1982 Austin Mini K-series Turbo Restomod

For sale is my 1982 Austin Mini City E painted in 2K grey and black with a flip front fiberglass Clubman front.

She is a very extensive restomod with a Rover K series 1.8L turbo conversion that also has the gearbox, LSD, ECU, instruments and loom transplanted from the donor car which gives it some modern functionalities and reliability.

Most of the conversion was done during a bare shell rebuild that ended in 2016 by a previous owner. Shell is very solid and with some unique custom work that stands out.

During my ownership in the last 3-4 years I have been overhauling or touching on almost every mechanical part of the car (at great expense) bar engine internals to make the car drive better, be more reliable and be safer considering its roughly 220bhp output. I have the 2013-16 build log and almost every bill accounted for during my ownership.

The amount of things done to this car is too much to cover in detail so here's a generalised list of mods. Ask me about those if you have any questions. Anything that's not bodywork or interior has been touched on turing my ownership:

#####ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION#####

Non-standard engine: MG K series engine from an MG ZR (number on V5)

MG PG1 gearbox ,

driveshafts,

Limited slip differential,

Lightweight flywheel,

Turbocharger from MG ZT,

intercooler with steel and silicone pipes,

Larger radiator, fan and expansion bottle,

VVC inlet and throttle body,

upgraded injectors and fuel rail,

camshafts,

adjustable fuel pressure regulator,

fuel pump and fuel filter in boot,

Solid and braided fuel lines from boot to engine bay

Boost controller,

blow off valve,

ECU,

Battery cut off switch

#####INTAKE AND EXHAUST#####

K&N cone air filter connected to turbo by steel and silicone piping,

intercooler with steel and silicone piping,

Turbocharger newer than stock MG turbo,

Non-standard exhaust manifold,

2.5inch exhaust system with single silencer

#####SUSPENSION AND STEERING#####

MG steering wheel,

MG steering column,

Adjustable shocks absorbers on all corners,

Front adjustable hi/lo's With rubber donuts,

Front adjustable rose jointed tie bars,

Adjustable rose jointed front suspension arms

#####BRAKES#####

Front discs conversion (8.4inch vented) with matching calipers and pads,

Braided brake lines,

Brake bias valve

#####BODY AND CHASSIS#####

Changed front subframe to fit new engine with very large load spreading plate to shell,

Fiberglass "clubman" flip front (includes bonnet, wings and front valance) attached by hinges and gas struts at top and bonnet latches at bottom,

Strengthened fiberglass on the inside at front and strengthening bars as part of new front subframe,

flip up boot lid with internal boot release,

Wider wheel arches,

carbon fibre door mirrors,

Front and rear bumpers removed,

LED front indicators/running lights,

LED rear number plate lights,

Car is grey with black from the bottom of the windows upwards,

Wheel arches are black,

Black front grille

ChipEx on the underside

#####WHEELS#####

13inchx7J supertrax alloy wheels in black (almost new)

Nankang NS2R semi slick tyres (almost new)

Supertrax wheel nuts to fit wheels

valve caps

#####ACCESSORIES AND OTHER#####

LED cabin lights,

Rear seats from an Alfa Romeo Spyder with added cupholders,

Front Mamba bucket seats,

short shift gear lever,

Gear knob,

Steering wheel,

Dashboard and center console,

Central rear view mirror mounted to dashboard,

heater matrix,

Infotainment bluetooth stereo with speakers fitted under rear seats,

MG dashboard instruments,

Immobiliser and security features from donor MG car,

Boost pressure and battery voltage gauges,

Boost controller and rev limiter controls on centre console,

12v charging socket,

central locking for driver door,

Variable resistor for adjusting signal from fuel sender,

Sound deadening material under carpets and on bulkhead,

Tinted rear windows and rear screen

#####THE GOOD BITS#####

Years of fettling now makes it a car that drives really well with the suspension and brakes as good as they can get to match the power as best as possible.

Becomes a surprisingly civilized, quiet and comfortable car when driven smoothly thanks to the modern drivetrain and sound deadening (except the blow off valve)

Great MPG and reliability. I've driven it to Italy and back! When I am very careful I once achieved 47MPG taking it easy on the motorway.

A truly unique car that's also for those of us who want a crazy mini without going into Zcars money.

V5 is all proper with correct engine capacity and engine number reflected.

#####THE BAD BITS#####

Due to a failure of a lower suspension arm, the front right A panel has been damaged and needs replacing/repaint. I have a replacement heritage panel that will come with sale. This has been taken into account in the current asking price.

Rear arches were rubbed in by previous owner, (along with front right one also partly damaged) they need swapping with new ones which is not a big job. I'm leaving it to buyer if you want a new style of arches or simply replace (£79 from huddersfields)

The fiberglass has some damage behind the front number plate. This dates back from the original rebuild before me but you can get it sorted at the same time as rest if it bothers you.

#####THE NITPICKS#####

Some small paint chips at the bottom of the driver door frame where shoes scraped show light surface rust. It's right next to the A panel that needs replacing anyway so get it sorted at the same time.

Turning circle is large to make sure there is no suspension interference at full lock during suspension travel. Don't expect to parallel park.

Various tiny nitpicks in paintwork or interior, mostly cosmetic ( I have pictures)

It's not the kind of car for city driving, potholes or very rough roads (obviously).

Let's be clear, this is a 690kg Mini with 220bhp and little to no crash protection. It needs to be driven with respect and caution at almost all times.You will be able to build confidence with it as I've done my best to make it as driveable as possible thanks to the LSD and grippy tyres. However, unless you are on a perfectly smooth road, this FWD combination will give you torque steer as the boost kicks in if you just floor it at low RPMs, so you will need to be smooth with the throttle down low.For these reasons there will obviously be no test driving the car but I'm of course happy to take you out in it.

Reasons for sale:

-Too many others cars right now and I need the garage space

-Right in the middle of moving house, this is also why I don't have time to get the bodywork sorted

-Significant other would prefer a conventional classic Mini

The car is located near Poole.

Asking price is £12500

(I would have asked for £13K if it wasn't for the A-panel and arch damage)

Please do not hesitate to message me or call me directly if you have any questions!

Thanks for looking!

PS: Cover picture is an old one with the old wheels before I changed to the Supertrax six spokes.