TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
Modified 2000 Rover Cooper Sport
Engine: Honda Del Sol VTEC B16A2 1595cc engine. standard
B16A2 cylinder head. Honda OE engine internals. Honda
wasted spark coil pack. Honda standard water pump.
aftermarket foam air filter. MiniTec aluminium radiator.
SuperGT billet alloy VTEC valve cover, oil filler cap. Honda
alternator. Fletcher stainless steel exhaust. Gearbox:
Honda 5-speed manual gearbox. 3.7:1 final drive. Stage
2 Exedy Clutch. Exedy lightened flywheel. rod-shift
gear change. AP 15mm clutch master cylinder. Brakes:
Dual-circuit brake master cylinder GMC227 (1980-89
spec). adjustable bias valve. copper brake pipes. stainless
steel-braided brake hoses. vented 247mm front discs.
Wilwood 4-pot Superlite front brake calipers. cast iron GT
rear drums. Suspension: MiniTec front subframe. GAZ
coil-over dampers. custom-ordered rear springs (140lb rate). bespoke rose-jointed top, bottom arms (front). OE Mini
steering rack, mounted to MiniTec front subframe. OE Mini
uprights. Huddersfield Mini Spares rear beam conversion.
Wheels/Tyres: OE 13-inch Mini Cooper Sports pack alloys.
Yokohama A539 175/50R13 radial tyres. Interior: Standard
Cooper Sport interior. Dynamat sound deadening. OE
magnolia Smiths gauges. MPi fuel tank. OE headlining,
painted. Smiths re-circulatory heater. dashboard partly
painted black. trimmed top dash rail. centre console. alloy
door furniture (anodised purple). panelled boot. ICE: Retro
Sound head unit (USB, Bluetooth). two Vibe front speakers
in dash. two Vibe speakers under rear seat. OE rear shelf
speakers. Stetsom Vision VS400.4 Mini amp. Exterior:
2000 Rover Cooper Sport bodyshell. replacement panels:
inner, outer sills, rear valance, top dash rail. OE British Racing
Green Metallic body paint. custom airbrushed puzzle pieces
on roof, near-side. stainless bumpers. OE sunroof. four OE
front fog/hi beam lamps. OE Cooper Sport arches. OE grille.and then around for a few hours.”
“It’s funny, as you meet a lot of
interesting people with the Mini, and
the older people seem to appreciate
the work involved,” says Steve. “Some
say that you shouldn’t do that to a
Mini,” adds Libby, “but I’ve kept a Mini
basically original but more reliable.
There wasn’t anything wrong with the
original engine. I just wanted to go a bit
faster. I got the bug at Santa Pod, when
I got beaten by a Moke three times, and
I thought: ‘no, I’m not having this.’”
So we wondered how Libby found
the move from MPi to Honda VTEC.
“Under normal driving there is no
difference, apart from the clutch is a
lot heavier, but put your foot down
and it’s fantastic. It does fly, and the
quickest I’ve done since at Santa Pod is
a 15.1. When it was standard the best
I did was a 21. I said to Steve that I
wanted five seconds and he did it! She
always puts a smile on my face. It’s so
wrong but so right to see something
so small go so fast,” adds Libby.Libby would like to thank: Steve Gosling;
Mike Thomas (Cyclone Motorsport); Jay at
JMA Refinishers; Dred FX in Colchester.74 July 2019 MiniWorld
[ Modified 2000 Rover Mini Cooper Sport ]
The direct-acting
brake master and
servo have been
replaced with this
earlier master
cylinder to free up
engine bay space.The 2-core radiator is from
MiniTec. Fitment required the
headlamp bowl to be trimmed.