8-Port CCC

Magazine reprint

Mike Askew is the editor of Mini World magazine, and anyone who writes so many nice things about our 8-Port car must surely be a jolly nice chap. His story in Cars and Car Conversions is reproduced,with their kind permission, below. Unfortunately, Mini Tech News will be printed before the Mini World Magazine test on the 8-Port (September issue),but they tell me it will be a 5 page piece by Bill Sollis along similar lines to the CCC story, with driving impressions  from the man himself.The 8-Port should even be the main front cover picture,taken at a very 'arty' watery location.
Perhaps our Bill finally succeeded in losing it beside a lake somewhere
The theme of the Mini World story will apparently be 'A Conversion for the Nineties' ,which is a phrase I remember Bill coming out with when I asked him how his drive went. 'This has got to be the way to go',was another one.He also commented on how similar the set-up felt to the Monte Carlo car,which he saw as an obvious influence on the suspension of the 8-Port.
The Mini World team actually queued up for a drive of the car - they had it on long term test for over a week.lt also attended a Cooper Register show at the weekend.
Mike Askew took it down to Dorset to visit relatives for a couple of days,and apart from topping up the radiator once, the car went through the entire week without missing a beat - impeccable manners for such a high performing car.
Mike came up with the best line of all when he gave the car back: 'I think this is the only car Mini World has ever tested that hasn't broken down.' Maybe that doesn't say that much for our car, but it certainly doesn't say much for the others!
Graham Austin

Communique

Tuned Car

T:hink of a 100bhp Mini and what do you see? Probably a race or rally car with little or no resemblance to its production original with an incredibly peaky engine, delivering its power with the tacho needle buried in the red zone. Added to that, the noise from an obligatory free flow exhaust would probably resemble that of a fighter jet. In general, it seems that the more power that you squeeze out of the trusty A-Series, the less pleasant the car is to live with.
Faced with this problem, Keith Dodd and his team at Friern Barnet based Mini Spares set about creating a performance Mini with over100bhp at the wheels, yet with comfort and noise levels usually found in more modern superminis. In his search for power, Keith took a long hard look at all the
tuning options used in the past, and decided that an Arden-type 8-port head would provide the necessary horsepower. However, he planned to bring the whole thing into the 90s with the installation of a purpose designed fuel injection system.
The end result is nothing short of amazing. Externally, there are few clues to the power that lurks beneath the bonnet. The car is based on a 1993 Mini Sprite, and it still wears the distinctive decals to prove it. These, however, are about the only things that have been retained from the original
car. A set of Mini Spares'own Minilife wheels replace the original units and are shod with a set of super grippy Yokohama tyres. The suspension set up benefitted greatly from the knowledge gained in the preparation of Timo Makinen's Cooper for the 1994 Monte Carlo rally.
Adjustable suspension on every wheel allows infinite scope for tweaking, and with the addition of slightly longer lower arms to create around one degree of negative camber, the handling is more than competent. Inside, there is even less evidence that this car is a 100bhp plus machine, with a full-length walnut dashboard complimenting the specially made seats and chromed door pulls. On start up, there is just a hint that there's something just a bit different sitting a few inches in front of you. Indeed, as you move away at some speed, there is no telltale howl from the engine, and little more than a muffled rasp from the exhaust. Getting the 8-porter up to speed is an effortless task with Mini Spares' own five speed gearbox proving to be an absolute treat, engaging every gear sweetly up and down the gate. Driving in city traffic, the car is remarkably civilised. The 2S6

profile cam provides a good balance between sparky performance and sensible intown shuffling. However this car should only be kept in town when absolutely necessary, as once it finds a twisty A-road, it moves into a league of its own. A flat torque curve means that all the power is delivered
in one smooth surge through every gear, whisking the car up to seriously impressive speeds with very little evidence in the cabin that the engine is on full song. Obviously with some serious application of the right foot, a wonderful induction roar invades the cabin, although despite this, the exhaust note remains palatable to bystanders.
Handling is crisp and precise, making the car an absolute doddle to drive quickly. The turn-in is quick and the overall set-up allows for a good deal of steering adjustment once the car is committed to a corner without upsetting the balance. The servo-assisted brakes are also superb and help add to the overall competent feel of the car. Complaints about the 8-port car were few and far between, with possibly the hugely uncomfortable seats being the biggest gripe. There was another major drawback with it - we had to give it back!

MIKE ASKEW