8-Port EFI on the Italian Job

When Mini World's Editor, Mike Askew tested our 8-port EFI Mini this summer, he was most impressed, not to say relieved that the car was so reliable compared to others he had tried. He was being a good boy by visiting his mum in the West Country, and the last thing he wanted was grief on the 303. So when he was contemplating a 2500 mile jaunt around Europe, he naturally thought back to those lazy days of summer, and put self preservation at the top of his procurement list for the Italian Job. Thinking as you would that thumbing a lift from the top of the Alps was an overrated pastime, he took the wise decision to ask if he might borrow the Mini Spares 8-Port EFI to use as the official Mini World Magazine entry in the Italian Job.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         It must be said that the engine was getting a bit tired by now - the natural consequence of being systematically thrashed by journalists and test drivers over a four month period.
Revisions to the spec were being planned. The 8-Port was going to be up rated at some time in the future after some intensive R&.D and Dyno time. We decided for the Italian job though, to rebuild the engine along similar lines to the original spec to a tried and tested formula, although this time we would use Tom Seal's expertise, coupled with the not inconsiderableengine building experience of Mr. Cliff Humphries.
The result was a fast, reliable and eminently sound 8-Port engine, that would go twice around Europe, if necessary.
In keeping with the spirit of Monte, the car was only finished two days before the event, and the Mini World team of Mike Askew and News Editor Steve Bennett arrived to pick up the car in time for the ferry crossing that Thursday evening in November.
After a night stay in Calais, they set off for Italy on Friday morning, with that day's 1000 mile jaunt taking them through France to Strasberg, over the Alps through Switzerland, and on to Trento in Northern Italy by Friday evening.
Back in Blighty, we were hearing news of massive Hooding in Northern Italy, and spentsome time scanning news items for pictures of our Mini floating downstream. By Monday, no one had heard anything to the contrary, so we all assumed that the 8- Port had gone down with the loss of all hands.
Even Mike Askew's mum was phoning the Mini World office for news - Askew, phone home.
It turned out that apart from some bad storms, the team had seen hardly any flooding, and were anyway too busy competing on some stages of the Italian Job Rally.
They finished 6th, but only because they missed a passage control in the rain, which cost them 100 penalty points. But for that small detail, they would have secured first place, because they only had 4 other penalty points (who's fault this time, eh?). After picking up the mandatory bottles of Plonko Rosso {still haven't seen mine yet), the intrepid duo motored up through southern Germany to Munich. It is not clear whether the boys made it to the offices of BMW, to pay their respects to the most high ('We are not worthy',etc.), although he was probably at the Essen show anyway, which by a happy coincidence, was their next destination.
After a pose outside Messe Essen, wherein, it turned out, there was not ONE single Mini on display, Steve and Mike headed for the Nurburgring, another Mecca for motoring enthusiasts. Any member of Joe Public can simply turn up at this extraordinary circuit, and for about £7.00, you can breeze around the 14 miles of twists and turns, and play racing driver for the day. Not bad for SOp a mile. The blast back through to Calais was made in record time, the ferry crossing, and the welcoming smoothness of the M20 beckoned for the last squirt home.
Apart from a slightly damp ECU, which is any case only caused minor hassle, the entire trip went off without a hitch, and the 8-Port Efi performed faultlessly. A couple of oil and water top ups were all the maintenance required.
Steve reports that the Mini World entry in the Italian Job was adjudged a resounding success, with the only possible downside coming later, when Askew got a clip round the ear from his mum.
Serves him right.
Graham Austin