it was never run in the car."
It never ran because, in the interim,
Rhys had been sidetracked - and smitten- by the various Honda V-Tec engine
conversions he'd seen at shows and
meets. In fact, he'd not so much as wiped
an oily rag over the SPi's A-Series, before
it was ousted in favour of a V-Tec.
A B18C4 to be precise, which was
treated to a Skunk2 inlet manifold,
4-into-1 Japspeed exhaust manifold,
Honda Fireblade racing silencer,
modified Suzuki Swift intake, and a
H-Tune P72 ECU (with launch control
set at 4200 rpm) etc. Although the engine
has not yet been dynoed, 190 bhp is a
conservative estimate. It's mated to a
Honda S9B, LSD, five-speeder (complete
with home-modified linkage), and
everything nestles very securely on an
Allspeed V-Tec subframe.
SORTED
Naturally, with so much power available
at the merest prod of his foot, Rhys gave
the suspension and braking system a bit
of a sort out.
"It's running Hi-Los, GAZ dampers,
there are polybushes all-round, and a
new, powder-coated, rear subframe," he
reveals. "Wheels are powder coated
Starmags, with 175/50/13 Yokohamatyres. The front brakes are Mini Sport
alloy four-pots with dimpled and
grooved discs, EBC Green Stuff pads,
and the rears are Superfins. There's also a
dual-line master cylinder and Goodridge
braided hoses.”
"It stops and handles well, although
you can't take too many liberties when
using the V-Tec to its full potential. Yes,
it can be trick led along. But, when
prompted, the car can turn into a bit of
an animal!”
As alluded to, Rhys had a plan in mindfor the front end. Which explains why
that Jekyll and Hyde V-Tec sits under a
very impressive f lip front. Apart from the
GRP Japanese style grille (sourced from
ABS Motorsport), it's all Rhys'
handiwork... even the bonnet scoop.
"The f lip front was on the cards, and
on the car, from the very beginning,"
elaborates Rhys. "I extended the grille
moulding in order to gain clearance for
both the alternator and exhaust. I also
had to modify the bulkhead to get the
engine to fit.”Allspeed V-Tec subframe is at the
heart of the conversion. A healthy
190 bhp is a long way from the 998
Auto the Mini started out with...Rhys loves how the Mini has turned
out, but admits the next project
will be more of a sleeper.it was never run in the car."
It never ran because, in the interim,
Rhys had been sidetracked - and smitten
- by the various Honda V-Tec engine
conversions he'd seen at shows and
meets. In fact, he'd not so much as wiped
an oily rag over the SPi's A-Series, before
it was ousted in favour of a V-Tec.
A B18C4 to be precise, which was
treated to a Skunk2 inlet manifold,
4-into-1 Japspeed exhaust manifold,
Honda Fireblade racing silencer,
modified Suzuki Swift intake, and a
H-Tune P72 ECU (with launch control
set at 4200 rpm) etc. Although the engine
has not yet been dynoed, 190 bhp is a
conservative estimate. It's mated to a
Honda S9B, LSD, five-speeder (complete
with home-modified linkage), and
everything nestles very securely on an
Allspeed V-Tec subframe.
SORTED
Naturally, with so much power available
at the merest prod of his foot, Rhys gave
the suspension and braking system a bit
of a sort out.
"It's running Hi-Los, GAZ dampers,
there are polybushes all-round, and a
new, powder-coated, rear subframe," he
reveals. "Wheels are powder coated
Starmags, with 175/50/13 Yokohama
tyres. The front brakes are Mini Sport
alloy four-pots with dimpled and
grooved discs, EBC Green Stuff pads,
and the rears are Superfins. There's also a
dual-line master cylinder and Goodridge
braided hoses.”
"It stops and handles well, although
you can't take too many liberties when
using the V-Tec to its full potential. Yes,
it can be trick led along. But, when
prompted, the car can turn into a bit of
an animal!”
As alluded to, Rhys had a plan in mindfor the front end. Which explains why
that Jekyll and Hyde V-Tec sits under a
very impressive f lip front. Apart from the
GRP Japanese style grille (sourced from
ABS Motorsport), it's all Rhys'
handiwork... even the bonnet scoop.
"The f lip front was on the cards, and
on the car, from the very beginning,"
elaborates Rhys. "I extended the grille
moulding in order to gain clearance for
both the alternator and exhaust. I also
had to modify the bulkhead to get the
engine to fit.”Allspeed V-Tec subframe is at the
heart of the conversion. A healthy
190 bhp is a long way from the 998
Auto the Mini started out with...Rhys loves how the Mini has turned
out, but admits the next project
will be more of a sleeper.