Ask the expert
“We’d argue that not all highly tuned A-series are peaky, intractable monsters but there is a limit”
THE CONVERTED
Q I’ve owned Minis for many years and have enjoyed taking my cars up to various states of tune. For road cars, I’ve always appreciated that you can only go so far with modifying the A-Series before it becomes undriveable but I find I’m increasingly drawn to the idea of fitting an alternative power plant and going for some really big bhp figures.
After seeing a number of alternative engines in cars featured in Mini Magazine, the choice feels a little bewildering – what would you recommend for a fast road conversion? And do I need extensive engineering skills to convert a car, or can I simply buy a bolt-in kit?
Giles
A As you point out, engine conversions have become the way to go when it comes to building big power Minis. We’d argue that not all highly tuned A-series engines are peaky, untractable monsters but there is a limit, and to get really high bhp figures, you’re talking about a lot of highly specialised components. When you compare this with the likes of the Honda Type-R engines which give close to 200 bhp straight out of the box, you start to understand why some Mini owners see this as a very attractive option.
There are a lot of factors to consider before you settle on a type of engine, or for that matter, conversion. They range from mild to wild, some
