c.1990 Austin Mini Rally Car

Unlikely though it may have seemed to anyone viewing an 848cc-engined 'Mini Seven' in 1959, when John Cooper got hold of it a few years later, the resulting 'Mini Cooper' became the most successful works rally car of the 1960s. The Mini Cooper family's ultimate expression - the 1,275cc 'S' - won first time out in 1964 and became the works' frontline car from 1965 onwards, winning eight international rallies outright that same year - an amazing achievement. This association between the Mini and rallying has long existed, with often the most successful and well-engineered examples coming out of Ireland. The knowledge base and experience of racing these cars has created a culture of expertise. The car presented here was the recipient of this, when two brothers who set about creating their perfect rally Mini to own and compete in together. They wanted the best, spoke to the best and had no budget restrictions. This is a freshly-built rally car finished to an incredible standard with absolutely no expense spared and boasts some of the ultimate upgrades, and has been overseen by some of Ireland’s Mini 'rallying royalty'.

The shell started as an excellent, rust-free example and has been reinforced and fitted with a complex roll cage for maximum stiffness and safety from Stone Motorsport. Further modifications have been made in the form of larger rear suspension turrets to accommodate AVO coil-overs, a front bulkhead box to accept a ram-air system plus a host of other upgrades. The paint finish in Flame Red is very impressive. The interior has also been thoughtfully equipped with a Curley carbon-fibre dashboard, OMP seats and harnesses (all in-date until 2025), a custom wiring loom, a fresh air roof vent, handheld extinguishers and a plumbed-in extinguisher plus much more.

In terms of braking and suspension fitted with AVO coil-overs all around, there’s a Tilton fully adjustable pedal box, KAD wide-track front hubs with 6-pot KAD alloy callipers, a lightweight rear beam axle with custom billet alloy rear radius arms from Track Day Performance, a KAD rear disc brake conversion with alloy callipers, adjustable front lower arms, reinforced front and rear subframes and all the other usual upgrades. Steering is also made considerably easier by an electric power steering pump and traction is provided by fresh Avon CR6ZZ tyres mounted on new 10 x 6 Minilite wheels.

The 1,380cc engine has been built by Mini rallying legend Lloyd Hutchinson and generates a remarkable 140bhp (Dyno sheet available). The specification includes: MED cylinder head, Weber 45DCOE carburettor with Maniflow inlet manifold, 123 mapable distributor, Maniflow reverse-megaphone exhaust system, a Radtec large-volume radiator, a Powerflex high-torque starter, lightweight flywheel and heavy-duty clutch, MED dog gearbox with Quaife LSD, heavy-duty driveshafts and far more (full specification on request). Needless to say, the car is absolutely incredible to drive with instant power delivery, stunning sounds from the engine and gearbox, and is remarkably stable and smooth on even the bumpiest of roads. This really is a beautifully built and highly competitive car that is fully road legal and registered on an Irish registration plate, that has covered less than 200km since being finished and is supplied with a huge number of receipts, two new spare wheels and tyres plus a set of new sill stands. This hugely impressive, head-turning Mini has massive potential and is offered fresh from the build at a fraction of the build costs, an opportunity not to be missed.

(*please note car is currently registered in Southern Ireland and will require registering should it remain in the UK.)