Check this out, a Mini w/ a V8

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: geno

The AC/Cobra was virtually done by one man. It brought together the best of two worlds. WTF did this abortion of a project accomplish?

They made a mid engined, V8 Mini - that has to be cool for something. The looks are subjective, but I'm sure it performs nicely. I think the whole "pickup truck" look is interesting, but would've been much better if they left it looking like a Mini.

You can't compare it to the Cobra IMO, there's simply no comparison between the two 😉
Like I said, the Cobra's the best car a V8 was ever stuffed into 🙂

That and a HEMI Dart 🙂

 

[edro]

badass

 

[Ornery]

The engine couldn't fit under the hood, so it can't be used as a pickup. The wheel wells, large enough to accommodate tires and wheels that handle well in stock form (or so I'm told), had to be extremely modified for this Frankenstein. The whole thing makes no sense.

 

[samgau]

It looks nice.... wouldn't mind driving it....

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: Ornery
The engine couldn't fit under the hood, so it can't be used as a pickup. The wheel wells, large enough to accommodate tires and wheels that handle well in stock form (or so I'm told), had to be extremely modified for this Frankenstein. The whole thing makes no sense.

Which is why it was done.

 

[Brutuskend]

Carroll Shelby had the vision to mate a light and efficient British chassis with a thumping American shortblock V8.

Uhh I bet it was REAL slow with a shortblock in it.

IE a shortblock is a engine block, no heads, intake, etc.

Do you think they maybe meant SMALL BLOCK? 😉

 

[geno]

Originally posted by: Ornery
The engine couldn't fit under the hood, so it can't be used as a pickup. The wheel wells, large enough to accommodate tires and wheels that handle well in stock form (or so I'm told), had to be extremely modified for this Frankenstein. The whole thing makes no sense.

Seems to me they wanted a small fast MR car that can handle, looks like they achieved that very well! It makes great sense, they wanted to build a high performance car, and they did so while making it look like a Mini-pickup. Its purpose is to go fast, how does that not make sense?

Why would anyone make these? it's just something different and interesting

 

[Ornery]

Bah, it's lame. This is much more elegant. Still, you can get 50/50 weight distribution with a front engine, RWD, so I wouldn't bother with the mid engine at all. Just ain't worth it.

 

[Buttzilla]

that'd be kewl if it was a mini cooper.

 

[geno]

Originally posted by: Buttzilla
that'd be kewl if it was a mini cooper.

umm, what do you think that front end is? 😕

 

[Balthazar]

I would rather have this! Sans the homowing.

 

[thraxes]

Ornery => moved to my personal ignore list in this thread 😉
-------------------------

This is also quite cool, here at least the Rover V8 came "from the family" and not from "the distant cousins"
http://www.spagweb.com/v8mini/v8mini_info/

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: Balthazar
I would rather have this! Sans the homowing.

You would want the wing when you're losing control at 150mph going around a turn.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Bah, it's lame. This is much more elegant. Still, you can get 50/50 weight distribution with a front engine, RWD, so I wouldn't bother with the mid engine at all. Just ain't worth it.

Is a windvane easier to turn when the weights are on the ends, or closer to the middle?

 

[Ornery]

Difference ain't worth the trouble. Don't tell me you think that weird ass truck is going to be used on a road course. Damn thing probably doesn't even have 50/50 weight distribution anyway, after all that bother.

 

[geno]

Difference ain't worth the trouble

The difference is worth the trouble, if you have the money and time to set it up as such!

The best handling cars in the world have Mid-engined motors, there's a reason for that. Handling isn't completely dependant upon 50/50 weight

 

[Ornery]

Exotic cars have exotic prices, and pain in the ass & expensiveto to repair. Shelby's execution is much better, with the KISS principle. I like many concept & project cars, but this one just rubs me wrong.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Why don't you just accept it as a showcase of a person's creativity, engineering, and fabrication skills? Not everything has to have a purpose. It's done for the sake of being done.

 

[geno]

I like many concept & project cars, but this one just rubs me wrong.

Not a thing wrong with that 🙂

Me, even if I don't like the result, I can at least respect it for the hard work that was put into it - it's impressive to me

 

[Ornery]

Calling that a Mini, is like calling this a Mustang. To each his own, but I can't get into it.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Ornery

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero

Originally posted by: Ornery
WTF is Mini about that, now? Retarded! Here's how it's done...

It's way smaller than a Cobra...

Anyhow, this aint the first Classic Mini to get a V8. The most impressive are the ones that have them under the hood...

The AC/Cobra was virtually done by one man. It brought together the best of two worlds. WTF did this abortion of a project accomplish?

Wheelbase of the Cobra is 90", on the Mini, it's 97". Overall length of the Cobra is 156", Mini is 144". Width of Cobra is 70", Mini is 66.5".

Dude, seriously, you need to stop playing "hardass" on the internet.

Are you telling me you can't appreciate someone elses project.. all the sweat and hard work they put into it? It doesen't matter if you don't like the overall concept, it was their project, and they did a damn fine job of it.

Did you ever stop to think that it was the challenge of actually pulling it off that was alluring, not to be like some 60s domestic piece of sh!t sports car that only a few select people even care about anymore?

Christ. :frown:

 

[geno]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Calling that a Mini, is like calling this a Mustang. To each his own, but I can't get into it.

Maybe I saw the pics wrong, but the whole front half of the car is an original Mini body 😕

some 60s domestic piece of sh!t sports car that only a few select people even care about anymore?

Woah woah woah, I know you're trying to make a point, but you'd be lying if you said that a "few select people" care about the Shelby Cobra! :frown: It's the most imitated car of it's time, and it enabled Shelby to start a sports car revolution. It set the high bar for sports cars everywhere for *decades*, you can't call that a POS :|

 

[Ornery]

Instead of ranting Eli, answer the question. WTF is Mini about it now?

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Instead of ranting Eli, answer the question. WTF is Mini about it now?

Do I really need to explain it? It's still built around a Mini chassis/body/whatever.

If I put a V8 in a Datsun 240Z, I can't call it a Datsun 240Z anymore?

😕

Lighten up a little. We're arguing about someones project. It doesen't matter if it doesen't make sense to you, it made sense to them.

You design and build something that nicely executed, and get back to me.

 

[Ornery]

• Right, and this is a WRX project...
  

Same thing!