chose the right platform, the brilliant and affordable econo-car solution for working-class Brits as envisioned in 1959 by design genius Sir Alec Issigonis. As voted by the reputable Global Automotive Elections Foundation, the original Mini is second only to Ford's Model T as the most influential car design of the 20th century. While you get your head around that, be aware that the BMW commuter car currently sold under the Mini name has about one-tenth the charisma of the car we see here. For me, driving a current-generation Mini, with its bouncy suspension and noisy interior, was one of my long driving life's most disappointing experiences. It is a pretender to the throne of a car never intended to be performance oriented, but that drove so brilliantly it was hot-rodded by the likes of John Cooper and ended up outrunning much faster cars to win the Monte Carlo rally. The current "faux Mini," on the other hand, is a wannabe without the cojones to back it up. The Honda Civic Si's proven power plant, complete with sweet-shifting manual transmission, is the perfect choice for this car. Considering that Lotus has been quite successful with a boosted Camry V6 in their recent offerings, a Japanese drivetrain could be the Goldilocks solution that provides what many enthusiasts desire: a lightweight, tossable, reasonably affordable sports car. Right now only the Miata exists for this demographic, and as an average-sized guy (5' 10", 165 lb.), I fit fine in my current-generation Miata, which after watching this vid has a smaller interior than the car driven here. This new take on the original Mini incorporates the first version's most disruptive design element: a tiny platform made possible only by 10" wheels. But those little wheels are a two-edged sword. At normal driving speeds the car seems quite tractable, but at the speeds it's capable of -- and we're talking Porsche Cayman territory -- I'd be concerned about exiting a corner a little hot and having the rear end wanting to swap places with the front faster than I could react. (In earlier days I modified an original-generation Miata to make 270 hp, and even with race suspension and tires, the car's short wheelbase made it terrifying in high-speed transitions. I sold it within a month.) Those little wheels will not be kind to the road trip crowd, either, and combined with miniscule storage space, this car does not, to me, qualify as a grand tourer. But as a 21st century sports car alternative that is utterly unique, the builders' choice of this platform is inspired. I see it as the weekend car of a well off boomer, who is no longer into track days or sparring on twisty public roads with today's 300 hp sports coupes. Like the Miata, which continues to sell well, this car offers, more than anything else, not the fastest but the FUNNEST driving experience an enthusiast can hope for. That said, I have a couple of concerns. British cars from this generation were terrible rust-buckets, and on Canada's salt-strewn roads there will be very few surviving chassis to provide that all-important VIN. If the car takes off, will the builders be able to keep up with demand? And, the price. With all the custom configuration built into the car we see here, I suspect it's going to be priced above a present day Lotus Evora, which also provides a sublime driving experience powered by a Japanese engine. I’m sure the developers have carefully researched their market, but to me one of the original Mini's most desirable features was its lack of pretension. Were I making the decisions, I would have kept that design philosophy in place, while upgrading the car with elements that enhance its performance -- like race-level bucket seats, essential for a quick-handling sports car. But open-pore ash for the dash? I see that being smudged pretty darn soon by oily hands running over it. And custom door handles? Complicated ones at that? A bit of a design conceit, and out of character with the car's utilitarian origins. I’m sure these gifted guys will sort out the current car's split personality. I hope they grit their teeth and dispense with some of the more precious decor elements, leaving as an enticement to motorheads everywhere a feisty little sports car that is all business, and DOES deliver the goods.
Wow, what a car. Very impressive, so few examples that suggest it’s an initial offering. These guys must be so stoked to get covered by Top Gear. You’re going places! Awesome episode.
Z-Cars desrved a shout out for developing the platform over 20+ years ago. This just has some bespoke decorations on it. With that said I'm glad to see another company keeping the original on the roads👍
What a great video highlighting some incredible work and unique craftsmanship. I have seen the build in person and was very impressed with their final product. I realize $200k seems like a lot but this car appears to be worth it. Good job guys!
I love Minis and this is cool. The interior is taken a bit far for me but great work. Personally, I would like to see more attention to the exterior. Get rid of those seams and some better arches would make the world of difference.
Weve been doing honda swaped minis for litteraly decades now ive loved a b16 mini back when i saw a rally car one in the early 2000s, Zcars sell a great kit for a rwd one and a few companies sell subframes to but a k20 or a b-seres in the front .
"we wanted to improve the driving dynamics so we got rid of fwd and put the engine in the back" yeah the dynamics must be great in a car that has a wheelbase of a shoe. I can't help but imagine the snap oversteer upon correcting a slide would be insane. I think people are just too biased against fwd cars but the fact is it works quite great in a car this small and this light
To Phil and the gang. Sterling effort, this isn’t my cup of tea as I prefer a Smith’s 130mph in the centre. If you know you know. But I respect those that dare to think outside of the box and from the video the fit and finish looks second to none. John Cooper gets a lot of recognition and rightly so but let’s not forget Downton and minis do belong on 10’s, watch Nick Swift and tell me I’m wrong. Incoming…..
It's refreshing to see a build where keeping the original wheel size is important. I think picking modern bigger wheels for an older car always looks off to me these days.
If the interior accents were darker brown distressed leather instead of that brightish drab green looking stuff, it would be absolutely sick....but that green is totally clashing with absolutely everything it kills it 😅
I love this thing, but the statement he made about how the Mini "never really gets attention like this" is not quite true. There's been plenty of Mini's with Honda swaps, Boxer swaps, Busa swaps, AWD swaps and more. lol This one is rather unique though, I'll give them that.
Have to agree with @151a32, the possibilities are endless even for two school boys to camp out a car with ideas that are now really dated, still you gotta start somewhere.
I’d be concerned about the small brakes. Love the look of the small wheels, however. Shame larger discs/calipers could not have been mounted inboard, a la Jaguar.
The front 8.1” vented discs with four piston monoblock radial-mounted calipers deliver extreme braking power. In the rear are four piston 7.9” discs. Stainless steel braided lines and Motul RBF 660 Brake fluid are standard for reliable braking performance even in extreme conditions, so no problem!
