1998

Engine upgrade: Going from a 850cc engine to a raging hot 1330cc road/rally engine seems like an easy concept, when you consider all of the running gear has to be upgraded also ie. Carbies, Distributor, Radiator, Extractors, etc.. It took roughly 4 months from start to finish pulling out the 850 to firing up the new engine for the first time.

Why so long, I hear you asking? Well when you consider the development of specialized componentry took up several hundreds of hours to make life in the long term easy, for example how many mini's do you know with Morris 1100 radiators that can be removed under 5min, HOT!!

So to eliminate the need for future tuning, the engine was run-in & tuned on a dyno. With hand machined needles in the twin 1.5” Su Carburetors, there is just the perfect amount of fuel all the way through the rev range, pulling easily from 750 idle right through to 7200rpm.. How many hp is the engine I hear you asking? Well at the driving wheels it is a whapping 81bhp, on Premium Unleaded Fuel.

MINI MAGIC

Feature story on “Baker's Baby”

MGCC DECA EVENT - 1st NOVICE CLASS

MGCC MINI MONTE – 2nd VMCI MINI

ARTHURS SEAT HISTORIC HILLCLIMB

Having just upgraded the engine this was a test of how much improvements with mechanical development/driver education. Coming in from dead last in 1996, to a top 20 finish against XU1's, Group N minis, Mustangs and Porsches.

VMCI PRESIDENTS AWARD