Table of contents for December/January 2022 in Performance MINI

WELCOME TO THE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 ISSUE Time flies when you’re enjoying MINIs, and we are rapidly approaching the end of the year. I hope you enjoyed this year’s show season and managed to get out and about and show off your MINIs in good company. As I write this, TRAX Silverstone is a fond recent memory, and I wanted to say a huge thank-you to everyone who joined our three(!) displays – our main mag paddock, plus our 15th anniversary GP display and our 20th-anniversary MINI display. It was great to see such a huge variety of MINIs, from past and future feature cars to super-clean standard examples, and they all reflected their owners’ passion for the brand. Keep an eye out for our show report in the next issue!…

FEATURE R56 JCW STREET FIGHTER BUILT TO BE THE ULTIMATE TRACK-SPEC ROAD-GOING PERFORMANCE MACHINE, THIS FULL-ON, WIDE-ARCH R56 JCW SERVES UP A HUGE HORSEPOWER HIT WITH THE VISUAL MUSCLE TO MATCH Words ELIZABETH DE LATOUR Photos JASON DODD Have you ever seen a MINI at a gym? No, neither have we, what a ridiculous concept, right? And yet, looking at this Pepper white R56, that seems to be exactly what it’s been doing. That stance, the pumped-up arches, it looks like it’s been doing some seriously heavy lifting, and there’s more to this MINI than just those sculpted looks. It’s got the automotive muscle where it counts, and this is the complete performance package. That this MINI is so finely honed comes as no surprise when you discover that owner…

COMPANY PROFILE MINI CUSTOMS MOTORSPORT WE SIT DOWN WITH MATT GREENWOOD, OWNER OF NORTH YORKSHIRE-BASED MINI CUSTOMS MOTORSPORT, TO FIND OUT A BIT MORE ABOUT THE COMPANY Photos DJM PHOTOGRAPHY Tell us a bit about yourself – how did you get interested in MINIs? I started working for BMW in 2005, I wasn’t really interested in MINIs until I drove one for the first time, a Cooper S JCW. I think it was the noise and the feel that first got me hooked. Fast-forward 16 years, and I’ve seen a lot of different styles that came through the dealer. The personalisation customers put on each one made me realise they are more than just a car to people. That’s what we love at MINI Customs Motorsport, the passion and love…

TECH CYLINDER HEAD 101 CYLINDER HEAD 101 WE TAKE A WALK THROUGH THE WORLD OF PORTED HEADS AND THEIR BENEFITS Words BEN BIRCH Photos SC PORTING In today’s world of FBOs and flash tunes, a modified cylinder head and hot camshaft may seem a bit old school, but this classic combo still offers big performance increases if executed properly. All MINI engines were and still are manufactured to a very strict budget using mass-produced castings and emissions-compliant settings, which may be great for the average daily driver but are not conducive to extracting the absolute maximum flow, and thus maximum horsepower possible from your car. Luckily for us, there are still some excellent engine builders and cylinder head modifiers out there, one being SC Porting, who agreed to talk us…

FEATURE R56 COOPER S KREME OF THE CROP LOOKING AS DELICIOUS AS THE DOUGHNUTS WHOSE NAME IT BEARS, THIS BOLD COOPER S BUILD IS ONE SERIOUSLY SWEET ATTENTIONGRABBING MINI Words ELIZABETH DE LATOUR Photos 24SEVEN PHOTOGRAPHY Looking at this R56 Cooper S, with its flawless styling and next-level attention to detail, it all makes sense when you learn that its owner, Tom Brown, is a tattoo studio manager. It’s only natural that he’d be all about the aesthetics, and all about that absolute degree of perfection, and that’s reflected in his MINI build. Not only does it look awesome, but it’s also packed full of those little details that make all the difference, and this is one sweet build. It’s even got its own tattoos, sort of… Tom has been…

BUYING AND TUNING GUIDE R53 JCW GP R53 COOPER S WITH JOHN COOPER WORKS GP KIT MORE POWER, LESS WEIGHT AND EVEN BETTER TO DRIVE: THE ORIGINAL R53 GP IS ALREADY A HOT HATCH ICON AND, AS SUCH, VALUES ARE BEGINNING TO FIRM UP Words MARTYN COLLINS Photos MINI, JASON DODD, GLENN KERSTEN Hot hatch specials are two a penny these days, with manufacturers thinking nothing of junking non-essential standard kit – even the rear seats – to up the performance, tighten the handling and increase the presence of their models at track days across the country. But back in 2006, the idea of a numbered, two-seater version of the R53 MINI Cooper S, with unique suspension and body kit, seemed nothing but a rumour throughout first-generation MINI production. However,…

