Mk1 Mini Rally Conversions Finished!
Mini Sport have totally transformed these 2 Mk1 Minis that joined us all the way from Belgium…
This pair of Mk1 Minis arrived at Mini Sport back in February 2020 to be converted in to Rally Minis. Arriving as totally standard 850 Minis, this meant that we would be fitting a whole host of competition parts, including roll cages to make them Competition ready!The first step for each Mini was the strip down... Before any work could be done with fitting the roll cages, we needed to get the entire interior stripped out. Once completely stripped, we also painted the inside of each Mini to match the black paint on the roll cage - giving the interior a fresh look.
Fitting a full 18 point FIA approved roll cage, we also welded the plates for the cage to bolt to & lower the doors to ensure the doors would still shut.
Whilst work began on fitting the cage in our Body Shop, over in our Garages the front & rear subframes were completely stripped down, with strengthening plates then welded on to give more support, before being powder coated – leaving them looking good as new! The subframes were then built back up with new performance parts including Cooper S Calipers & a new suspension system.We also built Stage 4 1380cc competition engines with straight cut gearbox units for these Minis over in our Workshop, these would increase the power output & performance that these Minis will need to excel in competition!
As safety is the upmost importance with rallying, we also installed plumbed in & hand held fire extinguisher systems, with specialist dashboard panels that were measured & fitted, along with Internal Gear Change. Cobra Monaco Pro seats & Sabelt 5 point harnesses completed the interior for optimum comfort & safety.
Having finished the project on these Mk1 Minis back in September, the Minis have unfortunately had to wait for their owners to be allowed over to collect them due to the Covid restrictions.We're delighted that Minis & owners were reunited last week & are now safely back home in Belgium... Ready to get stuck in to their first rally!
You can check out our other projects on our blog here for more inspiration.