Saw this link at MINI2, thought everyone might enjoy dismembering the concept: http://www.enginefactory.com/MINIENGINES.HTM

 

I'd rather see someone do a mid-engine, rear wheel drive. Comething like the Renault R5 Turbo.

Jim

 

"THIS CAR WILL NOT BE STREET LEGAL."-Major bummer, I wonder if this is relistic?, Why would you want A/C ?

 

darn. how would they know if you had it??? haha

 

It'd be street legal in Alabama since we have no emissions testing and nobody is ever going to look under the bonnet except myself and my mechanic. . .

 

If they can really shoehorn a Chevy small block in there that will be impressive. Will be very cool to see what they end up with. Under 3 sec? Good God that would be fast... Great to see people really beginning to push the envelope on these cars...

 

Smallblock Chevrolet? In a MINI?
The Heartbeat of America becomes Heartbreak of Oxford!

Heavy, and not street legal. I wonder what's required to fit a Chevy V8 into a MINI. Maybe they're planning to mid-mount it using a Cadillac Nothstar transaxle? If so, I'd keep the Northstar engine too. If someone paid me to try to build such a thing, I would opt for a Rover 4.6 and keep it as British as possible. If they want to keep the hybridization American, then substitute the Buick or Olds 215 version. Aluminum is better than cast iron, because it's shinier.



Plus, we already know it fits into a classic Mini, and appears to still be street legal!



For those interested, see the full story here:
http://www.geocities.com/jharkola/Viku2.html

 

Should be cool to see how they end up doing it

 

Same here in Florida, but I don't want a small block chevy in my MINI.

To me it would no longer be a MINI.

I have to admit 0-60 in 3.2 does sound nice.

 

A mini funny car? Why stop at 450? How about a body shell then you could put it over any driveline you wish.

It be fun to see. A mini? no..but fun none the less.


Paul

 

wouldn't a V6 be better. You can get so much horsepower even out of an inline 6 that you could not put wide enough tires on a MINI as there would be no room for the axel.

My friend get over 2500 HP out of his Chev engine.

Earl

 

well the way you guys are talkin the nevermind all that stuff...just put a 2JZ in it....that's proven 1200hp streetable motor.....LOL...

I'd rather see a mini put out 500 hp with the regular 1.6 L

 

I think a Mopar 348 would be more fitting considering the current ties to the Neon motor.......

 

Good point about the heritage of the current powerplant.

Wasn't the 348 the original iron head hemi fitted to the '55 Imperial? I worked on one of those once- they're gawdawful heavy (both the engine and the car!) A MINI might bottom out on its suspension stops as soon as the cherry picker dropped one into the hole once occupied by the backseat... You'd have to put it in the back- I can't imagine finding enough room for it up front!

For a MINI funny car, an aluminum block 426 would probably be easier to source than a 348. Or, if reliability is more important than raw power output, a slant 6 is easy and super cheap to find!

 

Okay, I went back and re-read the page. It doesn't mention anything about configuration. I'm guessing they plan on doing it R5 Turbo style.

As for why to include creature comforts like A/C... I'd bet the potential customers would include people from Middle Eastern desert countries where "street legal" doesn't mean anything.

 

Every time I flip through Summit or Jegs, I am amazed at the HP/$ ratio of those crate engines. Even the "lame" ones put out over 300 lb-ft for $2k and change, complete with everything but headers! Amazing.

Now, fitting it into a MINI, that's another matter altogether.