The Mini might not be a car famous for its high-horsepower output, but it’s a small package with a lot of performance potential. A new Carwow video pits a heavily modified Mini, packing a Hayabusa engine, against a lightly tuned Ford Mustang GT to demonstrate how the little Mini can keep up with the beastly Ford.
Powering the Mustang is Ford’s naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 engine. The new intake, exhaust, and tune increase the output from 450 horsepower (330 kilowatts) to 490 hp (360 kW). The engine produces the same 390 pound-feet (530 Newton-meters) of torque, channeling it through the 10-speed gearbox to the rear wheels.
Gallery: 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1: First Drive
The Mini is also rear-wheel drive, but those wheels are powered by a 1,300-cc Hayabusa engine that pairs with a six-speed sequential transmission. The engine only cranks out 180 hp (132 kW) and 110 lb-ft (150 Nm) of torque, but it also only weighs 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds). That’s a lot less than the Mustang, which tips the scales at a portly 1,730 kg (3,813 lbs) by comparison. While the Mini is down on power, it has a huge advantage with its weight, but it won’t have any easy victories against the Mustang.
The Mini gets the jump off the starting line in the first drag race, but the more potent Mustang slowly reels it in, with enough tarmac left to pass the Mini before the finish line. The second drag race ends the same way, but the Mini did get an even better start, completing the quarter-mile in 13.1 seconds. The Mustang did it in 12.9 seconds. The Mini is quick but not fast.
The Mini fares better in the rolling races. It loses to the Ford in the first one, but it was able to eke out a win in the second. It’s a narrow victory, but a victory nonetheless. However, it was also short-lived, with the Mustang blowing the doors off the Mini in the brake test. The Mustang’s big brakes pulled the coupe down from 70 miles per hour (112 kilometers per hour) in a much shorter distance than the Mini, which needed a lot more tarmac.