The entire build was done in the owner’s home garage.
Steve from Australia built himself a Honda VTEC-powered classic Mini a few years back and was proud of the job he’d done. However, it was a bit of a torque-steering monster and wasn’t great to drive. Plus, VTEC Mini swaps are played out nowadays. So he decided to build something different, entirely on his own, in his home garage, and he created one of the most impressive engine-swapped Minis I’ve ever seen by stuffing Subaru WRX engine behind the front seats.
That makes it sound a bit crude but Steve’s WRX-powered Mini is anything but crude. He started with a bone-stock Mini and stripped it down to its bare metal chassis. Then, he worked out the dimensions to see if the WRX’s turbocharged Boxer engine would fit. To make sure it was done correctly, safely, and legally, he consulted an engineer throughout the build and it paid off.
YouTube | FullBoost
Once he realized it would fit, and his plans were confirmed by the engineer, he got to work cutting the floor out behind the seats and building a custom box frame to support the engine and strengthen the chassis. The engine and transmission fit without any other modifications to the Mini’s body or wheelbase, so it has the same footprint as the original car. Ironically, it’s actually easier to work on the engine in the Mini than in the Subaru. Not only is there more clearance but you can access the engine from either side, through the rear hatch or interior firewall.
The engine is almost entirely stock, so it makes about 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque but, in a car that barely weighs over 2,000 lbs, that’s more than enough. The only modification to the engine is an updated top-mount intercooler with air intakes in the rear quarter windows.
YouTube | FullBoost
One of the cooler aspects of the build is its sunroof. Classic Minis didn’t come with sunroofs in the ’60s, so Steve bought a roof from a wrecked BMW-era R56 Mini. He then cut its sunroof out and welded it into the classic Mini’s roof. Not only does it look seamless, it seems to function perfectly.
It’s impossible to do Steve’s work justice in words, though. If you watch the video from Fullboost, you can see just how well-built it is. From the outside, it looks like a slightly modified purple ’60s Mini but the only stock Mini bits on the car are the original body shell and the wiper motor. Everything else Steve built in his garage at home and it has to be one of the coolest engine-swapped classic Minis on the road.