MOTORSPORT TRACK GUIDE BRANDS HATCH GP THE FULL GP CIRCUIT AT BRANDS HATCH ONLY HOSTS TRACK DAYS A FEW TIMES A YEAR, AND THIS CHALLENGING AND TECHNICAL CIRCUIT ISN’T AN EASY DRIVE, BUT IT’S FAST, THRILLING AND INCREDIBLY REWARDING WHEN YOU GET IT RIGHT. ALEX NEVILL TAKES US ON A HOT LAP Words ALEX NEVILL The Brands Hatch GP circuit combines the technical challenges of the Indy circuit with a ballsy blast through the woodland, which makes for one of the most exhilarating laps you’ll ever do. The GP loop is fast, narrow, and unforgiving and makes this a real driver’s circuit. Noise restrictions (the track backs on to houses around Sheene’s) restrict the use of this circuit to a handful of days a year, which makes it a rare…

FEATURE TWIN R56s LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON MEET THE ELLISES – BONDED THROUGH BLOOD, 99 RON AND THEIR PASSION FOR R56s Words BEN BIRCH Photos RICH PEARCE A father-son relationship is a very special thing, made even more so through the pursuit of shared interests such as music and sports, or hobbies like fishing. For Wayne and Ashley Ellis however, spending quality time together means chasing each other through the forests of the Nürburgring, their MINI R56s popping and banging as they scythe past BMWs like an automotive Batman and Robin. “Ash being a petrolhead was inevitable,” laughs Wayne before Ashley agrees: “Even as a small kid I remember being around the race cars, plus going to shows and track days… nothing has changed!” he grins. Wayne has been around…

IN THE SCENE Y-REG MEET MINI Y REGISTER 20TH ANNIVERSARY PLANT OXFORD MEET Words TANYA FIELD Photos MATT RICHARDSON WHERE MINI PLANT, OXFORD WHEN 4TH SEPTEMBER 2021 On Saturday 4th September, the MINI Y REGister (miniyregister.co.uk) gathered at MINI Plant Oxford to celebrate 20 years of the modern MINI. Production of the MINI started at MINI Plant Oxford on 26th April 2001, and the MINI went on sale on 7th July 2001.27 MINIs built at MINI Plant Oxford in 2001 came back home to celebrate, and this included 14 Y*** OBL MINIs; info on OBL MINIs can be found on the website. We were joined by Markus Grueneisl, MINI Plant Oxford’s Managing Director. He has given this quote: “I was very happy to be part of the MINI Y REGister’s…

PRODUCTS NEW GEAR CHECK OUT THE LATEST TUNING PRODUCTS FOR YOUR MINI… SCORPION EXHAUSTS R56/R57 COOPER S AND R58/R59 COUPE CAT-BACK EXHAUST From £568.52 Scorpion Exhausts’ latest exhaust system for the R56/R57 and R58/R59 features tailpipes so beautiful it’s almost a crime to get them dirty! The exhaust system is constructed from high-flowing 70mm stainless steel pipework, and you can select resonated or non-resonated cat-back systems. There are a choice of 90mm Daytona or Monaco tailpipes with either a polished or black ceramic finish, or the stunning 90mm Carbon Ascari tips (as pictured) and the tailpipe section is interchangeable for greater flexibility. For additional performance, there’s the choice of a high-flow catted downpipe or de-cat option, and you know they will release some extra horsepower given that Scorpion is a…

FEATURE R56 JCW A QUESTION OF SPORT EVER WONDERED WHAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE IF MINI HAD CAMPAIGNED THE R56 IN THE WRC? JAMES BROOKS WAS CURIOUS AND CREATED THIS STELLAR TRACK BUILD TO DEMONSTRATE JUST WHAT AN EXCELLENT IDEA THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN™ Words DANIEL BEVIS Photos DJM PHOTOGRAPHY Uniqueness is a quality we all strive for with our project cars. Whether it be trying new ideas, remixing formulas or doggedly pursuing the offbeat, it’s testament to the creativity of the scene that we constantly find such diversity. And if you really want to do something different, it only takes a minor deviation from store-bought off-the-shelf parts before you find yourself tumbling down a rabbit-hole of homemade custom work. Depending on the skill level of the individual, this…

FEATURE R53 COOPER S WINNING FORMULA VIKKI AND LEE CAMPBELL BOUGHT THIS EX-MINI CHALLENGE CAR TO FUND THEIR RACING, BUT INSTEAD, THIS MINI HAS INSPIRED VIKKI TO TAKE ON THE FORMULA WOMAN COMPETITION Words MARTYN COLLINS Photos 24SEVEN PHOTOGRAPHY Vikki Campbell admits that she’s always been a petrolhead and in love with cars. But the die was cast with her first car, not a MINI, but a black Vauxhall Corsa SRi. This was highly modified by her, with a full body kit, Audiobahn sound system, K&N air filter, a full sports exhaust system and Recaro seats. “It had the full works. I had it painted with chameleon flip paint,” she says, and all this hard work resulted in a small feature in the iconic modders’ magazine, Max Power, back in…