The original Mini Cooper had a tiny 1.0-liter engine with just about 40 horsepower, giving it a top speed of around 90 miles per hour. Perfectly adequate for the day. But as you could probably tell by its chopped roof (and other things), this Mini is far from factory original.
This highly modified Mini was created in 1994 by a company called GT Developments. The shop used it as a way to showcase its engineering talents—and hopefully get more people to buy GT40 replicas, which the company was most known for. And given the amount of coverage it received in magazines of the day, the publicity stunt worked.
Built atop a modified Ford GT40 replica frame, the Mini pickup has a tubular spaceframe chassis with an independent suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, four-wheel disc brakes, and a five-speed transaxle. In its Countryman-sourced bed sits a Ford 5.0-liter small-block V-8 making 250 hp, with power traveling to the rear wheels.
Now it can be yours; this one-of-a-kind custom Mini is headed to auction. It'll cross the block at an upcoming Iconic Auctioneers sale in the UK. Although no original build price for the Mini is given, the auction house estimates that it could fetch anywhere from £30,000 to £35,000—or, $38,000 to $45,000 at current conversion rates.
So if you want something truly special in your garage, look no further than this radical custom Mini.
Source: Iconic Auctioneers via Silodrome
