Car Tuning

Mid-engined V8 Mini truck hits auction

A unique Mini with a transaxle V8 and a truck-like body shape is set to cross the auction block in the UK in late March, estimated between £30,000 and £35,000.

Ray Christopher, former boss of GTD UK, greenlit the build in 1994 hoping to showcase the skills of his engineering team and advertise the company to a wider audience.

The tuners started with a stainless-steel space-frame formerly used in many of the company’s Ford GT40 replica builds. It installed disc brakes at all four corners, high-end per-wheel suspension, and rack-and-pinion steering. The bodywork was sourced from a rare Mini Countryman model, but the rear end was chopped to give it some pickup semblance.

There is no actual bed at the back, though, because the space is occupied by a 5.0-liter Ford V8 tuned to deliver roughly 300 PS (296 hp / 221 kW). A manual transmission conveys the momentum to the rear axle.

Editor: Andrew Raspopov