This R56 MINI Cooper S Is Hiding A 414bhp M3 V8 And Subaru Subframes

The cosmetic upgrades may be relatively subtle, but this MINI boasts some big and exciting mechanical changes

Updated: 10 Oct 2024

This R56 MINI Cooper S Is Hiding A 414bhp M3 V8 And Subaru Subframes

Go to any car meet in the country and it’s pretty likely you’ll spot one or more modified Minis. They’re a popular budget tuner car as parts are plentiful and cheap, while even the R53 Cooper S isn’t drastically expensive to insure. From the outside, at least, this looks like any other Mini you’d find revving in a McDonald’s car park, but peer a little closer and it gets more interesting.

The first clue is the badge, which says ‘Vini’ instead of Mini. V for V8, you see. Squeezed under the shapely clamshell bonnet is a 4.0-litre V8, namely BMW’s S65 engine that was used in the brawny E92 M3. It puts out 414bhp, and has now been put in a (road-legal!) car that weighs just 1300kg. No performance stats are given - take a guess in the comments below - but the car is just about to go through track testing and the final tweaks to its setup.

Having the Mini brand under its wing meant BMW could engineer its own front-wheel-drive cars, like the latest 1-series. But here the relationship has gone the other way, as this Mini is rear-drive.

It’s a thorough re-working for sure, and the new engine and transmission meant some heads needed to be scratched. The Mini wasn’t built to cope with such a large engine, so the floor plan and bulkhead were both strengthened. It sits on Subaru Impreza STI subframes and has bespoke MacPherson struts, plus a set of race-spec Toyo Proxes R888R tyres.

The project has been initiated by British suspension firm Powerflex, and the build was completed with the help of a few different modifying companies. In fact, the list of brands is like a who’s who of the UK car mods scene: Litchfield, Forge, Racelogic and ED Motorsport, plus others, were all involved.

Inside, the classic R56 big central speedometer has been replaced for a racing unit with lots of buttons and controls. The steering wheel and dial cluster have been swapped out for track-spec versions, too. Not a lot is shared with the standard car, as Powerflex has thrown most of it in the bin. There’s also a roll cage, plenty of carbon fibre and Cobra seats with five-way racing harnesses.