Gildred, a tuner with many Mini classics in its portfolio, has recently stuffed a naturally aspirated Honda four-pot in the engine bay of a Mini and invited popular YouTuber Matt Farah to try it on for si… uh, test it.
The high-revving Honda D16 mill easily slotted in under the hood and hooked up with a sharp manual gearbox driving the front wheels. No one bothered to count the horses, because the way the Mini handled already suggested it had a sizeable herd of them trampling the transmission.
Ruining the whole fun for Farah, 188 cm (6’2”) tall, was the fact that he barely squeezed into the car and felt horrible inside throughout the entire drive. Even after shoving the driver’s seat back as far as it would go, he still struggled to keep his right knee from the gear lever. It did not help at all that the steering wheel was barely reachable with outstretched hands after the aforementioned seat adjustment.
The morale of the story is, make sure you are on the smaller side if you ever decide to drive an old, engine-swapped Mini car. At 725 kg (1,600 lbs) curb weight, it can be great fun for Mini-sized enthusiasts and a major pain for the rest.