Finding an old Mini that hasn’t been modified to some extent has become easier said than done, as customization is the name of the game in the enthusiast community. But while some owners settle for making a Cooper replica, others find more creative ways to extract more power from the tiny British icon. One of the most extreme Mini builds we’ve seen in recent memory is listed on Bring a Trailer with a pair of motorcycle engines.
The build started with a 1990 Rover Mini Mayfair, which was marketed as a relatively upmarket trim level in a bid to boost sales in England and abroad. Everyone loves the classic Mini in 2024 (at least until you need to work on the thing; guess how I know) but it was a tough sell in 1990. The model made its debut in 1959, so 31 years later it was considered an anachronism (and not a very exotic one). Mayfair models shipped with the venerable 1.0-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 44 horsepower and 49 lb-ft of torque, and they benefited from more standard features.
None of this mattered to Kent-based Z-Cars, which reportedly built the example listed on Bring a Trailer. The shop plucked out the 1.0-liter four and packed the engine bay with a fuel cell, a radiator, and other hardware. Walk around to the back, open the trunk, and you’ll find not one but two 1.0-liter four-cylinder engines sourced from 1998 Yamaha YZF-R1 motorcycles. The R1 engine has the exact same 998cc displacement as this Mini’s original engine, so it presumably would have required only minor fabrication work to fit in the engine bay, but why stop at just one?
Water-cooled, the engines are both fitted with four Mikuni carburetors, an electric water pump, and a four-into-one exhaust manifold. Each is linked to a six-speed sequential gearbox with straight-cut gears and a dashboard-mounted shifter, and each has its own clutch system, but the two join forces to spin the rear wheels via a Z-Cars Drivebox and a Quaife limited-slip differential, according to the listing. An electric motor drives the car in reverse, kind of like in the Lamborghini Revuelto, and the driver can choose whether to run the car with one engine or two for the full 340-hp (!) output. If that doesn’t sound like a lot, don’t forget that the car weighs just over 1,500 pounds. Put another way, it has about 160 more horsepower than a new Mazda MX-5 Miata, yet it’s approximately 900 pounds lighter. Luckily, there’s a roll cage.
The amount of resources that must have been poured into this build is impressive. Even beyond the drivetrain, there’s not much left that still carries a Rover parts number. The exterior features massive wheel arch flares and composite windows, while the cabin was modified with Cobra seats, a Sparco steering wheel, and a carbon fiber dashboard. The partition behind the seats turns the rear compartment into the engine bay.
Bring a Trailer points out a handful of flaws but they’re not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. There’s no odometer, so the Mini is listed as “true mileage unknown,” but is someone in the market for a rear-wheel-drive Mini with two engines concerned about that? Probably not. The fuel gauge doesn’t work, which should be fairly easy to fix. At least the paint looks great in the pictures and the drivetrain sounds amazing on video.
Titled in Montana but located in California, this eight-cylinder-powered Mini is listed with a reserve, and bidding currently stands at $14,250.
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