Comments by "Phil Davenport" (@phildavenport4150) on "SuperfastMatt" channel.

  1. I considered a bike engine when uprating my Mini, but I went instead for a Honda B16A2: 1600 DOHC motor from a Civic. While the HP output from a good bike motor is comparable, there is NO comparison when it comes to torque, the stuff that gets you up and away, and out of corners on a race track or hillclimb. Round town I have nil interest in holding 6 to 10 grand all the time, just to get moving and keeping up with the cars I want to keep up with. The Mini weighs 700 kg all up and is a delight to drive at any speed. And the VTEC is a free lunch - a fuel efficient pussy cat down low and a howling beast under provocation when the VTEC kicks in. Sure, it weighs more than a bike motor, but it's a far better solution for round town and on hillclimbs.
    11
  2.  @peted5217  And a truly frightening experience when braking into or going round corners.
    3
  3. Pretty sure I saw one in London in 2011. It was red with Ferrari badging, fat race tires and the license plate was something like "PEEEOWRR". I'll bet it went like the proverbial.
    2
  4. You can take your car to the 'Ring almost any time you want. If you want to see some footage of Achim Korden's Mini with a 250 HP turbocharged Honda 1600cc VTEC going round the Nurburgring Nordschleife, have a look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xggd12OMS7g It is not a slow car and he is not a slow driver.
    1
  5. It has been done, and there are companies in the UK and elsewhere who build kits for the Mini to accept various bike engines. There is footage of a bike engined Mini at a sprint day round Silverstone at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVPUa5rUx7o It's best suited to long straights and sweeping corners. I'm not sure how well it would go against race Minis round short and twisty race tracks.
    1
  6. Too heavy. You'd need something with decent torque.
    1
  7. That's just one of the things to consider when putting a high revving bike motor into a car. The heavier the car, the greater the problem. Depends on how you want to drive it, too. If you want to holeshot people at traffic lights, try something with lots of torque, and that doesn't necessarily mean American big block iron, either. Forced induction or nitrous can do the trick.
    1